Villefermoy Forest - Northern Circular Loop

One of the few forest trails that can be followed in the heart of Brie. A route that is mainly in cool shade, with a brief stretch through the fields around the Ferme d'Heurtebise.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.26 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 31 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 34 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 124 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 97 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at Carrefour du Ru Guérin (car park), on the D12 road between Nangis and Carrefour des Huit Routes.

The route is signposted from start to finish. Signposting is sparse but generally clearly visible at major junctions. In the forest, junctions and some paths are signposted.

Green markings

(S/E) Take the wide grassy path that heads due west after the forest gate, which is immediately on the left at the car park entrance (marker on the right-hand post of the gate). N.B. Do not confuse this with the Route du Ru Guérin, which heads north-west at the far end of the car park (this will be the return route). At the Carrefour du Cerf, continue straight ahead.

(1) At the Carrefour du Danjou, cross a tarmac forest road and take the grassy path opposite that heads diagonally to the right (north-west). Ignore the vague tracks on either side and, at the Carrefour du Lièvre, continue straight on along the Route de la Borde to Châtillon.

(2) At the Carrefour du Grippon, take the second path on the right (the only one that is grassy). Walk north, ignoring all the side paths, and at the junction with the Route Forestière de la Mauperthuis, continue straight ahead.

(3) At the Carrefour des Trois Bornes, take the second path on the right, which starts just to the right of a small tree bearing plot number 101 (no signpost here). Head east-northeast and, at the first junction (Carrefour du Blaireau on the map), turn left. Ignore a marked path coming from the right and you will immediately reach a very shady T-junction.

Green and yellow markings

(4) Turn left onto a narrow dirt track. Ignore a path coming from the right (not shown on the map) and leave the forest. Then turn right and follow a path between the fields. Ignore a path branching off to the right and walk alongside a copse on your right.

(5) At the T-junction (yellow markings on a post on the ground), turn right (north-east). Note the Ferme d'Heurtebise on the right. Cross the small tarmac road leading there and continue straight ahead (ignore a yellow arrow indicating a left turn; twoPR® trails cross here). Walk along the edge of the field on your right.

(6) At the junction with Route de Villefermoy (tarmac), take a grassy path on the right that slopes down slightly (N.B. At this junction, you will see a Green Cross opposite on the left and, beyond that, an old green marker: the Green Cross is the one to follow). Then head uphill, keeping to the left of a hedge and then a wood.

(7) At the edge of the woodland, ignore the path on the left and continue straight on (east) between two hedges. At the T-junction, turn right onto a wide path (no marker here). After a few metres (pile of stones at the junction), take a narrower path on the left, follow a hedge on your left and enter a wood (damp section). On leaving the wood, continue between two hedges and ignore the clearings on either side leading to fields.

Green markings

(8) At the junction, follow a small road to the right. At the end of the tarmac (a place called Le Moulin), take the gravel track that goes round the buildings to the right. At a fork (double-trunked oak), take the path on the left (Chemin communal du Moulin).

(9) At the junction (private gate on the left, narrow view of the Étang de Villefermoy), take the path opposite into the dark undergrowth. Cross a stream and continue along the path surrounded by vegetation.

(10) At the T-junction (gate to the same private property on the left), follow the stony track to the right (east-southeast). Continue along this well-trodden path and ignore any vague offshoots to the sides.

Green + Yellow markings

(11) At the Carrefour du Daim, turn left onto a wide gravel track (Route de Valence on the map). Head due south and, at a clearly marked junction (Carrefour de la Biche on the map), continue straight ahead.

Green signposting

(12) At the Carrefour de la Meunière, take the second path on the left, the Route du Ru de Guérin, which is also a wide gravel track. Head south-east and, at the Carrefour du Chevreuil, continue straight on. Walk past a pond on your left (information sign) and continue in the same direction to the car park located beyond a forest gate (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 113 m - Ru Guérin crossroads
  2. 1 : km 1.45 - alt. 122 m - Danjou crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.87 - alt. 121 m - Grippon crossroads
  4. 3 : km 4.2 - alt. 122 m - Carrefour des Trois Bornes
  5. 4 : km 4.98 - alt. 116 m - T-junction in the forest
  6. 5 : km 6.17 - alt. 109 m - T-junction between the fields
  7. 6 : km 6.84 - alt. 104 m - Crossroads - Route de Villefermoy
  8. 7 : km 7.43 - alt. 110 m - Corner of a wood
  9. 8 : km 8.61 - alt. 98 m - Road leading to the hamlet known as Le Moulin
  10. 9 : km 9.12 - alt. 108 m - Gateway - View of the - Étang de Villefermoy
  11. 10 : km 9.64 - alt. 108 m - Gate - T-junction
  12. 11 : km 10.1 - alt. 114 m - Carrefour du Daim
  13. 12 : km 11.37 - alt. 115 m - Carrefour de la Meunière
  14. S/E : km 13.26 - alt. 113 m - Ru Guérin crossroads

