Between Boissy-Saint-Léger and Marolles-en-Brie via Grosbois and the Tégéval

Starting point and access: Boissy-Saint-Léger station.
- RER - Line A, terminus of one of the sections.
Take exit 1, Place de la Gare.

Red and yellow + yellow (rare)signposts

(S/E) Cross the station forecourt, then a street at the pedestrian crossing. Follow the street to the left and, shortly after, go around the crossroads on the left to cross the N19 (Avenue du Général Leclerc) in two stages. Turn right towards the town centre and go up Rue de Paris. Continue straight ahead and cross Rue de l'Église on the left, then Rue du Temple.

(1) At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Sucy and go straight ahead into Place de Verdun. Pass a forest gate and follow a wide gravel path between two walls. At the end, take the opening on the left of a metal gate to enter the Grosbois Regional Forest. Then turn left, leave a sign with a map on your left and follow a tarmac lane (Allée Élisabeth) lined with wide grassy verges.

No signposts

(2) At the first crossroads (footbridge over a stream on the left), go straight ahead. Keep the Pelouse du Progrès on your left and continue to a second crossroads. Then take a gravel path on the left, the Allée du Lapin. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the T-junction, turn right. Cross Allée Élisabeth (tarmac) and continue straight ahead into Allée Wagram.

Red and yellow markings

(3) Cross another paved lane (Allée Chevreuil) and follow a path through a grassy area. At the end, turn left and rejoin a paved path. Note the wall of the Domaine de Grosbois some distance away on your right. Pass under the Chêne des Bruyères (a dead but still standing oak tree). Cross a stream, then turn left and follow the stream on your left. You will come to a crossroads (with a forest house on your left).

Red and yellow + yellow markings

(4) Then turn right and walk along a small car park. At the T-junction, turn right, parallel to the power lines. At the entrance to an outdoor activity centre, turn left and pass under the power lines. At the T-junction, follow a street on the right. Continue along a tarmac lane in the Forêt Domaniale de Notre-Dame. Go through a forest gate (sign saying "Bienvenue") and immediately turn left onto Allée Royale.

Red and yellow + green markings

(5) At the crossroads, take the^second path on the right (plot no. 6). At the next crossroads (plot no. 16), continue straight ahead. Cross a stream, join a wider path and follow it to the right. Walk alongside a riding centre on your left. Go through a forest gate and cross a road at the pedestrian crossing at the entrance to Marolles-en-Brie. Go through a forest gate (welcome sign) and continue straight ahead.

Yellow signposting

Cross the Chemin du Parc aux Boeufs on the left and continue for a few dozen metres.

(6) At the power line, turn right and go through the gate that leads to a green corridor. Follow the paved path and ignore the side paths that lead to a residential area. Take the footbridge over the road and pass the sports equipment on your left. Stay on the wide paved path that winds its way through the area and ignore the side paths. Walk along the left side of a football stadium, a tennis court and then a gymnasium. Pass a playground on your right and walk along the left side of a fenced-in meadow.

(7) At the corner of the meadow, turn left onto a paved lane and walk along a wall on your right. Pass a chicane and come out onto a shopping street and follow it to the left. In front of the entrance to the Espace des Buissons, turn right to cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left, leaving a bakery on your right. Cross a street and continue straight ahead. At the crossroads (war memorial on the left), turn right and cross the old centre of Marolles-en-Brie. At the crossroads, turn left into Rue Pierre Bezançon. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, passing the town hall on your right, until you reach a crossroads at the foot of the church.

(8) Cross the Route de Brie and follow it to the left. At the fork that appears immediately, keep right (dead end). After a few metres, at the pedestrian crossing, turn right onto a path and pass under a metal archway. Go down gently and follow the lawn on your right. At the bottom, turn right, go through a metal gate and follow a grassy path that joins the bank of the Réveillon. Follow the river on your left and leave a vineyard on your right. Go through a chicane that leads to a crossroads (golf course on the left).

