Villefermoy Forest - Southern Circular Loop

Start from La Chapelle-Rablais town hall. Several parking options:
- Opposite the town hall, Place de l’Église (4 or 5 spaces).
- Along Rue du Relais.
- In the spacious car park opposite the school, behind the town hall when viewed from the church.

In the village of La Chapelle-Rablais, the paths are generally signposted (as well as the streets).

Yellow markings

(S/E) Head south along Rue du Relais towards Les Moyeux. At the Stop sign, turn right, still heading towards Les Moyeux. Walk through a residential area, ignoring any side streets or squares at right angles to the route. At the junction just before the sign marking the exit from La Chapelle-Rablais, turn right towards Les Montils. Pass between the buildings of the Haras de Moyeux on the right and those of the Château des Moyeux on the left. Then follow a training track for trotters and horse pastures on your right.

(1) Just after the sign marking the entrance to Les Montils, leave the road and turn left onto the Chemin du Midi des Montils, which quickly becomes grassy. Walk alongside a meadow and then fields on your left, and hedges or garden fences on your right. Pass a lawn on your right, veer left and continue along the same path between fields and gardens.

(2) Pass through a metal gate, cross the D67 road, continue straight ahead and step over a chain lying across the path (this chain is for vehicles, not pedestrians). At the end of the path, go under a second chain, come out onto a small road and follow it to the left. At No. 48, turn left onto Chemin de la Mutésie. After about 150 metres (pond), turn right, enter the woodland and follow a stream on your right.

(3) At the junction, turn left onto the Chemin de la Forêt and walk alongside a fence on your left. Stay on the main path through the forest, pass briefly along the edge of the woodland, continue through the forest and ignore a turn-off to the right (not shown on the map).

Yellow + Green signposting

(4) At a junction with less clearly marked paths, turn left. After about 150m, join a farm track and continue in the same direction, due east.

(5) Cross the D67 again and head straight on along Chemin de l’Étançon, where the Villefermoy scenic trail begins (information sign). Follow a small, compacted track through a corridor of bushy vegetation; along the way, cross a stream via a footbridge.

(6) Cross the D56 and continue straight ahead along a narrower path flanked by vegetation. Don’t hesitate to push aside a branch or two… Cross the D213 (take care, as it’s a busy road), make a zigzag turn left then right to walk along the left-hand side of a small car park, and continue south-southeast along the scenic trail. Amidst the still dense vegetation, pass a pond on your right. Walk briefly along the edge of a field on your left and continue along the path. Then walk alongside a field on your right and head towards the edge of the forest.

(7) At the corner of the field, turn right (do not enter the forest) and take a track through the tall grass. Carry on along the forest edge on your left and the field on your right, on a path that is more or less well-marked but overgrown with grass. Turn left, still following the edge, and, at the end of the field, reach a clearly visible wooden footbridge; take this to cross a stream and enter the forest.

(8) As you come off the footbridge, turn left. After a few metres, turn right and follow a well-defined grassy path due south. Cross a forest track, continue straight ahead and arrive at the Carrefour des Gargots (signposted).

Yellow + Red and Yellow markings

(9) At the crossroads, turn left onto a wide path (ignore the green markings heading off to the right). After a few metres, leave this path and take a narrow track to the left (be careful to spot this turn-off at the foot of a young tree marked with signposts). Head east-north-east along this poorly marked track through very dense undergrowth. The best landmarks here are a stream on your right – which you must never stray far from – on the one hand, and the appropriately dense markings along this section, on the other.

(10) Cross a wide grassy track and continue straight ahead along a path that remains narrow and inconspicuous. Cross a few small streams running perpendicular to the one you are following on the right and pass a pond on your left. When the vegetation becomes too dense, veer left and emerge onto a forest track.

(11) Follow the track to the right and head due east to the Carrefour de la Commanderie (unnamed on the map but indicated by a sign on site), where the stony track gives way to a grassy path.

(12) At the crossroads, turn left (the purple route on the IGN map is incorrect here). After about a hundred metres, at a junction, continue straight ahead, veering slightly to the left. At the end of the path, turn right and follow a fence on your left.

(13) At the T-junction, turn left onto the Chemin du Trénel. When you reach a metal gate on the left-hand side, veer to the right. Leave the woodland and continue between the fields. Cross the D213 again (take care) and follow the Chemin de Saint-Germain straight ahead. Walk northwards along the edge of the woods, then slightly into the woods. You’ll come out onto a small road (D56) and follow it to the right.

No signposting

(14) At the junction with the Chemin du Buisson du Houx on the right-hand side, temporarily leave the signposting and continue for a few metres along the road to the entrance gate of the Château des Moyeux (a lovely view of the castle). Retrace your steps.

Yellow + Red and Yellow markings

(14) Follow the Chemin du Buisson du Houx eastwards (on the left as you return from the château). Walk alongside a woodland on your left, then continue between the fields. Cross a small road (D29) and continue along a farm track. Ignore a path branching off to the right and you’ll immediately reach a junction (a large stone bearing markings).

No markings

(15) At this junction, turn left towards the water tower (let the signposting continue straight ahead). Note, in the distance on the right, the imposing buildings of the Ferme des Clos. Pass a football ground on your left and continue along a small tarmac road. When you reach the first houses, carry on straight ahead, ignoring the side streets and dead-ends on either side. At the junction with Rue des Noyers, turn right and pass between the church’s apse and a pond (washhouse). At the foot of the war memorial, turn left and you will immediately come to the town hall (S/E).

Hiking boots are essential. Potentially damp sections in the forest.

No water source identified along the route. Bar in La Chapelle-Rablais, Rue du Relais (start/finish).

A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description). A compass is useful.

Warning:
Three sections take place within dense vegetation:
- The Villefermoy scenic route, between (6) and (7).
- The section along the edge of the woodland between (7) and (8).
- The section through the undergrowth between (9) and (11).
This situation may be temporary for the first two sections (it was the case in July 2017), but it is permanent for the third. Consequently, wear trousers rather than shorts, undertake this walk in dry weather and avoid the days following rain.
As things stand, I do not recommend this walk for a family outing with children, as this type of terrain is likely to discourage them.

Hike undertaken by the author on 5 July 2017.

- Saint-Bon Church in La Chapelle-Rablais (restored in the 19th century) (S/E).
- A forest trail featuring a few ponds, with a section through the undergrowth off the main paths.
- Château des Moyeux (19th century) (14).
- Wash house by the pond at the end of the route.