Église Saint-Étienne (Desmont) walks

On the edge of the Ile-de-France region, this hike from station to station follows the Essonne Valley from south to north. It takes forest paths, quiet minor roads and paths between fields. This route allows you to discover an interesting heritage: mills, churches and castles, as well as a menhir and a polisher that attest to the ancient human occupation of the area.

After crossing the Rambouillet Forest in the previous stage, this section is a restful one. It takes you to Malesherbes station. This is one of the easiest stages of the GR®1. The start is at Le Vaudoué. It is the only stage of the GR®1 that does not start at a station. The hike alternates between sections in the woods and more rural sections. The first interesting sight on the route is the church in Le Vaudoué. The path then leads to the former Templar Commandery before crossing woods and fields towards the Essonne and Saint-Martin Church in Malesherbes.

A hike from station to station that mainly follows the towpath of the Canal Loing. Before reaching the canal, you cross a municipal park and a small maze of rocks. Along the way, the canal's surroundings become increasingly bucolic and reveal an interesting industrial heritage.

A hike from station to station, mainly through forest, crossing the rocky chaos of Maunoury, Dame Jouanne and Éléphant, which are every bit as impressive as those in the neighbouring Fontainebleau Forest. The village of Larchant, with its church and a few old houses, adds a superb touch of heritage.

This is the twenty-eighth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, connecting Milly-la-Forêt to the Ballancourt-sur-Essonne train station after crossing the French Gâtinais region. It is designed to follow on fromthe previous stage coming from Fontainebleau, after a night's stay there.This stage begins in the École valley, which boasts a rich heritage: Milly-la-Forêt, Moigny-sur-École, Courances and its château, and Dannemois, dear to Claude François. It continues through the fields of the Gâtinais, then the ridges and sandstone plateaus of the Grands Avaux forest, ending at Ballancourt-sur-Essonne in the valley of the same name.The stage is very beautiful but very long, and undoubtedly the most physically demanding of all those on the GR®11, especially in its second part. However, it is possible to split it in two by staying overnight and/or shorten it in several places by simplifying it.

This long hike takes you on a fairly comprehensive tour of the magnificent Coquibus massif: heather-covered plateaus and water holes, deciduous woods, rocks, viewpoints, the Vanne aqueduct (sandstone steps), etc.