The École Valley towards Saint-Sauveur-sur-École and Brinville

Enjoy a country walk in the valley and on the slopes of L'École, with its mills, wash houses, castles and the town park. Be careful of muddy conditions during rainy periods.

Technical sheet

995035
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 137 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 137 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 80 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 41 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park opposite the town hall, 1 Rue des Écoles.

(S/E) Follow the yellow markings that start on the left on Rue des Écoles when facing the town hall, then turn right to go down Rue de l'Église. After crossing the École (the river), turn left onto Rue du Ponceau and follow it to the wash house when you reach Rue de Montgermont.

(1) Turn left (yellow), cross the bridge, turn right onto Rue du Mont Louis. At the end, take the path that runs alongside the lake, then the École river. You will arrive at the Moulin de Montgermont.

(2) Head opposite along theGR® (white and red markings) and continue along the École for a few metres. Immediately turn left twice to make a hairpin bend before turning right and climbing towards the top of Bois Seigneur.

(3) At the top, turn right and follow theGR® trail along the edge of the woods. At the next junction, turn right, still following the edge of the woods.

(4) At the intersection, go straight downhill into the woods (leaving theGR® trail to your left). You will come back to the school at the water treatment plant.

(5) Turn left and walk along the river on your right. At the "Espace naturel sensible" sign, leave the path and take the trail on the right that runs alongside the school. After the Ancien Moulin de la Fosse, leave thePR® which climbs to the left, to return to the right along the school, follow it and use the footbridge at the side of the road to cross the school and reach the wash house opposite.

(6) Go back, cross the road again and then the school via the footbridge. Follow the road to the crossroads, then take Rue de l'Église, which climbs to the left. At the first crossroads, turn left onto Chemin de la Bretonnière (dead end). At the end, follow thePR® which climbs to the right. At the crossroads, follow the Route des Bibançons to the right with the GR®. Then turn left onto Rue de l'Église. Go around the church, then take Rue de l'Église and theGR® again until you reach the crossroads with Rue de la Terre aux Moines.

(7) Then turn right. After about 100 metres, take the second left, Rue des Marnières. Continue along a path that descends (ignore a path on the right). At an intersection on the edge of the forest, turn right between the fields. You will come to a road; follow it to the right. At the next crossroads, turn right again.

(8) At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue des Grillons (dead end) and cross the school. Continue straight ahead on the GR®. At the corner of the woods, at a fork, turn left. Follow Chemin des Cloupeaux and pass in front of the tomb of the White Lady. Continue along the path through the woods, then along the row of houses.

(9) At the intersection, turn 90° left to descend towards La Planche. Pass in front of the castle, then turn left onto Rue du Batardeau to finish the descent. Cross the school at the wash house and turn right onto Rue de la Vallée at La Planche, continuing until you reach the bridge over the school before the Grand Moulin.

(10) Turn right and cross the bridge with the GR®. After about 100 metres, continue straight ahead (leaving theGR® on your left). Cross the D24 (take care) and pass the Grosse Haie. Continue straight ahead, join aPR® and continue climbing opposite to enter the Bois des Fontaines.

(11) At the crossroads, follow thePR® trail to the right to pass the Fontaines farm. Immediately after, pay attention to the changes in the signposting: follow the path to the right, towards the south, along the edge of the woods, then to the left along the stream. Before reaching the woods, follow thePR® trail which climbs to the left to reach Brinville. Enter via Rue des Vallées (you can make a return trip to the right to see a wash house). Continue uphill for 50 metres and follow thePR® trail to the right, Sentier des Vignes. Please note: after 100 metres, leave this trail and take the path at a 45° angle to the left (very faint markings). Continue along the narrow path that passes in front of the church on the left, crosses diagonally across the Cour du Pressoir and joins Rue des Fontaines.

(12) Follow thePR® on the right, Rue des Fontaines, then left, Rue de Montgermont. Then turn right onto Chemin de la Planche Coutant. Continue along the path that extends it to cross the school.

(5) Turn left to walk alongside the school to Moulin de Montgermont.

(2) Turn left onto Chemin du Moulin de Montgermont (PR®), which crosses the group of buildings by first turning right then left, then pass in front of the castle and continue uphill to the D50, turning right. Walk along a hedge to the crossroads at the end of the hedge.

(13) Turn right to enter Pringy and follow thePR® on Route de Montgermont. Go through a roundabout, continue straight ahead for 40 metres and you will find Rue Louis Couperin on your left.

