In the footsteps of Charles the Bold at the Battle of Montlhéry

In 1465, Louis XI and Charles the Bold clashed at Montlhéry. This hike takes you to some of the historic sites in Essonne that witnessed this confrontation (Leuville, Montlhéry Castle, the battlefield, etc.). The return route takes you via Longpont Basilica.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.89 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 122 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 124 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 135 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 39 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Orge Valley car park, along the D46 near the ponds.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, head right along the D46 to the small bridge over the Orge. Cross at the pedestrian crossing to join theGR® 655 (white and red markings), which you will follow for a long time. When you reach the old Moulin du Basset mill, theGR® climbs up a tarmac lane. At the end, turn left onto Rue de Brétigny and walk down to the bridge over the Orge. Cross the bridge and continue on the GR®.

(1) Go under the N104 using the tunnel that runs alongside the Orge. At the exit, cross the small bridge on the right, then follow the river southwards. After about 400 metres, turn right.

(2) Cross a footbridge, then turn left (small bridge) and then take theGR® on the right (the reservoir pond is on your left). Follow the path to the end of the pond, turn right, cross the footbridge and turn left onto a street (on the left, a sign tells the story of the Petit Paris mill). Cross at the pedestrian crossing.

(3) Leave theGR® and follow the yellow markings: turn right and take the path parallel to the street, which slopes slightly upwards. At the end of the path, cross to the right (be careful, there is no pedestrian crossing!) and take Chemin des Voiries. Follow this sloping street to the next crossroads.

(4) Leave the yellow markings and take the second street on the left. Pass Impasse des Lilas on your right, then turn left and immediately right onto a small path protected by green posts.

(5) Take a small path that winds between the gardens. After about 100 metres, turn right. Cross Rue Alphonse Réault and continue up the hill to the church in Leuville-sur-Orge.

(6) Go around the church on the right and cross Rue du Maréchal Joffre. Take Rue du 8 mai 1945 almost opposite, then turn right with the street. Follow this street on the left-hand pavement, crossing the bridge over the Francilienne (N104). Leave Impasse du Plateau on your left and use the pedestrian crossing a little further down to cross the road.

(7) Turn right at a sharp angle onto Rue de Carcassonne. Take the second left onto Rue du Chemin Vert. Continue along this street, ignoring the other streets on the right and left. At the bottom, after a left turn, follow Rue de l'Étang. At the end, turn right. Cross a small bridge over the Salmouille and head towards Linas Church.

(8) Go around the church on the right. At the next crossroads, turn right in front of the block of flats.
Find theGR® (white and red markings), which you will follow for quite some time. Turn left twice to go around the buildings. Turn right onto Chemin des Processions, which climbs towards the medieval hill. Pass a street on your left, then take the path on the left that leads to the castle. Climb the hill between the trees. The slope is more or less steep depending on the path you take, but all the paths on the left lead to the car park, which is our destination. At the car park, continue turning clockwise to reach the path that leads to the old drawbridge.

(9) Walk to the gate to admire the tower. Turn around, walk back down the driveway and turn right. Pass the first street on the left and take the second street (Rue des Processions). Be careful, this street is narrow with no pavement, and there is some traffic. Walk down to the bottom, cross Rue Baudoin, then Rue du Docteur Ogé, cross the car park and Boulevard du Téméraire. Take the path between the sports field and the swimming pool, going through a small gate. Public toilets are available on the right in the swimming pool car park. Exit this lane through another gate and take the path (Allée du Tour de France) between the sports facilities and a busy road. After the archery range, take the pedestrian crossing on the right to cross Route des Templiers. Take the small road opposite (open to traffic). You are now on the Montlhéry battlefield.

(10) Take the small road ahead, which is a no-entry road. Continue to a small car park, which you will cross to reach a path on the left that leads to the Longpont media library. At the end of the path, turn right and walk down to the basilica.

(11) Go around the basilica on the right, leaving theGR® on your right to take the sunken path that leads straight to the Orge. Cross the river on the bridge directly opposite, then take the first lane on the right. The path quickly splits in two: take the one that runs alongside the sports fields. Continue to the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 43 m - Car park in the valley of the - Orge (l')
  2. 1 : km 1.63 - alt. 45 m - Tunnel under the N104
  3. 2 : km 2.21 - alt. 43 m - Footbridge over the - Salmouille (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 3.39 - alt. 43 m - Moulin du Petit Paris
  5. 4 : km 4 - alt. 59 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 4.27 - alt. 60 m - Vehicle barrier
  7. 6 : km 4.66 - alt. 73 m - Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Leuville-sur-Orge)
  8. 7 : km 5.32 - alt. 77 m - Rue de Carcassonne
  9. 8 : km 6.3 - alt. 57 m - Église Saint-Mérry (Linas)
  10. 9 : km 7.4 - alt. 135 m - Tour de Montlhéry
  11. 10 : km 8.75 - alt. 77 m - Battlefield of Montlhéry
  12. 11 : km 9.54 - alt. 57 m - Basilique de Longpont
  13. S/E : km 10.89 - alt. 43 m - Car park in the valley of the - Orge (l')

Notes

Stable paths with little mud, even in wet weather.
In the event of flooding of the Orge, check that the route is passable.

