The Bréviande Forest and the ponds of Cesson-la-Forêt

Starting point and access: Cesson station.
- RER - Line D, on the section between Paris and Melun.
Take the footbridge at the front of the train when travelling from Paris to Melun, platform 1 or 1bis, at the rear of the train when travelling in the opposite direction, platform 2 or 2bis.

Red and white markings

(S/E) Get off the footbridge on the left. At the bottom, turn right and follow a path parallel to the track. At the end, cross a small road at the pedestrian crossing.

No signage

Follow the tarmac path on the left, parallel to the road.

(1) At the pedestrian crossing, turn right, go through a chicane and follow a path that winds through the woods. Leave a football stadium on your left. You will come to a road (with a cemetery opposite) and follow it to the right.

(2) At the end (no entry sign), take the^second path on the left. Wind through the woods again. Further on, ignore a path on the right, turn left, cross a small lawn and continue (east) into a sparse wood. Walk alongside a housing estate at a distance on your left and head north-east. Come out onto a street and follow it to the left. After about 200 m, turn right, pass a chicane of boulders and cross a small wood (east).

Yellow markings (sparse)

(3) At the end of the path (forest barrier), turn right and go through a tunnel under the D346. On the other side, turn right. At the sign for the Forêt Régionale de Bréviande, take the^second path on the left. Leave the Maison de l'Environnement on your left and follow a large lawn on your right. Turn right at the corner of the lawn and, at the next intersection, go straight ahead onto a tree-lined path. Go straight ahead at the next two intersections.

(4) At the T-junction, turn left. At the next junction, go straight ahead. At the next junction (forest plot no. 11), turn right. At the crossroads immediately ahead, take the^second road on the right and then immediately turn left (due south). At the next junction (plot no. 13), go straight ahead. At the crossroads, take the^second road on the left (due east). At the next junction, continue straight ahead. At the T-junction, turn right and go through a forest gate.

(5) Immediately after, and before reaching a wide track, turn right onto a path that enters the forest. Follow a stone wall in poor condition on your left. Pass an information sign and, at the fork, take the left-hand path. Stay in the undergrowth, following the wall, and ignore all the paths on the right. Pass two small "bumps". At the end of the path, follow a gravel track on the left and you will immediately come out onto the wide track you avoided at the previous point.

(6) Follow the track to the right and walk along a field on your left. Back in the forest, ignore a path on the right. At the next junction, turn left onto a small road and cross the railway bridge.

No signposts

(7) At the end of the bridge, take the track on the left and continue straight ahead parallel to the railway line and along the edge of the field on the right. Enter the forest again and immediately take the^first path on the right. At the next crossroads (elevation 73), turn right. Pass a forest gate and reach a crossroads at the corner of a house.

Yellow markings (sparse)

(8) Turn onto the path on the left and stay in the forest. Continue straight ahead (south-west) until you reach a crossroads with five paths.

Red and white markings

(9) Take the^first path on the right, at an acute angle. At the next crossroads, continue on the path opposite, slightly to the right. Ignore a path on the left and wind your way through the undergrowth. You will come out onto a lane in a housing estate and follow it to the left. At the end, turn left then right to take a path between houses. Cross Avenue de la Zibeline and continue on the path opposite. At the fork, turn left and follow the pond on your right.

(10) Take the footbridge on the right and immediately turn left to follow the pond on your left. At the next intersection, first turn left then right and follow another pond, still on your left. At the end, follow the marked path and pass two more ponds on your left. At the end of the last pond, turn right. At the end of the path, continue along a street (Allée des Acacias). Return to Avenue de la Zibeline and follow it to the left. Cross at^{the first} pedestrian crossing and continue along the avenue until you reach the entrance to a supermarket car park.

(11) Continue straight ahead towards the station (pedestrian access). At the next roundabout, keep right and take a bridge over a wide road.

No signposts

Just before the bridge over the railway line, turn left, cross a small road at the pedestrian crossing and take the path opposite, parallel to the railway line. You will reach the south car park of Cesson station and the footbridge leading to the tracks (S/E).

To return home:
- RER - Line D, towards Paris (^1st access, platform 2 or 2bis) or Melun (^2nd access, platform 1 or 1bis).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Two parking options:
- The south car park at Cesson station (S/E).
- The car park at the supermarket located at (11).
The second option means you don't have to make a return trip to the station, which is of limited use.

In wet weather, hiking boots are recommended.

There are no water sources along the route. Supermarket at (11).

Detailed map useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 7 February 2021.

- Environment Centre and arboretum, between (3) and (4).
- Bréviande Regional Forest.
- Ponds when crossing Cesson-la-Forêt.