Notes

Hiking boots required. Potentially wet sections in the forest. Up to the point (10), most of the paths are grassy and some in the forest are very overgrown: only undertake this hike in dry conditions and avoid the days following rain.

No water source identified along the route. Picnic tables at the Carrefour du Ru Guérin (S/E).

A 1:25,000 map is useful (at the very least the one accompanying this description). A compass helps to ensure you are heading in the right direction at forest crossroads.

Hike completed by the author on 2 July 2017.

Worth a visit

- Lovely forest atmosphere, with some beautiful isolated trees.
- View of the beautiful buildings at the Ferme d'Heurtebise, between (5) and (7).
- As there is no access to the pond (private property), between (8) and (9), you can hear the birds frolicking there...

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
3 / 5
Vulcain75
Vulcain75

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk; the forest section is very pleasant. Despite the recent rain, the paths are easily passable, except for the section along the edge of Villefermoy Pond. It’s a shame that the area around the pond is private, as this deprives walkers of a fine view of the flora and fauna.

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Marcheur66
Marcheur66
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Overgrown grass, the ground churned up by tractors (very visible tracks from the tracks – wild boars don’t leave tracks like that!), in places water-filled potholes with no dry path to get round them (water up to your ankles!!), swarms of mosquitoes (which weren’t mentioned in the description!!) A real nightmare. A walk to be avoided at all costs, even during a heatwave when you might expect the ground to be dry. The only passable route is the Ru de Guerin track leading to the ponds.

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rando_pierre
rando_pierre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Poorly signposted trail. Full description available on Visorando. Starts from the Ru Guérin car park! A very well-documented hike.
The long straight stretches through the forest are rather tedious and the path is quite bumpy in early spring. The foresters have done a good job over the winter. The section crossing the meadows near Chapelle Gauthier and the Heurtebise farm, on the other hand, is very pleasant (lots of pheasants). The return route through the forest runs alongside the (private) Villefermoy pond, then you’re back on the (too) long straight stretches to the car park. Ideal for lockdown, within the 10 km limit from your home!

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ilonaxis
ilonaxis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk, very well described, with wide paths that were quite grassy and damp in the morning. It was fairly shaded at the start of the walk, but for the last 3 or 4 kilometres the paths are less shaded – best avoided if it’s very sunny or before midday.
We set off at 9am and returned around 12 noon; it was time to head back.
Make sure you wear good shoes as the paths are dug up by wild boars and aren’t very stable
All in all, I was delighted with this walk, which is very well explained, even for beginners.
At a pace of 5.1 km, we completed it in 2 hours 40 minutes – delighted.

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Netra
Netra ★
• Edited:

Hello, Goldilocks, and thank you for your comments.

Indeed, there are damp patches and some paths are very overgrown, as I mentioned in the description. That was the case when I did this walk in early July, the day after it had rained (though there were no signs of wild boar ‘ploughing’ at that time).

The overgrowth was clearly more pronounced in early September, if I’m to believe some of the photos you’ve posted. It’s obvious when you compare our two photos of the starting path. Thank you for posting these lovely photos.

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boucles d'or
boucles d'or

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

So, yes, the paths do get quite wet after a few days of rain. But once you know that, it’s not any more unpleasant. On the other hand, the paths are quite badly damaged by the forest’s inhabitants (wild boars), but the most unpleasant thing, in my opinion, is that some of the grassy paths are almost impassable. The grass comes up to your waist, and on top of that, the paths are churned up by the wild boars and the dampness of the area. It’s quite tricky to walk properly and enjoy the nature around you. Which is a shame, as there’s quite a lot of flora, as well as fauna (butterflies, dragonflies...). I made my own route to avoid the paths where the vegetation was far too dense.

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