Public toilets in the Montlhéry swimming pool car park.

Worth a visit

- The Orge, its fauna and flora.
- Leuville Church: first part of the 13th century, but extensively remodelled afterwards: eclectic appearance.
- Leuville cemetery with its Orthodox "Georgian" section.
- The church of Linas.
- The castle mound, the ruins of the medieval castle, and the keep of Montlhéry.
- The battlefield of Montlhéry (16 July 1465) where Louis XI fought Charles the Bold.
- Longpont Basilica.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Martine Desicy
Martine Desicy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Despite the rainy weather in recent months, the route is very accessible, with a few wet patches near the Basset mill, but nothing too serious. On this Sunday, there are lots of walkers around Lake Carouge and the Petit Paris basin. This is an urban hike, and we get to know the town centres of Leuville sur Orge and Linas, which are very pleasant to walk through. An easy climb takes us to the Montlhéry tower, which offers a beautiful view. We descend towards Longpont, cross the Montlhéry battlefield (not many signs to be seen), arrive at the beautiful Longpont basilica and return via Lormoy Park.
A beautiful hike to do at this time of year to avoid muddy paths.

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SOFIA MARMOTON
SOFIA MARMOTON

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A comprehensive and highly original route between points 4 and 6. More conventional for the rest

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toitoine91
toitoine91

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route begins at the Carouge pond, with its rather bucolic geese and ducks, then follows the Cours de l'Orge to reach the medieval tower, with some unavoidable stretches of tarmac.
The tower is not open to the public in May 2024. After this beautiful interlude, descend to the Basilica of Longpont and its important reliquary. A short walk along the ponds then takes you back to the car park where you started.
I think I saw a commemorative plaque marking the passage of Charles the Bold through these parts.
In short, an interesting hike with some lovely points of interest.
Be careful of cars on the small paths, as drivers use them as shortcuts and often drive a little too fast

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ealet
ealet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy route, well described, interesting with its sights (Longpont Basilica, medieval tower with its viewpoint, banks of the Orge). There are many roads, of course, but little traffic on this Sunday morning

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LEGOAS F.
LEGOAS F.

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hello
there is an error in the route description after the Montlerry tower when you reach the corner of Rue de la Procession. You need to turn left, not right as indicated in the description.
the slope

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grmdha
grmdha

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The return journey after the Monthlery tower is on too many tarmac roads, which is a bit of a shame because otherwise it's a good, interesting hike

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epiluc91
epiluc91

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a pleasant and fairly varied hike.
I think it would be more interesting to follow the GR655 from the car park to avoid walking along the D133 (which is what I did when I set off from the car park at the entrance to the D25 a little further north)

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edamain
edamain

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

It's difficult to judge this route. Some sections are peaceful and surrounded by nature, while others are noisy. Overall, it's still enjoyable. However, the description lacks detail at certain intersections. We often lost our way, but we were able to find it again easily thanks to points of interest (church, tower, etc.). Thank you anyway for this Essonne route.

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stell1818
stell1818

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Start of a 2 km stretch alongside a major road: uninteresting and distracting
Then, a beautiful pond, but instead of walking around it and exploring the surrounding area, you find yourself on roads with regular traffic and uninteresting villages.
The hill with the tower is nice, but the rest of the walk is also disappointing. Lots and lots of roads and cars.

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binetruym
binetruym

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant hike full of discoveries, perfectly described.
we particularly enjoyed the climb up to the Montléry tower and the Basilica of Longpont

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FT31
FT31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful, varied walk that takes you along the banks of the Orge river and past ponds, returning via the Montlhéry Tower and the beautiful basilica of Longpont. No difficulty, easy parking.

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spinoza2009
spinoza2009

scheduled for release on 30/06/2019

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claudestorm
claudestorm

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The first part is marred by the presence of nearby roads. The rest is pleasant despite a somewhat long urban route. This hike is still enjoyable nonetheless. The presence of remarkable sites along the route makes it a hike worth considering.

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Tribodet
Tribodet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk in glorious sunshine with lots to see.
The climb up to the Montlhéry tower offers panoramic views up to 50 km away, including the Eiffel Tower.
Thank you to the author!

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vernon91
vernon91

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with a historical theme, three remarkable sites to see and, as the icing on the cake, a third of the route runs along the water's edge.
Don't hesitate to do this hike in the afternoon so you can take advantage of the opening of the Monthléry Tower and climb to the top (open until the end of October from 2pm to 5pm).
Thank you again

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