The Juine Hills starting from Saint-Martin-d'Étampes

Starting point and access: Saint-Martin-d'Étampes railway station.
- RER - Line C, terminus of a section coming from Paris.
Take the only exit, Rue Salvador Allende, located on the only platform, and go down the stairs.

Red and white + red and yellow markings

(S/E) At the bottom of the stairs, turn right and go down a slope parallel to Rue Salvador Allende. At the "give way" sign, take the footbridge opposite over the Chalouette and go straight ahead (do not go under the railway bridge on the right). When the street turns left, turn right onto a footpath and take the footbridge over the N20. On the other side, follow the street to the right and walk alongside a football stadium on your left.

Red and white + red and yellow + yellow markings

(1) Cross Rue des Postes on the left-hand side, continue straight ahead along Rue des Maraîchers and, when this becomes a one-way street, continue ignoring the side streets. At the stop sign, turn right onto Rue du Petit Saint-Mars. At the fork shortly after, follow the street on the right marked Voie Romaine (this name only appears further along on the map). Cross a disused railway line (the extension of the RER line) and continue straight ahead on a slight incline.

(2) At No. 12, turn sharply right and take a path that climbs through a shaded area. At a fork in the open terrain, keep left and immediately cross a mountain bike trail. Keep left again to continue climbing through the shade. At the top of the hill, go straight ahead, ignoring a faint track on the right, and walk between a field on your left and a copse on your right.

(3) At an intersection (hunting post), take a field path on the left towards a cluster of isolated trees. At the end of this path, shortly after a row of fir trees on the left, turn left. You will come to a road; follow it to the right for about 600 metres.

(4) Take the^first path on the left. This zigzags down between the fields and then crosses the top of a small valley (ignore the path on the left). Go up opposite and, at the top of the hill, turn right with the path. Head south between an intermittent hedge on your left and fields on your right. You will come out onto a small road with a worn surface.

(5) Follow it to the left and downhill for about 100 metres. Take the^first path on the right, climb slightly and continue on flat ground. Walk south between a wood dotted with hunting posts and fields. The path then turns left and descends into the woods.

Red and white + yellow markings

(6) At the T-junction, turn left and descend (leaving the^GRP® trail on your right). You will soon rejoin the tarmac road and descend slightly. At the bottom, rejoin the old railway line you crossed earlier and continue to a stop sign. Cross the road and follow Rue de Lendreville opposite. Stay on this street until you reach a T-junction (wash house on the right, picnic tables opposite).

(7) Then turn right, cross a small stone bridge over the Juine and follow a small road. Then take the^first left, the Sente des Prés. Go straight ahead and ignore a few turnings on the right. After a car garage, continue straight ahead on a path. Further on, the path turns right and climbs gently to a road (Grande Rue). Turn left and then immediately right at the corner of a gate. Follow a small road that climbs steadily to a fork at the top of the hill.

Yellow + red and yellow markings

(8) Continue straight ahead on a field path (leaving the^GR® trail on your right). At the next crossroads (elevation 139), continue straight ahead. Further on, the path turns right: continue for about 100 metres.

(9) Take the^first path on the left. Pass a patch of woods on the left and ignore a path on the right. Note the Tour Guinette d'Étampes in the distance on the left. At the T-junction (elevation 141), turn left and note the bell towers of the two churches of Étampes (Notre-Dame and Saint-Basile) in the distance on the right.

(10) At the T-junction (with antennas opposite), turn right. Begin the descent with a meadow on your left. The path gradually narrows and becomes a trail that enters the undergrowth. Descend, ignore a vague path on the left and walk along a garden fence on your left. Continue along a wide path in open terrain, towards a housing estate, and walk along a wasteland on your right. Return to the tarmac and walk along a small car park.

(11) At the stop sign, turn left at an acute angle. At the next stop sign, follow Avenue Frédéric Louis to the right on the left-hand pavement. Cross the Juine and immediately turn left onto a stabilised path (the purple line supposed to represent the marked trails on the IGN map is not updated here). Walk along the river on your left and you will come to a kind of roundabout at the entrance to the Île des Loisirs d'Étampes park.

No markings

(12) Go straight ahead and enter the park. Immediately turn left, pass through a forest gate, and take a stabilised path along the Juine. Go straight ahead as close as possible to the river, pass under the footbridge used by a summer toboggan route and walk along a "tree climbing" area on your right. Take the^first path on the right. At the three-way junction (bench), turn right. The path winds through the undergrowth, briefly runs alongside the Juineteau, then leaves it and rejoins it further on. You will reach a crossroads with a footbridge on the left.

N.B. Between points 13 and 14, the IGN map is inaccurate; the OSM map is more accurate.

(13) Take the footbridge and cross the river. Go straight ahead and cross an open space. Ignore a faint path on the left and turn right to reach a triangular crossroads. Then turn left towards the Théâtre de l'Île. At the end of the path, go through a forest gate, go around a small roundabout on the left and continue along a wide tarmac path lined with young trees. Just before the next small roundabout, turn left, walk along a fence and go through a gate to leave the park.

Yellow markings

(14) Cross the road (caution, no protected crossing) and continue straight ahead on a path that is initially unpaved but quickly becomes paved. Continue straight ahead along the allotments, ignoring a turn-off on the right and then one on the left. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead into Rue des Postes. Walk along a football stadium on your right and you will reach an intersection that you took on the way there.

Red and white + red and yellow markings

(1) Follow the street to the right and, at the end, turn left onto a path that leads to the footbridge over the N20. On the other side, turn left. Cross La Chalouette and go up the slope opposite, which quickly leads to Saint-Martin-d'Étampes station (S/E).

To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Paris and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

Hiking boots are useful in dry weather and necessary in wet weather. In summer, bring appropriate sun protection.

No water sources identified along the route. Picnic tables available (7).

Opening hours for the Étampes leisure park:
- November to March: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- April to October: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The route is mostly signposted and the markings are clearly visible, including on the sections between fields where signposts have been judiciously placed. A detailed map is always useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 7 May 2021.

- Extensive views in the areas between the fields.
- Old stone marker and wash house at (7).
- Pleasant walk along the Juine and its tributary, the Juinetot, between (12) and (13).

Off the route:
The town of Étampes has no fewer than four medieval churches, each of which is worth a visit. The closest to the departure/arrival station is the Church of Saint-Martin with its leaning bell tower, reminiscent of the Tower of Pisa. For more details and possible additions, see the Medieval Walk in Étampes hike.