Medieval churches of Brie - Vendières and L'Epine-aux-Bois

Parking is available in the town hall car park (Cours Jules Leroy), located at the foot of the church in Vendières.

Yellow and blue markings

(S/E) Facing the church bell tower, turn right and follow the road towards La Celle-sous-Montmirail (sign). At the fork that follows, continue right on the road and pass the cemetery while climbing gently.

(1) At the top of the hill and at the junction with the first small road coming from the right, turn left onto the wide grassy path that runs between the fields (no signpost here). After the path quickly veers to the right, walk for about 1 km heading east-northeast then east.

(2) Shortly before reaching the edge of a wood, at a crossroads in the middle of the fields, turn left (no signpost here). Walk north, first between the fields and then along the edge of the wood on your right.

Yellow and blue + yellow and red markings

(3) Note a wide forest path coming from the right: you are now on the^GRP® Tour de l'Ormois. Continue north-northwest, first along the edge of the woods, then between the fields. Cross a farm and come out onto a small road.

(4) Cross the road and continue opposite (north-west) along a grassy path. After passing two copses on the right, descend with a hedge on your right. At a fork (roof of a house opposite), take the left path (the purple line on the IGN map is inaccurate here). Leave the house you saw at the fork on your right and descend onto a stony path. At the T-junction, turn left. At the next junction, continue to the left towards the church, which you will reach quickly.

Yellow and blue markings

(5) At the crossroads, leave the^GRP® trail on your right, continue straight ahead and take the Chemin de la Censonnerie (signposted) uphill. At the fork that immediately appears, follow the right-hand path along the wall of a house and continue uphill. Walk west-northwest between the fields, with a beautiful view of Vendières and its church on your left, then reach the edge of a wood. The path then turns left (the map shows perpendicular paths, but these do not exist on the ground; they are, at best, field boundaries).

(6) At a three-way junction (signpost, green farm sheds on the right), turn left and head south on a wide path. First walk along a fenced meadow on your left, then climb slightly between the fields. At the top of the hill, the path turns left at a right angle. At the next fork (Vendières church clearly visible on the right), turn right at a right angle and head south again along a grassy path. At the next fork (marker post but the colours have faded), ignore the path that descends to the left and continue straight ahead towards the roofs emerging above the fields.

(7) Cross the Monthubert farm (pond and wash house on the left) and follow the small tarmac road which descends, gradually curving to the left.

(8) At the three-way junction (riding school on the right), leave the road and turn left onto a path with a horse pasture on the right (no marker here). Walk north-east between fields on the left and meadows on the right, with the church of Vendières high up on the right. At the first houses, the path gives way to a tarmac road. At the crossroads at a place called Le Val (sign), turn right onto the road and cross a stream. Climb up with the stream below on your left, make a hairpin bend and you will soon reach the starting point (S/E).

This hike should be avoided during wet weather as many of the paths become muddy (the crossing of the farm in front of (4) is very muddy). Hiking boots are required. Almost the entire hike is exposed: in very sunny weather, take appropriate protective measures.
No drinking water sources or shops along the route.

Due to a lack of support, there are no markings on the sections between the fields. Elsewhere, they are very sparse and rather old. Therefore, a 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description).

Additional information:
This hike can be combined with the "Vallée du Petit Morin - Montolivet et le Moulin de l'Oie" hike, which passes nearby and is published on Visorando. To do this, at the crossroads (8), turn right instead of left and after 200 metres you will reach the point (5) of the other hike, in Corberon-le-Bas. Then complete the entire other hike from this point. Once you return to Corberon-le-Bas, turn right to rejoin the first route at its point (8) and complete the hike. The entire hike is approximately 23 kilometres long.

Hike completed by the author on 9 January 2016.

- In Vendières (S/E): Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church (13th century) with its massive bell tower and porch. Wash house.
- In L'Epine-aux-Bois (5): Saint-Cyr and Sainte-Julitte Church (13th century). The church is partly in ruins: only the bell tower and two rows of arcades remain. Please be careful during your visit (signs indicate that climbing on the arcades is prohibited).
- At the Monthubert Farm (7): pond, wash house.
- Along the route: beautiful views of the two churches above, the countryside and surrounding woods, and the Petit Morin Valley.