From Verneuil-l'Étang to Fontaine-le-Port via Champeaux and Blandy-les-Tours

Starting point and access: Verneuil-l'Étang station.
- Transilien - Line P, on the section between Paris-Est and Provins.
Take the only exit, Place de la Gare, on the side of platform 1 (Paris to Provins direction). If arriving in the opposite direction, platform 2, take the footbridge.

Red and white markings

(S) With your back to the station, turn right and follow Rue de la Gare, ignoring Rue Pasteur on the left and then Rue La Fontaine on the right. At the stop sign, turn right onto the D47 towards Guignes and follow the^GR®1southwards. Cross the bridge over the railway line and, once off the bridge, follow the road to the left for about 100 metres.

(1) Then take the^first right and pass the recycling centre on your left. Continue straight ahead along a farm track and pass under a power line. In front of the entrance gate to a large park, turn left, rejoin the tarmac and walk along the park wall on your right.

(2) At the Stop sign, follow the D47 to the right ( very narrow verges, see practical information). Enter the hamlet of L'Étang and, at the next junction, continue straight ahead on the D47. Cross the hamlet, turning slightly to the right. Cross a stream and continue along the road, preferably on the right-hand verge, which appears less narrow.

(3) At the Stop sign, cross the D619 ( very busy road) and follow it for a few dozen metres to the right towards Paris. Then turn left onto a wide grassy path between the fields (no signpost here). Walk south-west, pass under a high-voltage power line and then follow a wood on your left. Ignore a path branching off to the right and, at the end of the wood, continue straight on until you reach a small road.

(4) Then turn sharply left (no signpost), enter Le Truisy via Rue de la Pompe and ignore a few side paths. At the T-junction, turn right into Rue des Champs. After the last houses, the tarmac gives way to a field path.

(5) After a left-hand bend, continue along the edge of the woods on your left. Note the bell tower of the Collegiate Church of Champeaux in the distance on your right. Come to a lane lined with plane trees and walk past the small cemetery of Andrézel on your right.

(6) Cross the D47 and continue straight ahead along Rue des Marnières. After passing some houses on the left, ignore a path on the left and continue straight on along a farm track. After ignoring a second path on the left, the track becomes overgrown with grass. Look out for a small copse on the left, beyond a cultivated field.

(7) When you reach this copse, as the track curves slightly to the left, take a grassy path on the right heading south-west (there are no arrows or markers here in the middle of the fields). At a junction on the right and then at a crossroads, continue straight on, keeping the Collegiate Church of Champeaux in sight. The path gives way to a farm track; pass under a power line and then between large farm sheds. Pass a beautiful farmhouse on your left and arrive at a small triangular clearing (cross).

No signposting

(8) Turn left onto Rue de Malvoisine (sign further on) and let the^GR®1head off to the right. After crossing Rue du Pré du Pain on the right and before a roundabout, turn right into Ruelle du Four Banal. At No. 1ter, continue along a path that goes round the house to the left and winds its way between a wall on the left and garden fences on the right. At the end, follow another path to the left and emerge onto Place du Marché. First turn left then right (or cross the square diagonally to the left) to follow Rue du Cloître (yellow marker). Ignore the signposting directing you to turn left onto Rue Sainte-Fare and head towards the Collégiale Saint-Martin.

(9) Continue along Rue Saint-Léonard, which turns right. After a few dozen metres, turn left into Ruelle du Fossé Maçon towards Blandy-les-Tours (hiking signpost). At the end, take a zigzag route to follow Route du Moulin de Chaunoy due south. Pass a sewage treatment plant and a small oil well on your left, then the wall of the Château d’Aunoy park on your right.

Yellow + Green markings

(10) At the junction by the corner of the wall, turn right onto a wide, compacted track towards Blandy-les-Tours (signpost). Walk alongside the castle wall on your right. At the corner of a detached house (marker 94), turn right, walk alongside the old moat and reach the main gate of the castle. Continue in the same direction until you reach a crossroads.

(11) Ignore the first path on the left (gate) and take the second one towards Blandy-les-Tours (signpost). After passing some farm buildings (on your right), continue straight ahead onto a path that starts between two hedges. Then follow a grassy path for a while, heading west, with a wood on your left and fields on your right. After about 1 km, a clearing on the left in the wood offers a beautiful view of Blandy Castle.

No signposting

(12) At the junction, turn left and walk alongside the D47 as it descends (the left-hand verge is wide enough). Note a fountain and a wayside shrine on the left. Cross the Ru d’Ancoeur via the Pont Paillard and follow the D47 uphill. Pass Place Louis-Antoine Couturon and Blandy Church on your right. Go round the castle on the left, leaving the Place du Pilori on your left.

Red and white + yellow markings

(13) At the junction (bakery, bar-restaurant), continue straight ahead into Rue Raoul Kourilsky and follow the^GR®1again, towards Moisenay. At the next junction, turn left into Rue Vauchèvre. After No. 26, turn right onto Chemin de l’Aiguillon. The tarmac gives way to a farm track which you should follow south-west, ignoring a path branching off to the right. Pass under the high-voltage power lines, then take the bridge which crosses the A5 motorway and the TGV Sud-Est line in turn. At the junction just after the bridge, continue straight on and you will reach a junction in the woodland.