(14) Turn left onto thePR®, but leave it immediately to take Rue Jean-Philippe Rameau on the right. Then take Impasse Georges Bizet, the first left. At the end, follow it to the right for a few metres, then take the path that continues with a right-left turn to Place de l'Impasse Claude Debussy. Turn left to cross the square, then take the path that follows, crosses a street and continues to a perpendicular path in front of a wood.

(15) Turn right and follow the path to Rue de Lourdeau. Follow it to the right for about 40 metres, and go through the gate on the left to enter the town hall park. Go straight ahead to the large path in front of the school. Turn left to walk around the park clockwise and return to climb up to the castle. Leave the park by going around the town hall to return to the car park where you started.
(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 63 m - Town hall car park, Rue des Écoles
  2. 1 : km 0.52 - alt. 45 m - Bassin et lavoir, Rue de Ponceau / de Montgermon
  3. 2 : km 1.76 - alt. 47 m - Montgermon Mill - École (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 2.48 - alt. 80 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 3.45 - alt. 74 m - Intersection
  6. 5 : km 3.81 - alt. 47 m - Bridge at the water treatment plant
  7. 6 : km 4.73 - alt. 47 m - Wash house on the other side of the D50 after the mill
  8. 7 : km 5.33 - alt. 67 m - Route D24
  9. 8 : km 6.34 - alt. 49 m - Étrelles
  10. 9 : km 7.52 - alt. 64 m - Intersection
  11. 10 : km 8.5 - alt. 49 m - Pont du Grand Moulin Rue de la Vallée
  12. 11 : km 10.17 - alt. 71 m - Crossroads
  13. 12 : km 12.47 - alt. 76 m - Arrival Rue des Fontaines
  14. 13 : km 15.13 - alt. 75 m - Crossroads Rue de Brinville / Montgermon
  15. 14 : km 15.99 - alt. 59 m - Crossroads Rue de Montgermon / L. Couperin
  16. 15 : km 16.38 - alt. 58 m - Path in front of the woods
  17. S/E : km 17.82 - alt. 63 m - Departure car park

Practical information

There are three types of markings:GR® (white and red),GRP® (yellow and red) andPR® (yellow, blue or green).

The park closes at 7:00 p.m. in spring and summer, and earlier during other seasons.

In the nearby area

(1) On the hillsides of the École opposite the path, a temple of love in the park. It was built in 1785 by friends of the Marquise de Gontaut-Biron in the grounds of her château.

(2) Moulin de Montgermont (or Moulin de Montlouis). This is the mill belonging to the seigneury of Montgermont. The woodland overlooking the mill to the east is called Bois Seigneur.

(6) Located at the confluence of the École River and the Ru des Fontaines, the Moulin de la Fosse has existed since at least 1369, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War. Several of its owners were mayors of Saint-Sauveur, which indicates its regional importance. Grain was milled in this mill until 1908. The end of its activity coincided with the industrialisation of milling and the activity of the Grands Moulins de Corbeil. In 2007, the municipality acquired the Moulin de la Fosse as part of an effort to preserve local heritage. It is one of the few mills that still has a water wheel. The wash house next to the mill was renovated under the same conditions.

Moulin d'Étrelles: a grain mill along the École River.
At the entrance to the forest on the left: the tomb of the White Lady. This is the vault of the Château de la Planche, which can be seen a little further on.

Brinville wash house: a public wash house fed by a spring that flows into the Fontaines stream.
Brinville Church on the left: chapel of the Château de Brinville, built in 1830 at the behest of Marie Catherine Pavy des Fontaines. The vaulted chapel is 6.40 m long, 5 m wide and 3.10 m high. It is no longer in use.
Cour du Pressoir, a reminder that wine growing was important until the late 1800s.

(2) The Château de Montgermont, formerly owned by the Gontaut family, lords of Biron, originally from Périgord. It was originally the feudal castle of the seigneury of Montgermont, independent of Pringy. It was extensively remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries. The entire building is an example of the neo-Louis XIII style, like the Château de Courances. The château is now divided into several apartments.

