The Faÿ-lès-Nemours Polissoirs Trail

Departure from the town hall in Faÿ-lès-Nemours. Parking is available in a small car park opposite the town hall (information board about the town's heritage and the trail).

For the most part, the route follows a^PR® trail marked in yellow, with the exceptions being the very beginning and the very end, on the one hand, and the side trails allowing you to visit the polishers, on the other. There are also small square signs marked "Faÿ-lès-Nemours / Circuit des Polissoirs", mostly fixed to dedicated posts^, particularly on sections outside^{the PR® trail.} In the following description, this specific signage is referred to as "CP signage".

CP signage

(S/E) When you leave the car park, opposite the town hall, turn right into Rue Grande. Take the first street on the right, Chemin des Postes. The street gives way to a path that climbs uphill, enters a wood, turns right and then left.

CP + Yellow signposting (not present between the fields due to lack of support

(1) As you leave the woods, the^PR® arrives from the left: continue straight ahead (south) along the edge of the woods. After a few dozen metres, turn right and walk through the woods or along the edge of a meadow or wasteland. You will come to a small road; follow it to the right as it descends.

Just after a small parking area on the left side of the road and before the sign for Faÿ, turn left onto a path that climbs up through the woods (signs saying "Propriété privée" and "Limite de chasse"). Wind your way along this sunken path and between a few small rocks. You will come out at the edge of a field. Go around the field on the right towards a signpost that is clearly visible on the other side. You will reach polishing stone no. 1 (actually two small polishing stones at the edge of the path).

(2) Continue along the edge of the field on your left. After a right-hand bend, stop following the field and continue straight ahead on a grassy path that enters the woods. When you come out of the woods, continue south-southwest along the edge of the woods on your right and a field on your left. At the corner of the field (armoured marker on the right of the path), enter the woods again. The path descends slightly, curves to the right and then to the left.

(3) At the three-way junction, turn left (south-south-east) to follow the "Grande Boucle" (sign). When you reach a field, turn left (east). At the next crossroads (signpost, small generator on the left), turn right at a right angle and head south on a wide grassy path between the fields. Ignore a path on the right. At the T-junction that follows, turn right (due west) onto a farm track and descend gently.

(4) At the junction with another track coming from the right (gravel surface here), continue straight ahead. After the track curves to the left, look for a signpost at the corner of a wood (ignore the diagram, which only applies to the route in the opposite direction). Continue west along the edge of the woods on your left, then into the undergrowth. Ignore a path coming from the left and continue to a crossroads (sign with a yellow arrow marked "Ronde des abeilles" indicating to turn right).

Marker CP

(5) Leave the^PR® for a moment and continue opposite (west-northwest) towards polishers nos. 2 to 4. At a T-junction, turn right and immediately after, you will come to a crossroads. Polisher no. 2 is on the right in the undergrowth (sign).

Then, with your back to polishing stone no. 2, head west-southwest towards the other two polishing stones (sign), at the edge of the woods on your left and the field on your right. Polishing stone no. 3 is indicated on the left, in the undergrowth. Continue west and enter the undergrowth on the left to reach polishing stone no. 4.

(6) Retrace your steps. When you reach polisher no. 2, be sure to make a first turn right then left to reach the crossroads.

CP + yellow markings

(5) At the crossroads, take the path on the left to the north-east (look for a yellow marker further on the trunk of a large oak tree). Cross a light pine and birch wood with fern undergrowth. At the end of the wood, turn left and follow a field on your right. Shortly before the woods extend to the right, turn left and move away from the edge of the field. Go downhill, turn left then right, and finally head east-northeast on fairly flat ground. Come out onto a small road and follow it to the left, passing a horse riding centre on your left.

(7) Continue along the small road and pass the sign for Faÿ. At the roundabout, turn left and then immediately right (post box). Follow a farmhouse on your right (plaque in memory of a man named Victor Pasquet). Continue straight ahead along the path that runs alongside a lean-to on your right. At the foot of a small tower, turn right, then left and go up into the woods. Make a wide loop to the right and, at the top of the hill, you will come to a crossroads (signpost, picnic tables).

