La Brévière and Étang Sainte-Périne in Saint-Jean-aux-Bois

This route through the Compiègne Forest will take you to the charming village of Saint-Jean-aux-Bois, a candidate for the TV show "The Most Beautiful Village in France", its abbey and, during a lovely, easy hike in the forest, the village of La Brévière and the Étang Sainte-Pérrine.

Details

11609995
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 24 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 24 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 75 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 49 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in the centre of the village, on Rue du Couvent.

(S/E) Exit by turning left towards the abbey. Explore the old village and take the footpath between the town hall and the cemetery to reach the porch leading to the small bridge. Continue past the village bistro to the Rond-point de la Tête Saint-Jean roundabout.

(1) Turn left at the start of the cycle path, then turn right into the forest and follow the signs to the Chêne de Saint-Jean.

(2) Turn left and return to the Route du Pont Palesne and the Carrefour du Boquet Colin.

(3) Continue straight ahead towards Carrefour de la Ruine, then Carrefour des Mares de Jaux, then continue straight ahead towards Carrefour d'Adonis and continue straight ahead towards Carrefour de l'Oiseau.

(4) Carefully take the RD 332 to the left to quickly reach the small road on the right that leads to La Brévière. Stroll through the village's narrow streets before reaching the Carrefour d'Apollon by taking the street that runs alongside the Château de la Brévière.

(5) Take the second right to reach the Maison Forestière Sainte-Périne, then take the path that runs along the Étang Sainte-Périne on the left. Pass the first path on the right that goes around the pond (you can take the time to walk around the pond if you feel like it, as it is a pretty spot) and take the next path on the right. Cross a small bridge to reach the Carrefour des Amoureux.

(6) Take the leftmost path towards the Carrefour de l'Étang Saint-Jean, then continue straight ahead towards the Carrefour des Naïades.

(7) Turn onto the second path on the right to reach the small tarmac road and then turn left onto Route du Parquet to reach the village of Saint-Jean. Turn right twice and return to the car park via the same route you took on the way there (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 73 m - Car park on Rue du Couvent
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 72 m - Rond-point de la Tête Saint-Jean
  3. 2 : km 1.17 - alt. 69 m - Oak tree of Saint-Jean
  4. 3 : km 1.35 - alt. 66 m - Carrefour du Boquet Colin
  5. 4 : km 3.19 - alt. 49 m - Carrefour de l'Oiseau
  6. 5 : km 3.75 - alt. 56 m - Carrefour d'Apollon
  7. 6 : km 4.94 - alt. 61 m - Carrefour des Amoureux
  8. 7 : km 6.17 - alt. 61 m - Carrefour des Naïades
  9. S/E : km 7.34 - alt. 73 m - Car park on Rue du Couvent

Notes

This is an easy route on flat, sandy terrain. Light walking shoes are sufficient.
The village of Saint-Jean has a village bistro where you can quench your thirst and enjoy a meal. For those with a hearty appetite, there is also a gourmet restaurant on Rue des Meuniers. Compiègne is about ten kilometres away and also offers many possibilities.
However, there are no shops in La Brévière.
There is a picnic area on your way at the Étang Sainte-Périne.

Worth a visit

The village of Saint-Jean is worth a visit, with its narrow streets perfect for a leisurely stroll. The abbey is also worth a visit. It has a very recent organ and concerts are frequently held there. Also worth seeing is the chapter house with its unique acoustics.
The Chêne Saint-Jean is one of the oldest trees in the Compiègne Forest, and the ravages of time are beginning to take their toll. However, at 700 years old, it is still well worth a visit.
La Brévière is another small forest village, particularly secluded and unchanged since the days when only woodcutters lived there.
The Étang Sainte-Périne is a particularly bucolic spot, ideal for a picnic in the countryside, especially on hot days. The tall trees that line it will provide you with a pleasant coolness.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Philippe 22
Philippe 22

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk, interesting built and natural heritage.

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Labousque
Labousque

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 1964
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good application, but it's a shame that you always have to pay to get certain features. I wanted to retrieve the GPX file, but unfortunately I can't without paying

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Emmanuelgirard2412
Emmanuelgirard2412

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The track is a bit muddy in mid-September and not always cleared of brush.

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adrien 60
adrien 60

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

smooth journey

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Emelinelili
Emelinelili

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike, accessible even to novices like me.

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Boheme
Boheme

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

we completed it in 1 hour and 30 minutes, at a leisurely pace.
a pleasant and easy route

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jali
jali

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful in autumn

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Yeto
Yeto

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk. St Jean aux Bois is very charming, as is La Brévière. Don't hesitate to visit some of the surrounding villages before or after, most of which are very picturesque.

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catherineridray
catherineridray

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, easy and varied walk, perfectly signposted.
We particularly loved Saint Jean aux Bois and its abbey church, with a superb concert as an added bonus (on the last Sunday of every month)
Perfect picnic spot at the Sainte Périne pond.
In short, it was great!

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f.himblot@sfr.fr
f.himblot@sfr.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and pleasant walk in the Compiègne forest, mostly shaded. The description is very well done and easy to follow. Download the map before setting off as there may be poor network coverage depending on your mobile phone operator. I recommend this walk. Thank you to the author.

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DomL
DomL

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very reliable route, easy and pleasant. The estimated journey time is very accurate

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Coralie Géraldine
Coralie Géraldine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike through charming sites. The directions are relevant and precise.

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Gérard46
Gérard46

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

no difficulties, but be vigilant on the GR trail as the markings are sometimes difficult to find.

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catpat77
catpat77

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Some of the directions are poorly described in three places. But you can figure it out by thinking carefully and retracing your steps. Otherwise, it's a very beautiful hike with two pretty villages, St Jean and La Brébière. As soon as we arrived at the car park, we met some villagers who were out for a brisk walk. They said to us as they passed by, "You'll see, our village is beautiful," referring to the Abbey. We told them that was surely true and continued on our way. When we reached the road before the pond, a car stopped in front of us and the lady behind the wheel said, "So, we told you our village was beautiful." It was the people we had met near the abbey, and they were the owners of the castle. They were very nice. A beautiful day.

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fidji93
fidji93

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good explanations. I messed up a bit, but it's my own fault. You have to pay close attention to intersections where there are crosses.

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