Menhir La Pierre Droite (Milly-la-Forêt) walks

A hike from station to station in the Essonne Valley. After climbing up through the Bois de Saint-Médard and crossing a cultivated plateau, you pass through the charming hamlets of Courdimanche. You walk alongside the river several times, cross a small island, and the Marais de Jarcy may be of interest to nature lovers. Several churches and a few wash houses are also along the way.

A hike from Gironville-sur-Essonne station to Boigneville station via Malesherbes, following the Essonne river on a route with very little elevation gain. Malesherbes is located on the border of Seine-et-Marne and is crossed by the Essonne river. On the agenda: castle, wash house, river, narrow streets, ponds and mills, passing through the pretty villages of Buno-Bonnevaux and Rouville, following the GR®1.

This is the twenty-eighth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, connecting Milly-la-Forêt to the Ballancourt-sur-Essonne train station after crossing the French Gâtinais region. It is designed to follow on fromthe previous stage coming from Fontainebleau, after a night's stay there.This stage begins in the École valley, which boasts a rich heritage: Milly-la-Forêt, Moigny-sur-École, Courances and its château, and Dannemois, dear to Claude François. It continues through the fields of the Gâtinais, then the ridges and sandstone plateaus of the Grands Avaux forest, ending at Ballancourt-sur-Essonne in the valley of the same name.The stage is very beautiful but very long, and undoubtedly the most physically demanding of all those on the GR®11, especially in its second part. However, it is possible to split it in two by staying overnight and/or shorten it in several places by simplifying it.

A hike from station to station with a significant forest component. In addition to a viewpoint, Rocher Bizet offers views of its plateau landscapes, with heathland, ponds and outcropping rocks.

After crossing the Rambouillet Forest in the previous stage, this section is a restful one. It takes you to Malesherbes station. This is one of the easiest stages of the GR®1. The start is at Le Vaudoué. It is the only stage of the GR®1 that does not start at a station. The hike alternates between sections in the woods and more rural sections. The first interesting sight on the route is the church in Le Vaudoué. The path then leads to the former Templar Commandery before crossing woods and fields towards the Essonne and Saint-Martin Church in Malesherbes.

This long hike takes you on a fairly comprehensive tour of the magnificent Coquibus massif: heather-covered plateaus and water holes, deciduous woods, rocks, viewpoints, the Vanne aqueduct (sandstone steps), etc.

Thirtieth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, linking La Ferté-Alais, in the Essonne valley, to Étréchy, in the Juine valley, through the western part of the Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park. It consists of continuing the crossing of the Essonne, between agricultural landscapes, small forest ranges and more imposing valleys. A relatively short stage without any major difficulties, before the next two, which will be a little longer.

This hike is certainly the most "aquatic" of those that can be undertaken along the Essonne. Indeed, numerous ponds punctuate the route: ponds for fishing or other forms of leisure; ponds and marshes that make up a protected natural area, a source of biodiversity and a place to observe wildlife.

Twenty-ninth stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, linking Ballancourt-sur-Essonne to La Ferté-Alais. Although both towns are located in the Essonne valley, the proposed route passes through the plateau overlooking the valley on the east side, in the Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park, to the charming village of Mondeville. The GR® then winds its way between valleys, forests dotted with sandstone boulders and agricultural plateaus. This stage is shorter than the previous ones but is not without its difficulties as it still covers steep sections of terrain similar to the Fontainebleau forest, particularly around Mondeville. The route also allows you to discover some unusual sights, such as the Roches du Père La Musique in Ballancourt.

This stage of the GR®1 is one of the most difficult on this GR®. It is 32 km long and has an elevation gain of over 400 m. It is also one of the most beautiful. Starting from Lardy, this hike takes you past magnificent monuments such as the Church of Saint-Sulpice, the Church of Saint-Yon, the Church of Sermaise and the Château de Dourdan. There are other monuments to visit in this town. Most of the route is in the countryside, with several ascents and descents into the valleys. The route passes through numerous villages of varying sizes.