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Starting point and access: Saint-Michel-sur-Orge station.
- RER - Line C, on the section between Paris and Brétigny-sur-Orge then Dourdan or Étampes.
Take exit 1 Rue Anatole France, on the side of track 2 (direction Brétigny to Paris). If arriving in the opposite direction, track 1, take the underground passage.
Yellow markings
(S/E) When you leave the station, head to the right. Cross the D46 and enter the Mail de l'Europe opposite. Go down a staircase, cross a street and continue slightly downhill along the Mail de l'Europe. Cross Rue de Launay and walk along a secondary school on your left.
(1) At the end, turn left and walk alongside a stadium on your right. After a speed bump, turn right and leave a small car park on your left. Go through a metal barrier and enter the Vallée de l'Orge sports complex. Continue straight ahead on a paved path lined with large plane trees. Cross a river and you will immediately come to a crossroads.
(2) Turn left and walk along a lake on your right. At the fork after a tennis court, keep to the right, as close to the lake as possible. Ignore a path on the left and stay by the lake. Pass a chalet and, shortly after, turn left to cross the Orge on a wooden bridge.
Yellow + red and yellow + red and whitemarkings
(3) On the other side, turn left and follow the Orge on your left. Take the first path on the left. Cross the D46 at the pedestrian crossing, continue on the path opposite and follow the Orge on your left. At an intersection, continue straight ahead and pass under the power lines. You will come to a cobbled street; follow it to the right and uphill to a crossroads.
No signposts
(4) Take the second right (not signposted here) and continue uphill. At the end, turn left into Rue de Leuville. Cross Rue de Linas on the right-hand side and continue along Rue de Leuville. At number 61, turn right into Voie des Arpents. At the end, turn left.
(5) Return to Rue de Leuville and follow it to the right and downhill (caution: narrow shoulders). Cross a river, ignore a road on the left and go up the opposite side.
Yellow markings
(6) Take the first track on the right and note the Montlhéry Tower in the distance. Pass a caravan park on the left. At a fork at the foot of an electricity pole, take the path on the right. Continue straight ahead, uphill, and cross the river again.
(7) At the end of the path, continue along a street and pass the cemetery. At a fork, turn left into a one-way street. You will come to a crossroads with the church on your left.
No markings
(8) If you wish, turn left, walk around Saint-Merry Church and return to the crossroads.
Yellow + red and whitemarkings (old)
(8) Take Rue des Sablons: second right when returning from the church, first right if you did not walk around it. Immediately ignore a street that branches off to the right and take the first left, Chemin de la Garenne.
(9) Turn into the first street on the left, Chemin des Processions. At the fork, turn right onto the same road and go uphill. Ignore a street on the left and continue along the street, which is restricted to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
N.B. Between (10) and (12), not all paths are shown on the IGN map; the OSM map is more accurate.
(10) At number 28, turn left onto a path. Go uphill and immediately ignore a path on the right. At the three-way junction that appears shortly afterwards, turn left and then immediately right. Go uphill, ignore a shortcut on the left and you will soon reach a crossroads. Take the second path on the left, continuing uphill. After about 50 metres, turn right and continue climbing. Ignore a path that descends to the right and you will come to another crossroads.
(11) Turn left, continuing on relatively flat ground, and pass by the foot of the tower. Pass a few benches and climb a flight of steps. At the top, turn sharply right and pass by the foot of the tower again (closer than before). Continue on relatively flat ground until you reach a wider path.
No markings
(12) Turn left to immediately reach the drawbridge of the old fortified castle (information panel). Retrace your steps.
Yellow + red and whitemarkings (old)
(12) Go down the stabilised lane and pass through a wooden barrier.
No markings
Cross Rue de la Poterne and take Allée de la Motte opposite. Pass by the foot of a reservoir and follow a path between fences. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead downhill.
(13) At the bottom, take the first right, Rue Baudouin.
Yellow + red and whitemarkings (old)
At the stop sign, turn left onto Rue des Processions. At the end, first turn right then left and walk along Place Stetten on your right. Cross a street, pass under a metal arch and walk between a football stadium on the left and tennis courts on the right. At a left-hand bend, continue straight ahead and pass a school on the left. Follow a small road parallel to the D133. At the junction of these two roads, stay on a parallel paved path between two fences.
(14) At the end, turn right, cross the D133 at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead on a small road. At the stop sign (cross), continue straight ahead on the road with no entry. At the corner of a car park, take the first left, Chemin derrière les Murs (dead end). Soon, the tarmac gives way to a stabilised path. At the end, turn right into an alleyway that leads down to the gate of the Basilica of Longpont (entrance on the left wing).
(15) Opposite the gate, turn right, go through a metal barrier and cross a car park.
Red and yellow + red and whitemarkings
At a crossroads, continue straight ahead and descend between fenced meadows.
No markings
At the crossroads at the bottom, go straight ahead and cross a small metal bridge over the Orge.
(16) Just before a wooden bridge, turn right, pass a chicane and follow another river on your left. At a fork, turn left and follow the Bassin de Saint-Michel on your right. Stay at the edge of the lake until you reach the intersection you took at the start of the hike.
Yellow markings
(2) Turn left, cross the river on a wooden bridge and follow the paved path lined with plane trees. At the end, pass a small car park on your right and turn left.
(1) Turn right and walk up Mail de l'Europe, in the opposite direction to the outward journey. After crossing the D46, you will find Saint-Michel-sur-Orge station on your right (S/E).
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Easy 
