Dry grasslands and wetlands in the Éclimont valley

Departure from Place de la Mairie in Abbéville-la-Rivière, which is actually a wide street between the town hall and the church, with half a dozen parking spaces. The street is one-way: to access these spaces, you must first pass through Place Saint-Julien (incorrectly named Place de la Mairie on the IGN map), at the foot of the bell tower of the church of the same name.

Blue markings

(S/E) Go to the end of the street, keeping the church on your left, and you will come out at Place Saint-Julien. Continue along the street, which turns left, and at the end, turn right.

Blue + Red and Yellow Markings

(1) At the intersection that immediately follows, turn left onto Chemin des Buissons. After about 30 metres, at the corner of a large building, turn right onto a grassy path that goes uphill. At the next crossroads, turn left, still uphill. At the Cottainville farm buildings, the path gives way to a small tarmac road which you should follow eastwards.

Blue markings

(2) About 450 metres after the farm, leave the road on the right (sandstone marker on the ground with a sign). There are two paths: take the one on the left (ignore the one on the right which leads to a wood). Walk south-east between the fields and you will come to a small road.

(3) Follow the road to the right. Pass a farm shed and note the information panel on dry grasslands on the left-hand side. About 250m further on (marker post), take a path on the left. At the fork that appears immediately, continue straight ahead on level ground (ignore the path on the left that goes uphill). Walk above the farmhouse of L'Hôpital, then descend gently to reach the Moulin de Fontenette.

(4) Go down a flight of steps on the right and turn right at an acute angle. At a small building (an old wash house?), note a spring framed by rocks on the right. Pass the L'Hôpital farmstead on your right, then a sloping lawn dotted with rocks. Enter a wood. When you reach a small house with a swimming pool, ignore a path on the right. Further on, follow the Éclimont river and then turn left onto the main path.

(5) At the end of the path, take a small road on the right and you will immediately see a watercress bed on the left. Follow the road north. Enter Abbéville-la-Rivière, ignore a path on the right and follow Rue de la Vallée.

(1) At the intersection, turn left. You will immediately see Abbéville Church and Place de la Mairie on your left (S/E).

In dry weather, good trainers are sufficient for this short hike, which follows well-maintained paths and small tarmac roads. In wet weather, hiking boots may be useful for the long stretch between the fields, between (2) and (3).

There are no water sources or shops along the route.

This hike follows one of the "Balades au pays du cresson" (Walks in the land of watercress) designed and marked by the Essonne Departmental Council and the Essonne Departmental Committee of the FFRP (French Federation of Hiking and Rambling). Marker posts are located at major intersections. On the cultivated plateau, markings are rare due to a lack of support. A detailed map is useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Additional information:
This hike can be combined with the "Les coteaux de l'Éclimont" hike, which has the same starting point. Allow around 16km for the whole route.

Hike completed by the author on 29 March 2019.

- Saint-Julien Church (12th-15th century) (S/E).
- Dry grasslands of the L'Hôpital farm, between (3) and (4). Sensitive natural environment, listed in Natura 2000: please respect the site and stay on the marked path.
- Éclimont Valley, between (4) and (5): old mill, rocks, wetlands.
- Watercress bed just after (5).