The Saint-Edme trail

Starting point and access: Longueville station.
- Transilien - Line P, on the section between Paris-Est and Provins.
Take the Rue de Verdun exit.

Yellow + red and white markings

(S/E) When you leave the station, turn left down Rue de Verdun (follow the^GR®11F). At the crossroads at the bottom of the hill, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue des Abîmes. Ignore a small lane on the right and, after a right-hand bend, take the small side road on the right-hand side of the road. At the end, turn left onto the street closed to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.

(1) At the Longueville exit sign, leave the street and turn left onto a field path. Ignore a path on the left and follow a strip of woodland on the right. Continue between the fields, pass between two woods and then walk along the edge of the woods on your left. At the end, follow the road to the left, enter Tachy and cross the Ru des Méances.

(2) At the stop sign, turn right and follow the D122 road (preferably on the right-hand side). At the fork after a 50 km/h speed limit sign, follow Rue du Château to the right. At a triangular lay-by, turn left, cross the D122 and take the path opposite that climbs towards a railway bridge. Pass under the bridge. Just as you come out, bear slightly left and pass the foot of an electricity pylon on the left-hand side of the path. Climb gently between the fields, heading east.

(3) At the crossroads, turn south-east (2nd road on the right, the only one going uphill). Ignore a road on the left, follow a plot of land enclosed by fruit trees on your right and reach the edge of a wood.

No signposts

(4) At the crossroads, leave the marked path on your right and enter the woods. Climb for about 100 metres.

Yellow + green signposting

At the first intersection, turn left and follow the markings. After about 150 m, note the tiny Mare aux Sangliers (Boar Pond) on the left and some ruins (an old keep?) on the right. Continue through the undergrowth, ignore a path on the left and, at the next intersection, turn right to leave the woods.

(5) Then turn left. Pass a cluster of trees and continue north-east between the fields, then along the edge of the woods on your left. At the crossroads at the corner of the woods, turn left and continue for a few dozen metres along the edge. Then cross the woods, ignoring the paths on either side: in particular, ignore the yellow arrow that tells you to turn left into the woods (there are two different^PR® signs here) and keep heading north until you leave the woods.

(6) Turn left at the edge of the woods and stay on the edge. At the corner of the field on the right, turn right (do not re-enter the woods). Continue between the fields, heading north then north-northwest. Just after ignoring a path on the right, at a T-junction (elevation 146), turn right (no signpost here). Pass two isolated trees on the left, continue northeast and reach the edge of another wood.

No signposts
At the start, a very discreet green arrow indicates the direction of the fountain.

(7) Turn left at an acute angle and follow the path along the edge of the woods on your right and the field on your left. After about 250 m, you will find the Saint-Edme fountain on your right in the woods.

(8) Retrace your steps.

Yellow + green signposting

(7) Continue along the edge of the woods (on your left). At the corner of the field (on your right), turn right onto the path and continue to the D49. Turn left at a sharp angle and follow the road downhill. Cross the road (take care) and follow a tarmac path on the right to reach Saint-Edme Church (old fountain below on the left).

(9) Go around the church on the left and ignore a blocked path on the left. At the corner of the cemetery wall, at the end of the church, turn left and follow a steeply descending path. At the bottom, follow a farm track on the left (no signpost here). Enter the woods, ignore a path coming from the right at an acute angle and head north-west.

Yellow + blue markings

(10) At the fork at the edge of the woods, continue left and leave the green markings on your right. Ignore a path on the right (poplar trees), pass under a power line, ignore a path on the left and enter the woods again. Cross the Ru des Méances (marked "Ruisseau" on the IGN map) and continue through the woods (wet section).

(11) At the edge of the woods, turn left and head south-west along the edge of the field on your right. Ignore a path on the right and re-enter the woods. Continue between the fields. Finally, walk along the sports fields on your right.

(12) At the next crossroads, just before the houses, turn right up a small tarmac road. In a right-hand bend in the road, leave the road and follow a stony path to the left. Note the Longueville station below on the left (no access here) and descend. When you reach a house on the left (no access to the station either), the path turns into tarmac.

Yellow + blue + red and white markings

At the next crossroads, turn left and go under a railway bridge. At the T-junction, turn left and go under the viaduct. At the exit, turn left again onto Rue Henri Fouillère. At the fork after about 100 metres, turn left onto Rue de Verdun. Go up the street, pass the town hall and the war memorial (on the right) and return to the station (on the left) (S/E).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists, there are several parking options:
- Longueville station car park (S/E).
- Saint-Edme and Notre-Dame Church car park (9).
- Sports ground car park (12).

Hiking boots are recommended. The paths between the fields can be muddy in wet conditions. In summer, please bring appropriate sun protection.

The Saint-Edme church (9), with its beautiful lawn, is a great place to stop for a break.

No water source identified. Shops in Longueville: bar-restaurant opposite the station; bakery at the end of the route, on the right at the fork before the town hall (closed between 1pm and 2pm, on Sunday afternoons and on Wednesdays).

Signposting is sparse in the woods and, due to a lack of support, almost non-existent in open fields. A 1:25,000 map is therefore necessary (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass may be useful...

Hike completed by the author on 19 October 2016.

In Soisy-Bouis:
Saint Edme, whose real name was Edmund Rich (1170-1242), was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1234. In conflict with King Henry III of England, he went into exile in France. He died at the monastery of Soisy-Bouy, where he had retired. Two places are dedicated to his memory:
- Fontaine Saint-Edme (8), which was a place of pilgrimage.
- Saint-Edme Church (13th century) (9). Fountain below.

In Longueville:
- Living railway museum near the station: old steam locomotives, 20-track railway roundhouse, etc.