Medieval churches of Brie - The Collegiate Church of Saint-Martin in Champeaux

Parking at Place Louis-Antoine Couturon, at the foot of Blandy Church and the war memorial. Access via the A5 motorway, exit 16 "Chatillon-la-Borde".

Where there are signs, they are generally few and far between due to the lack of support structures along much of the route. Here and there, you will find hiking signs (with a "pedestrian" symbol). The two-sided signs indicating underground gas pipelines also provide valuable landmarks.

Yellow signposts

(S) In the car park, turn your back to the war memorial and walk along the church on your left. Turn onto a paved lane and follow it to the road that runs alongside the castle. Go around the castle on the right until you reach a crossroads with a bakery, a mini-market and a restaurant.

White, red, green and yellow markings

(1) Head east-southeast onto Rue Saint-Martin, following the^GR®1. At a fork, take the D47 on the right towards "A5/Melun" (sign). Ignore two streets on the right and, at the intersection before the Blandy exit sign, continue straight ahead onto Chemin des Frileux. After passing a shed and a house, the tarmac gives way to a farm track.

(2) At the next junction, continue straight ahead (south-east) along a grassy path (double arrows on the electricity pole on the right and markers on the pylon a little further on the left). After about 500m, at the corner of a yellow sign with two sides (elevation 98), turn left onto another grassy path. Pass a copse on the left and, at the bottom of a slight descent, at a T-junction, turn right onto a farm track. When the track bends to the right, take a grassy path on the left. A little further on, turn left at a right angle and descend into the undergrowth. Pass a chapel and you will come to a small bridge over the Ru d'Ancoeur.

White and red markings

(3) Just after the bridge, leave the green markings on your left and the yellow ones on your right, and continue straight ahead on the^GR®1, which climbs into the woods. Then walk along the edge of the woods and, at the next junction, continue straight ahead (north-east). Pass an old oil well on your right and go under a power line. You will see three bell towers: on the left, the Collégiale Saint-Martin; opposite, the Church of Saint-Méry; and on the right in the distance, the Church of Bombon. Come out onto a small road and follow it to the left. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, slightly downhill.

White and red + yellow markings

(4) At the intersection, turn left (signposted "Impasse"). Further on, turn right onto the small road. Go downhill, cross the Ru d'Ancoeur (misspelled on the IGN map) and go uphill briefly.

White and red markings

(5) At the old Moulin de Flagy (sign), leave the yellow markings on your right at an acute angle and take the path opposite between two hedges. At the T-junction at the top of a small hill, turn left onto a farm track (no markings here).

White and red + yellow markings

(6) At the electricity pole, turn right towards Champeaux (sign). Walk north-northwest between the fields until you reach the first houses in Champeaux. At the crossroads, take the second road on the left, Rue Sarrazin Desmaraise. Follow the cemetery wall on your right and, at the intersection, continue straight ahead onto Rue Sainte-Fare. At the next T-junction, ignore the signposts for a moment and turn left to reach the Collégiale Saint-Martin.

(7) Retrace your steps, ignore Rue Sainte-Fare on your right and continue straight ahead on Rue du Cloître. Then cross a square (Place du Marché on the map) and turn left towards a bakery.

Without signposts

At the corner opposite the bakery, leave the^GR® trail diagonally to the right into Rue Raoul Coutant, and turn right at a right angle into Ruelle du Four Banal, which soon becomes a footpath. At the first intersection, turn right into another footpath lined with a wall on your right. End up on a short gravel lane that leads to Rue de Malvoisine, which you follow on the left. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the perpendicular streets, until you reach a small triangular square (cross).

Yellow markings

(8) Note the^{GR® trail} that branches off towards the Ferme de Malvoisine (sign) and turn right at a right angle onto a wide grassy path. Pass the concrete blocks and continue east with a field on your left and meadows on your right. Join a small road and follow it straight ahead. At a fork, ignore the road that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead on the small road, leaving a water tower on your left.

No signposts

(9) Just after a small factory, leave the yellow signposting on your left and take a path at the edge of the woods, then turn right onto a stony track. Walk alongside a private property with a pond on your left. When you reach a small road, make a zigzag left-right turn to take a path that starts at the foot of a red sign with two sides. Walk between the fields south-southwest.

(10) Cross the D57 road (take care) and continue along a path that veers left (south-east). After about 350m, ignore a path on the right and continue slightly downhill.

Yellow markings

(11) At the next crossroads (red sign with two sides, hiking signposts), turn left onto a path that leaves a water treatment plant on your right. Follow the Ru de la Prée on your right. At the corner of a wall, turn right to cross the stream, then turn left to follow it again. At the T-junction with a small road, turn right and go uphill. At the next fork (war memorial), turn left to see the Church of Saint-Méry.