No signposting

(14) Continue straight on (ignore the^GR®1branching off to the right) and descend a stony path through the woods. Cross a stream, pass under high-voltage power lines again and climb up a grassy path between a field (on the left) and a meadow or wasteland (on the right), with the top of a water tower in sight. Cross a small road and continue straight ahead along a farm track.

(15) At the foot of the water tower, turn left onto the tarmac access road. At the Stop sign, cross the D408 (, a very busy road). Continue straight ahead along a small road leading to Ailly and turn left opposite a beautiful farmhouse.

Red + Blue markings (rare) + wooden posts here and there

(16) At the three-way junction that appears immediately (central electricity pole), leave the tarmac, follow a farm track to the left and pass a shed on your right. After about 400m (marker, elevation 86), take a grassy path that branches off to the right towards an electricity pylon. When another path joins from the left, turn right and stay roughly parallel to the power line. Cross a stream, pass under two parallel medium-voltage lines and head towards a small wood. Cross the wood briefly and continue along the edge of the field (a series of posts).

(17) At the T-junction, follow a grassy path to the left (pile of small rocks on the side). At a white double-sided sign marked ‘PGM’ (marker 84), turn right onto a path leading towards a large wood. Walk along the edge and then enter the wood.

(18) At the crossroads at the end of the path (houses), turn left into a street. Note a small tower on the right and walk alongside a boundary wall on your right. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the T-junction, turn right. Immediately afterwards, cross the D605 at the traffic lights and continue straight ahead along Rue de la Mairie. You will reach Place de l’Église (church on the right).

No signposting

(19) Head towards Fontaine-le-Port, i.e. turn left at the square then right (Rue de la Garenne) at the next fork. Walk along the left-hand side of a sewage treatment plant then a property wall.

(20) At the fork (metal cross), follow the D134 to the left, still heading towards Fontaine-le-Port. Walk past an oil well on your right and enter the forest (Le Buisson de Massoury). Continue straight on (south) for about 2 km along the road ( narrow verges, see practical information).

(21) As you leave the forest (marker on the right-hand side), finally leave the road and take the farm track that branches off to the right just after the signpost. Stay on the edge of the woods on your right and, after a series of small bends, at the foot of a hunting lookout, continue south on a path between the fields. At the end, follow a wall on your right, come out onto a small road and follow it to the right for a few metres.

Red and white markings

(22) Before the Fontaine-le-Port exit sign, turn left and follow the^GR®2downhill (note a few narrow viewpoints over the Seine on the right-hand side). At the stop sign, turn right, pass a viewpoint over the Seine and continue downhill along the road (good pavement on the right-hand side). Pass a traffic light, cross the railway line at the level crossing and turn right to reach Fontaine-le-Port station (E).

To get back home:
- Transilien - Line R, towards Melun and Paris-Lyon (direct access) or Montereau (use the underpass).

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Arrange for at least two vehicles, one at the car park of each of the two stations, which are on different lines. With just one vehicle, travelling to or from the station by train would require a change between two stations within central Paris.

Hiking boots are essential. In wet weather, some paths through the fields may be slippery. As much of the route is in open countryside, in summer avoid the hottest days and times of day and take appropriate sun protection.

Facilities along the way:
- In Verneuil-l'Étang, just past the station: bar-tobacconist.
- In Champeaux, Place du Marché: bakery, grocery shop.
- In Champaux, opposite the collegiate church: toilets.
- In Blandy-les-Tours, at the foot of the castle: bakery, mini-market, bars and restaurants.
- In Sivry-Courtry, Rue de la Mairie: bakery (closed between 1.30 pm and 4.00 pm, as well as on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons), bar.

This walk is partly unmarked and, where it is marked, signposting is sparse due to a lack of suitable surfaces. Consequently, a 1:25,000 map is essential (at the very least the one accompanying this description). A compass may be useful...

Warning:
- Hikers should be aware that this long route includes a significant proportion of tarmac sections.
- Two sections require particular caution due to narrow verges: between (2) and (3) and between (20) and (21). For this reason, I do not recommend undertaking this hike with children (in any case, the distance is not really intended for them). If hiking in a group, walking in single file is essential...

Alternative route:
Avoiding the long tarmac section in Buisson de Massoury – Simply end the walk at Place de l’Église in Sivry-Courtry (19). This means you must have parked at least one vehicle beforehand in the small car park by the church. This shorter version is 22.2 km.

Hike completed by the author on 12 April 2017.

In Champeaux:
- Saint-Martin Collegiate Church (12th–13th centuries) (9). A very beautiful Gothic church, where experts recognise the combined influences of the cathedrals of Sens and Paris. The church is open daily and well worth a visit! The interior is simple, featuring numerous tombstones, old stained-glass windows, remnants of frescoes and a few capitals.
- Château d'Aunoy (18th century, or slightly earlier) (11).

In Blandy-les-Tours:
- Saint-Maurice Church (12th–16th centuries), before (13), open during the day.
- Apple press near the castle.
- Fortified castle (13th–14th centuries) (13). The itinerary suggests walking halfway around the castle, but it is recommended to walk the full circuit. Opening hours: 10.00–12.30 and 13.30–18.00 (1 April–31 October); 10.00–12.30 and 13.30–17.00 (1 November–31 March). Full price: €6.

In Sivry-Courtry:
- Saint-Germain Church (14th–19th centuries) (19).