Circular loop around Chaumes-en-Brie starting from Verneuil-l'Étang

Start from Verneuil-l’Étang station (Transilien line P).

(S/E) On leaving the station, turn right and look out for a large cedar tree almost directly opposite, slightly to the right. Follow Rue Pasteur to the right. At the clearly marked junction, turn left onto Rue Vaillant.

(1) Cross the D402 and continue straight ahead along a poorly maintained road through an industrial estate. The road becomes a track and leads into farmland, turns right and arrives at a crossroads with a house inside a white concrete fence.

(2) Turn left onto Chemin de Paris (do not go straight on towards Maurevert).

(3) After about 400 m, turn right onto the track that descends alongside the woods. At the interesting little neo-medieval building (marker 89), continue down the dirt track opposite leading to the Yerres. Cross the river via a footbridge and head back up the track opposite. You will soon enter the forest.

(4) Cross the tarmac road and take the path opposite, which first veers left before heading north again. Stay parallel to the N36, then veer off towards the north-east. At the junction with a tarmac road (marked by a monumental cross on the right), turn left to reach the Ferme de Forest.

(5) Turn right down the Grande Rue until you reach a crossroads. Ignore the Route de Fontenay which branches off to the left and take the Chemin du Gué de Thiou opposite. You will reach the stream, where a path branches off to the right, crossing the stream via a pretty arched bridge.

(6) Continue straight on along the path, which becomes rough, until you reach the Gué de Thiou. Cross it before heading up the slope opposite. After heavy rain, it is not possible to cross the ford. In that case, turn right over the bridge and you will reach almost the top of the climb. Turn left onto the Chemin de la Tuilerie until you rejoin the Chemin de Thiou, which you take on the right. Pass a bend to the left, then to the right towards an EDF transformer.

(7) Before the transformer, turn left onto the track which later becomes a narrow path between two fences. Reach the tarmac and turn right, then immediately left onto Rue Quinton, then take^{the first} right onto Rue de la Poterie. Then, take ^{the second left} onto Rue Agasse to reach the church.

(8) Turn left, walk past the church porch and continue northwards to a T-junction. Turn left towards Châtres, D144, and continue to the cemetery.

First shortcut (saves 5 km): option to head straight for Arcy by turning right onto Rue de Verdun almost opposite the church, then right onto Boulevard des Barres, which continues as Rue Nicolet and Rue du Pignon-Vert. When you reach the Croix Saint-Sébastien junction, take the excellent path opposite, which later turns into a footpath before joining the tarmac road leading to Arcy Castle.

(9) Leave the D144 by turning right onto the road that runs alongside the cemetery^. Follow the^GR® markings^. At the last houses, the road becomes a track at the edge of the woods. The^GR® turns left, passes between two ponds (wire-mesh fences) and joins a tarmac road which you take to the right. You’ll reach a crossroads with an equestrian centre opposite on the left.

(10) Leave the^GR® by turning right, admire the beautiful ruins of Château du Vivier below and continue along the road to the junction with the D436: cross over and take the forest track opposite. Follow this track (irregularly marked in yellow) and, after a long left-hand bend, turn right at the junction and join the D402.

(11) First turn right then left to join the correct path which follows a small stream. The path turns right as it crosses the stream, then left between some ponds, then right as it emerges from the wooded area.
Walk past horse paddocks and equestrian facilities before entering a small wood.

(12) A few dozen metres before reaching the buildings and the paved path, turn left, go round a pond in a pasture and follow the dirt track which turns right between the fields before running alongside a wood. When you reach the tarmac road, turn left until you reach the entrance to Château d’Arcy.

(13) After taking a look at the château and the gargoyles on the neo-Gothic tower facing the entrance gate, take the path leading down to the right of the tower and quickly join the signposted path, following it to the left. Further on, join the road and follow it for 300 m to a T-junction.

Second shortcut (saving 4 km): option to head directly to the Argentières bridge by turning right.

(14) Continue straight on along the road until you reach a crossroads.

(15) Take the^first path on the right (south-east) which descends gently down the slope, before turning left and following the boundary between the forest and the fields. The Pierre Couvée menhir is in the middle of the field on the right.

(16) Turn around and head back towards the crossroads.

(15) Just before reaching the road, turn left onto the path which initially stays on the plateau. A little further on, it turns right and begins to descend towards the fields on the Yerres plain. Continue along the path which follows the river and leads to the bridge over the Yerres.

(17) Cross the bridge, then take the^first road on the right which passes between large greenhouses and turns into a very good track. Reach the tarmac road and turn left, then immediately right onto the farm track. Upon reaching the houses, the track becomes Rue des Carrosses. Reach the D32E4 and turn right for about 500 m.

(18) In the small wood, shortly after a track branches off to the left past the last house and, before the bend in the main road, take the blue-marked path on the right. Follow it to the crossroads at the edge of the forest. Then head up to the left until you reach the D32.

(19) Cross the road and continue along the farm track opposite. Cross a bridge over the cutting of the old railway line. Continue along the edge of the woodland and farmland until you reach the^GR® markings^.

(20) Continue straight ahead to the access road to Grange Saint-Père. Then take the path on the left between the forest and the fields.

(21) Enter Verneuil-l'Étang via Rue Arthur Chaussy. Follow it until you reach Rue de la Gare. Follow this street to the right until you reach the station (S/E).

No difficulties other than the length, except in wet weather.

Good footwear is recommended between points (14) and (17).

Café, bakery and mini-market in Chaumes-en-Brie (check opening days and times).

La Ferme de Forest: a remarkable and original architectural complex.
(10) Château du Vivier: a ruined castle but still a very beautiful complex in a lovely, well-maintained setting.
(8) Chaumes-en-Brie, home of the Couperin family: church, interesting village architecture with fine houses.
(16) The Pierre Couvée menhir.