No signposts

(12) Retrace your steps to the fork and turn left onto Rue du Jeu de Paume (yellow cross). Ignore a street coming from the left and, at the next intersection (circular paving in the middle), turn left onto Rue des Mortiers. Ignore a street coming from the left. At the next crossroads, take the wide gravel path opposite, heading south-west, and follow the cemetery wall on your left. Continue across the fields with a view of the bell tower of Bombon Church and the tower of its castle on your left.

(13) At the T-junction (white sign with two sides, no. 17), turn right onto a path. At the next junction (white sign with two sides, no. 18), contrary to the yellow arrow you saw earlier (the only sign on this section), follow the small road downhill on the left.

Yellow signposting (only visible at the start and end of this section)

(14) Just before the "Speed limit 30km/h" sign, turn right at an acute angle onto a path and follow the woods on your right. Join the Ru d'Ancoeur and follow it on your left.

Green markings

(3) At the bridge you crossed on the way there, continue straight ahead along the Ru d'Ancoeur. At a fork (electric pole, white sign with two sides marked "PGM"), ignore the path that goes up to the right and continue straight ahead with a small wood on your left. You will come out onto a small road. Follow it to the left, cross the stream, climb up towards a large building and pass a house.

(15) At the corner of a large farm building, turn right onto the small road and pass an old weighing machine on your right. At the end of the wall of the Domaine de Chaunoy (on your left), at the fork, take the right-hand road downhill. Cross the Ru d'Ancoeur again, follow the old Moulin de Chaunoy (on your right) and go up, turning left, still on the same small road.

Green + yellow markings

(16) At the corner of the Château d'Aumoy wall, turn left onto a wide, stable path towards Blandy-les-Tours (sign). Follow the castle wall on your right. At the corner of a pavilion (elevation 94), turn right, follow the old moat and reach the main gate of the castle.

(17) Ignore the wide lane that branches off to the left (sign saying "accès interdit" further on) and continue in the same direction as before (north-north-west). At the next crossroads (beautiful view of the Saint-Martin Collegiate Church on the right), ignore the path that branches off to the left at an acute angle (gate) and turn left at a right angle towards Blandy-les-Tours (sign). After passing the farm buildings (on your right), continue straight ahead on a path that starts between two hedges. Stay on the grassy path for a while, heading west, with woods on your left and fields on your right. After about 800 metres, a clearing on the left in the woods offers a beautiful view of the Château de Blandy.

No signposts

(18) At the crossroads, turn left and follow the D47 road downhill (on a sufficiently wide verge). You will see a fountain and an oratory on your left.

Green + yellow signposts (+ blue at the start)

(19) Just before the Pont Paillard, turn left, go through a gate with a chain and take a wide path with the Ru d'Ancoeur on your right. Turn right at the first bridge to cross the stream and continue straight ahead. At the end of a piece of wasteland on your right, ignore the path on the right and enter a wood. Climb up with a fence on your left, then a wall. The path becomes a trail and bends to the right. At the next intersection, leave the blue markings on your left towards a gate and continue straight ahead with a wall on your left. Further on, turn left along the trail and you will come out onto a street that borders the car park where you started.

Shops in Blandy and Champeaux; however, bring your own water. Toilets opposite the Collégiale Saint-Martin (7).

Hiking boots are necessary for this rather long route. In wet weather, some paths between the fields may be muddy. As much of the route is in open terrain, bring sun protection in summer. For the same reason, avoid days when it is very windy.

This hike is partly unmarked and, where it is marked, the signs are few and far between due to a lack of support. As a result, a 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass may be useful... Stay alert during the hike and anticipate changes in direction.

Variations:
Passing twice at the same point (3), this hike can be split into two:
- Western loop, focusing on the castles. Departure from Blandy, passing through point (3) then returning via points (15) to (19).
- East Loop, focusing on churches. Departure from Champeaux (7) and route from (7) to (14) then from (3) to (7). Departure also possible from Saint-Méry (12).
Allow approximately half the walking time for each of these two loops.

Hike completed by the author on 10 September 2015.

In Blandy:
- Fortified castle (13th-14th centuries) (1). The itinerary suggests walking half the way around this castle, but it is recommended to walk all the way around it. Visiting hours: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (1 April-31 October); 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (1 November-31 March). Full price: £6.
- Saint-Maurice Church (12th-16th centuries) (S), open during the day.
- Apple press between (S) and (1).

In Champeaux:
- Saint-Martin Collegiate Church (12th-13th centuries) (7). A beautiful Gothic church, where experts can see the combined influences of the cathedrals of Sens and Paris. The church is open every day and is well worth a visit! The interior is simple, with numerous tombstones, old stained glass windows, remains of frescoes and a few capitals.
- 18th-century Château d'Aunoy (17).

In Saint-Méry:
- Saint-Méry Church (12th-16th centuries) (12).
- Roiblay Chapel, just before (3).