Signpost CP

(8) Turn left towards polishing stone no. 5 and walk along a field on your right. Note a boundary stone with a coat of arms on the side and enter the woods. Just before leaving the woods, turn left towards polishing stone no. 5.

(9) Retrace your steps back to the crossroads.

Signposting CP + Yellow

(8) Continue straight ahead (due east), passing the picnic tables on your left. Walk along the edge of a wood on your right, enter the wood and then go between two hedges. At a T-junction (metal cross), follow the small road downhill to the right. Pass several houses and take a path on the left just after house number 8. Stay in the undergrowth on the winding path.

When you leave the woods, turn right onto a path with a field on your left and wasteland on your right. Make a hairpin turn to the right, pass between two hedges, then stay on the edge of the woods on your right and the field on your left, heading east until you reach a crossroads (signpost).

Marker CP

(10) Turn right at an acute angle (south-west) onto a path that leads into the woods. Follow a sheep fence on your left, cross a chestnut grove and start descending. On the descent, leave the path on the left, go around a large rock on the right (signpost) and find polisher no. 6 behind it.

(11) Retrace your steps back to the crossroads.

(10) Continue straight ahead (when coming from polishing stone no. 6, north-east in all cases) on a path along the edge of a field on your left, then along a horse pasture on your right. Almost at the end of the pasture, turn right (marker post). At the fence, turn left to enter the undergrowth and immediately after, turn right. Follow the markings to the small, clearly visible rocks and polishing stone no. 7. Retrace your steps back to the path. Then turn right and, after about 150m, turn right towards polishing stone no. 8 (marker post).

(12) Retrace your steps, once again following the horse pasture, which is now on your left.

CP + yellow signposting

(10) Turn left (when coming from polishers nos. 7 and 8) and, in any case, towards the east-southeast (yellow marker further on the trunk of a large chestnut tree). Descend, staying on the main path, and you will come to a crossroads.

CP signpost

(13) Leave the^PR® trail opposite you on Rue des Châteaux and turn right at a right angle (marker post, yellow cross). Go down the street, ignoring a turn-off on the right (small car park). At the "Stop" sign, turn right onto Rue Grande. Pass the Chemin des Postes you took on the way there (on your left) and you will very quickly reach the town hall (S/E).

Hiking boots are required. There are no water sources listed along the route. There are shaded picnic tables at the crossroads (8).

The polishers are flush with the ground or very low: in autumn and winter, don't hesitate to clear away any dead leaves that may be covering the grooves and other hollows on these polishers.

The woods you will be walking through are private property (there are plenty of signs to remind you of this): stay on the paths, do not pick or collect anything, and keep your dogs on a leash.

Variations
Short loop - It is possible to shorten the eastern loop of the walk, thereby avoiding the polished stones numbered 2 to 4. At the three-way junction (3), turn right to follow the "Short Loop" and, after about 250m, rejoin the main route near a horse riding centre and just before the sign for Faÿ (7). This will save you about 5km and a good hour.
Avoiding certain polishers - The complete route includes visits to eight polisher sites. Of course, you are not obliged to visit all of them... You can choose which ones to visit, depending on your interests and how much time you have, at the following crossroads: (5), (8) and (10). At each crossroads, signs indicate the distance to the relevant polishing stone(s).

A 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass is not a heavy burden and can be very useful...

Hike completed by the author on 7 November 2015.

This hike is designed around the polishing stones which, although not very spectacular, bear witness to the activities of the human communities that preceded us by several millennia. For a detailed description of the polishing stones, download the information sheet published by the Pays de Nemours Community of Communes.

See also the video made by the hiker daubram05 (thanks to him!) with explanations on stone polishing and polishers provided by the Community of Communes of the Pays de Nemours.

A visit to the Musée de Préhistoire d'Ile-de-France(Ile-de-France Prehistory Museum) in Nemours is a great way to round off this walk. Set in woodland and housed in a modern building, this small, well-designed museum will appeal to young and old alike.