Grand Tour of Ermenonville

(S/E) From the car park facing Ermenonville Castle, take the road on the right then turn immediately left, following the property wall. At the fork, keep left onto Rue Souville. At the ‘no entry’ sign, turn right at a 90° angle then immediately take the stony track on the left signposted ‘Le sentier des écrivains’.

(1) Turn right onto the path at the edge of the forest, which runs alongside a property fence. Continue eastwards along the boundary between the field and the forest.

(2) After about 1 km, once you have passed the edge of the small copse in the field on the right, enter the forest via a path that climbs at a sharp angle to the left.

(3) At the three-way junction, continue almost straight ahead (north-north-west) along the most passable path (the others are overgrown with grass). Then cross a well-maintained farm track and take the path that veers slightly to the right and is circular, following the top of the embankment. Before joining the track, follow the marked paths on the left through the ferns to reach the rock formations of the Pierre Sorcière.

(4) Return to the track and, at the junction, take the track on the left that goes downhill. Then follow the Route de Montagny to the left and go straight across the Carrefour de la Basse Corde. Cross the Carrefour des Bons Amis in the same way and continue straight on to the Croix Marchand.

(5) Head west and take the second path on the left, continuing to the small dam and the gate which now appears to block direct access to the ponds of Chaalis Abbey. Retrace your steps.

(5) Head north along the first path on the left when coming from the pond (if you decide to skip the detour to the pond, it is the second on the right coming from Les Bons Amis). Continue north until you reach the edge of the forest, ignoring the side paths and going straight on to the junction with the Chemin de Baron.

(6) At the edge of the forest, turn left at a 90° angle onto a very sandy path between the fields until you reach the tarmac road, which you also take to the left (you are now on the^GR®11).

(7) In the right-hand bend, there is an interesting fountain behind a cross with a magnificent chestnut tree. A little further on, on the left, there is a small, interesting building (probably related to water management). Follow the road and, at the junction (elevation 68), turn left again (due south) onto the tarmac road.

(8) Just at the edge of the fields, take the barely visible path on the left which winds through the wooded strip alongside the moat: after about a hundred metres, there is an interesting view of the Jaquemart-André Museum over the pond in its grounds. Return to the road.

(8) Continue south on the road to the entrance of the Chaalis Abbey and Museum site. Turn right and follow the red and white markings of^{the GR®11}westwards (the Mer de Sable car park is visible on your left). Cross the N330 road (take care) and continue straight ahead.

(9) Just before the Poteau de la Plaine^, turn right then cross the main road, still following the^GR® markings^.

(10) After about 1 km, at a T-junction, leave the^GR® and take a sandy path on the left (west-south-west) that climbs uphill. After about 800 m and a slight bend to the left, you’ll reach a tarmac road which you should take to the left.

(11) From the Chaalis hut, follow part of the family trail marked “Un air de Méditerranée”, but in the opposite direction. Take the path heading south-west and ignore the side paths.

(12) At the crossroads, continue straight on and, after about 150m, turn left towards the monument erected in memory of the disaster of 3 March 1974. As the Chemin de la Haute Chaume is overgrown with ferns, retrace your steps.

(12) Take the first left (west). At the next crossroads (Carrefour de la Cavée), follow the second path on the left (south-west). At the T-junction, turn right (west). Cross a path, then, at the junction with a well-marked path, turn right and then immediately left. This will take you to the Sainte-Marguerite marker.

(13) At the crossroads, take the well-maintained path heading south, which first turns right and then left as it descends.

(14) At the crossroads at the bottom of the slope, take the second path on the left which descends towards the south then south-east (unfortunately, the Sainte-Marguerite Chapel on the right is inaccessible as it is in a restricted private area).

(15) When you reach the crossroads by the fence, take the sandy path on the left which climbs quite steeply. Where the slope changes, take a path on the right which goes up and down. At the Carrefour du Tremble, continue north-east to the Carrefour du Bosquet Rond.

(16) Join the^GR®1and follow it to the right at a 90° angle. About 400m further on, in a downhill bend, be sure to explore the rocky outcrop visible on the left. From there, you’ll see another one a little further on. A real mini-Fontainebleau and an ideal spot for a picnic.

(17) Return to the^GR® and continue south-east. Cross a path, pass the Carrefour du Grisard then the Carrefour du Cognassier, still heading south-east. Cross the main road at the Carrefour Saint-Barthélémy and continue straight ahead.

(18) At the next crossroads, turn right, heading due south, onto a path that soon runs alongside a fenced-off area on your right. Follow this path south-west. At a fork, turn left and head for the Château de Saint-Sulpice-la-Ramée, which you can see through the branches from the gate to the right of a pretty pavilion. Continue to the main road.

(19) Although the Château is enclosed within private grounds, the chapel at the crossroads is accessible, more visible and well worth the short detour. Then follow the main road to the right (east) for 100 metres and leave it to take the path heading south-east which runs alongside the tanks of a sewage treatment plant. Turn east to enter the forest. Follow the path to the Carrefour des Marronniers.

(20) Head due north along the tarmac road which, further on, crosses the main road and gives way to a good path.

(21) At the Carrefour du Carreau, turn right towards the Pavillon du Prince, which is barely visible from this route as it is enclosed within a fenced-off area (again!).

(22) At the crossroads after the Pavillon du Prince, head north-east and cross the Chemin de la Mare des Eaux. At the T-junction, turn right and follow the path for about 400m.

(23) When the path begins to curve, you reach a junction with a track that comes sharply from the left. After following it up for a few metres, take a path that descends and you will soon spot a sandy area slightly below. This marks the second mini-Fontainebleau of this walk. Once you reach the hollow, leave the path that skirts the foot of the hill and climb the slope to enjoy the rocky chaos. A little further on, as you make your way along paths winding through the ferns, you can catch glimpses of the ponds, which are unfortunately inaccessible as they are on private land. The views are certainly better once the leaves have fallen. Retrace your steps and head back down the path as soon as it becomes visible via one of the many tracks on the slope.

(24) Take the path that follows the fence, climb the slope, and you’ll reach the gate marking the end of the access road to the sports facilities. Take this road, cross the main road at the traffic lights, then turn right towards the village centre.

Here, you have two options: visit the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Garden (allow an hour at a leisurely pace, including photo stops and a moment of reflection at the Temple of Philosophy) or continue along the road to return directly to the car park.

(25) On the right, turn in to visit the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Garden at your leisure (indicative route).

(25) On leaving the garden, take the road on the right and return to the car park (S/E).

Lightweight hiking boots are sufficient.

Ermenonville Castle (hotel and restaurant).
Jaquemart André Museum and the former Abbey of Chaalis.
Fontainebleau-style rock formations: listed (La Sorcière) or unlisted (two interesting rock formations, see itinerary).
Saint-Sulpice Chapel in Loisy.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Garden.