(13) Remains of the Church of Notre-Dame de Corbeil sold in 1814 by the municipality of Corbeil-Essonnes, purchased in 1823 by Charles de Gontaut-Biron and installed in the Montgermont park in a romantic setting

(15) Town hall and park in Pringy. Originally, the park was probably used as an estate by the Priory of Notre-Dame de Pringy, which at the end of the 11th century was part of the important Priory of Saint-Martin des Champs in Paris. It was acquired by Charles-Philippe de Rigaud, Count of Vaudreuil and mayor of Pringy in the mid-19th century, which put an end to the long-standing rivalry between the Lord of Montgermont and Prior Alleaume that had lasted until the end of the 18th century. The Count of Vaudreuil left his mark on the estate's landscape. The municipality acquired it in 1975.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
krando94
krando94

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : May 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A varied and thoroughly enjoyable hike overall.

However, the A6 motorway is very noisy, with incessant and unpleasant noise from cars and lorries for a very long time, which can be heard clearly around points 9-10-11 and almost as far as point 12 (perhaps the wind was coming from that direction that day, I didn't pay attention).

The short section on the D50 is not very reassuring (quite a lot of traffic, cars going very fast, and not really any way to walk on the hard shoulder). The Montgermont road is quieter, but there is no way to walk on the hard shoulder either.

However, I didn't hear the D142/D607/D372, and the D24 is not noticeable.

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Fanfan94
Fanfan94

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful, easy hike with many points of interest. There is a slightly muddy section near the Moulin de Montgermont, but this does not detract from the enjoyment of this route.

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Fabrice 77176
Fabrice 77176
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful and long hike without any major difficulties.
varied landscapes with sections through woodland, countryside and villages.
We had glorious sunshine at the beginning of March and enjoyed a picnic in Brinville.

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Angélique77
Angélique77
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful morning walk with varied landscapes. Be careful in hot weather because there are many sections through fields, so you will be in direct sunlight. Dogs can cool off in the Ecole in some places. No real difficulty except for a few very muddy paths after stormy rains. Very few people on a Sunday morning.

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cg91visorando
cg91visorando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

No particular problems

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benoit POINCARE
benoit POINCARE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Hello,
Thank you for this beautiful hike yesterday with remnants of snow and frost in the fields (so no mud)
the walk is very well described and full of lovely surprises
We will do it again in another season to see different landscapes.
Two comments:
1) The crossroads at point No. 5 is currently under construction, so you have to go through the woods, which is doable but not easy.
2) The town hall car park is very full (during the week for reconnaissance and on Sundays for the hike). There is a large car park at the beginning of the school street and it is possible to exit directly from the town hall park

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Guy RIBEREAU
Guy RIBEREAU

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant hike to get some fresh air.

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Billdu77
Billdu77

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant route along the River Ecole, with lots of interesting things to discover: a mill, a temple, etc
Can be enjoyed in different seasons as the landscape varies

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lenny77
lenny77

Hello and thank you for your message
I agree that it is difficult and have corrected it. The hike dates from before the guidelines for classifying difficulty levels were introduced.
Kind regards
Lenny

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VincentLafon
VincentLafon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Congratulations to the tracker, it's clear and concise. A hike of moderate interest due to its rather unremarkable landscape, with the exception of a few beautiful houses. The difficulty level is not "Difficult" at all, but rather "Moderate", even though there are no significant slopes!

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marmo89
marmo89

unused

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janine50
janine50

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A huge thank you for this wonderful hike. The scenery is magnificent, with wash houses, mills, castles and rivers, all decked out in autumn colours. We were lucky enough to see deer, buzzards, herons and squirrels.
Please note that the town hall park is currently undergoing renovations until the end of December, and the only entrance is at the town hall during this period.
Congratulations on the explanations, which are perfect and precise. Thank you again for sharing this hike, which is definitely worth doing.

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fragour
fragour

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with many points of interest, best done during dry periods.
Be careful at point 11 on the map: the PR marked on the ground after passing the Fontaines farm is not the one you should follow. However, if you follow the map without paying attention to the markings, you will arrive at the Lavoir de Brinville, which has been renovated and is a great place to stop for lunch.
The Pringy Town Hall park was appreciated for its majestic trees.
The 17 participants were very satisfied with this hike.

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ovil
ovil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very precise description with the names of all the streets taken. As already mentioned, do not take into account the yellow crosses at the bottom of Chemin de Brinville (Pt 11).
This hike retraces, in reverse, part of the hike entitled "La Promenade de Saint Sauveur" that we did in the sunshine in 2017.
Under the snow, the landscapes have a special charm and we rediscovered elements of heritage that we no longer remembered.

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v belloche
v belloche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent walk along the Ecole river with its mills and wash houses. We didn't find the tomb of the white lady. I highly recommend this route.

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