(9) Take the^first road on the right, a cement path that climbs uphill. After about 30 metres, turn left and walk between a hedge on the left and garden fences on the right. Come out onto a narrow lane, turn left, go through a first forest gate and follow a tarmac road. Go through a second forest gate and continue to a roundabout (opposite the entrance to the Domaine de Grosbois).

No signposts

(10) Go around the roundabout on the left and take the^first left, Avenue Grosbois. At the end of the tarmac, go through a metal gate and continue along a gravel path, parallel to a busy road on the right (N19). Cross a stream and you will soon come to an intersection. Turn right and take the tunnel under the N19. Follow the Réveillon on your left, ignore a footbridge over the river and continue straight ahead. Pass under a high-speed train line and you will come to another intersection at the entrance to a tunnel.

(11) Here, you have two options:
- Go directly to point (13) by turning right towards the Bois de la Grange and following a path along the TGV line fence.
- As shown on the map, follow the green route straight ahead towards Yerres and take the tunnel under the Réveillon. At the exit, turn left and continue along the river on your left.

Red and yellow markings

At the first footbridge, turn left and cross the Réveillon. Climb up to reach the Tégéval.

Yellow markings (rare)

(12) Then turn left towards the Bois de la Grange. Follow a stabilised path on the platform of an old railway line that passes (without you noticing) over the tunnel you took earlier.

(13) Ignore a path coming from the right and go straight ahead towards the Bois de la Grange. Cross a street at the pedestrian crossing and continue opposite on a cement path. Ignore a path coming from the left and climb up a lawn on the right below. Ignore a staircase on the right and first turn right then left to cross another street at the pedestrian crossing.

Green markings

(14) Go down a metal staircase and follow a gravel path. Further on, cross a paved cycle path, continue on the gravel path and climb a metal staircase. Cross a street and go down another metal staircase. Follow a gravel path parallel to a paved cycle path further to the right and continue straight ahead. Further on, cross a road (D260) and continue opposite, slightly to the right, on the paved path (do not continue on the cement footpath).

No signposts

(15) After about 30 metres, turn right onto a path that enters the forest (old red and yellow cross). At the next junction, turn left onto a good path. At a fork, take the wider path on the right and you will soon come to a crossroads (plot no. 14).

Yellow signpost

Then turn right (north-northeast). When you reach the houses, ignore a path on the left and continue straight ahead on a path, which quickly becomes overgrown with vegetation. You will come to a small car park at the entrance to a swimming pool.

(16) Continue for a few dozen metres, then turn left towards the RER station and cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. Follow the road to the right and cross the N19 at the entrance to Limeil-Brévannes in several stages. Continue straight ahead along Boulevard Léon Révillon. Pass the town hall and, at the traffic lights, cross Rue de Valenton (D33).

Red and yellow + yellow (rare)signs

(1) Follow Rue de Paris in the opposite direction to the outward journey and go downhill. At the bottom, go around the crossroads on the right to cross the N19, then turn left to reach Boissy-Saint-Léger station (S/E).

To return home:
- RER - Line A, towards Paris then Poissy or Cergy.

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Park in the car park of the village hall, near (1). Only do the loop, without returning to the station, for a 14.8 km route.

Hiking boots or good sports shoes are recommended for this hike, which follows well-maintained paths. Some sections may be wet between (8) and (11).

Bars, restaurants and shops between Boissy-Saint-Léger station and Place de Verdun (1) and in the centre of Marolles-en-Brie (7).

Hike completed by the author on 4 November 2022.

- Grosbois Regional Forest, from (1) to (4).
- Chêne des Bruyères, shortly before (4).
- Notre-Dame State Forest, between (4) and (6).
- Church and priory of Marolles-en-Brie (8).
- Grosbois Estate (10), international training centre for trotting horses.
- Réveillon tunnels, between (10) and (11).
- Tégéval between (12) and (15).
- Grange National Forest, between (15) and (16).