The Tonne Valley and the Sea of Sand

An easy hike in the Nemours National Forest. The path is very sandy and almost always in the shade. In autumn, at the end of the hike, between Les Brulis and La Mer de Sable, if the heather is in bloom, you can enjoy a beautiful rocky landscape.

Technical sheet

n°114662

Creation:
20 Apr 2015

Last update:
18 Sep 2018

Last review:
19 Mar 2024

Activity: Walking
Distance: 7.09 km
Average duration: 2h 10
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Vertical gain: + 55 m
Vertical drop: - 51 m
Highest point: 128 m
Lowest point: 74 m

Country: France
District: Nemours (77140)
Start/End: N 48.24382° / E 2.72739°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2417OT, 2417OTR, 2418E
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Description of the walk

Coming from Nemours (towards Poligny), the car park is 200m after the entrance to the Monastery of Bethlehem on the right-hand side of the road from Nemours to Poligny.

(S/E) Looking south towards Poligny, turn right onto the sandy path that starts between the rocks, which prevent access to four-wheeled vehicles. Ignore a path on the right and go around a hillock on the left.

(1) At the T-junction, turn left onto Chemin Pierre la Sault. Follow the^GR®13(white and red markings) for about 250 metres and leave it on your right. Further on, ignore another turn-off on the right, go through a wooden gate and walk along a wall (large house).

(2) Before the house, turn onto the path on the left. Climb steadily through the forest and keep heading south-east.

(3) When you reach a field on the right, turn left onto Chemin de la Tonne (no name on the ground; be careful! Just before the field, there is a first path on the left, but do not take it; instead, continue towards the other path further to the left). Please note that on the map this path is marked as the^GR®13, but this is no longer the case; it is marked with a red and white cross. Head east and ignore the paths branching off to the sides.

(4) Turn right at the second intersection on your right (sign 106 on the tree on the right). At the crossroads of four paths, turn left and follow the GR^®. When you reach the road, follow it for about 50 metres on the right.

(5) Leave the road and the^GR® by turning onto the path on the left. Turn left at the first fork.

(6) At the next crossroads, take the path slightly to the left, avoiding the paths that turn 90°. Leave a sandy beach on your left and you will come to a fork.

(7) Take the path on the left. At the next fork, on a heathland plain, turn left and follow the path that leads to the top of the sand dunes.

(8) Continue left, north-west, until you reach a point where there is no longer a path: descend the dune to reach a sandy road to the north-west. Take the road on the left, then take a path on the left that leads to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 102 m - Car park
1 : km 0.56 - alt. 111 m - Chemin Pierre de Sault
2 : km 1.52 - alt. 74 m - Turn left
3 : km 2.58 - alt. 103 m - Chemin de la Tonne, on the left
4 : km 3.63 - alt. 107 m - T-junction - GR13
5 : km 4.59 - alt. 106 m - On the road, take the path on the left
6 : km 5.14 - alt. 109 m - At the Y, turn left
7 : km 5.48 - alt. 114 m - At the fork, take the left path
8 : km 6.08 - alt. 128 m - Top of the dune
S/E : km 7.09 - alt. 102 m - Car park

Practical information

From the top of the dune, the route becomes more complicated, with several paths not shown on the map, and you will end up off the trail: keep heading north-west.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5

Clarity of route map
4 / 5

Route interest
4.4 / 5

Francis M

19 Mar 2024 at 18:37 3600 • Last modified: 19 Mar 2024 at 18:41 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

I did the hike following the route on my smartphone (using the Visorando app, of course...!) so I didn't encounter any problems (I always carry a paper version of the map with me, just in case...!)
I really enjoyed this varied route, especially on this beautiful early spring day. I deliberately extended my route a little by making a return trip to the Grotte du Troglodyte (making it 9.8 km in total)
Thanks to its creator
Perhaps a small clarification regarding the car park: you can park (there are plenty of spaces) by taking the path on the left (signposted "Ball-Trap") before the location indicated by the author

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roro1677

18 Mar 2024 at 13:59 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant hike with varied landscapes, birch forests, large expanses of heathland and a few rocks. The Tonne Valley is of moderate interest compared to the valleys of the Fontainebleau Forest, but the sea of sand is definitely worth seeing.

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maximin 974

16 Aug 2023 at 12:30 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful hike, do it on 15 August. The flowering heather stretching as far as the eye can see is a real treat for the eyes.

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patriciabutte

04 Apr 2022 at 11:09 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

a varied route in terms of flora, with a lovely surprise on the sand sea at the end

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Srad91

08 Jun 2021 at 13:55 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A lovely, easy family walk in the forest.
The sea of sand at the end of the trail is fantastic. It's a shame that litter spoils the sand.

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Willy45210

29 Jun 2020 at 12:54 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very pleasant hike with a beautiful variety of landscapes:

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remy pedibus

14 Jun 2020 at 18:20 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant hike with a beautiful variety of landscapes: forest, sand pits and plateaus.

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liparis

07 Jun 2020 at 23:10 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant hike with a beautiful variety of landscapes: forest, sand pits and plateaus.

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djpf

24 Feb 2020 at 10:28 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Pleasant, easy walk through the woods:

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sunbertrand

20 Nov 2019 at 11:15 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike...

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catdupuis

14 Oct 2019 at 11:58 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Correction to POINT 1 "...after about 250 metres, let it go on the right..."...it is not 250 metres but 900 metres...

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henri57

07 Oct 2018 at 15:28 7200

Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

Reliability of description: Disappointing
Reliability of map route: Average

Is it the description that's the problem? Or is it a lack of practice in reading and following a description, or perhaps reading a map and making the connection between the map and the terrain?

If this is the case, please feel free to use the Visorando GPS application.

https://www.visorando.com/article-mode-d-...

https://www.visorando.com/article-bien-ra...

See you soon!

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Chrcv

07 Oct 2018 at 12:32 7200

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Many details are missing.

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grandin

18 Sep 2018 at 20:04 7200

OK, I've added Roro -9477's comments to the description. Can future hikers help me continue updating this?

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les évadés du bocage

18 Sep 2018 at 19:48 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

yes, thank you Roro -9477 for the clarification!

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Author

Gerard D
33 Walks

Visorando member

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