The Dourdan via Ouye abbey

A lovely woodland walk with a cultural touch.

Technical sheet

239615
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.52 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 161 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 168 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 156 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 95 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Set out from Dourdan station (RER line C).

(S/E) As you leave the station, take the road opposite you (south), and then at the end of the road, turn left down Rue de Chartres. Walk around Dourdan castle to your right (clockwise).

(1) At the southeast corner of the castle, take Rue de l'Abbé Gérard opposite you. Turn left down Rue Jube de la Perelle, and then right down a footpath with yellow PR (Petite Randonne – Short Hike) waymarks. Cross a river, go under a public building, and continue straight on, south-southwest.

(2) Take a right and immediate left to continue down Rue de l’Ouye. Cross the D116 and keep going straight on down a small road. Shortly after, take the marked footpath leading into the woods.

(3) Cross a small road and continue south along the path. Walk through Normont, ignore the path off to the left and the right and then follow the bend round to the left. Cross the Ruisseau de l’Etang de la Muette stream. The path then joins a track, follow it for a few metres to the left and then take a path to the right that bears south and then shortly after, southeast. Continue on this marked path until you reach a clearing with a water treatment plant at the end of it.

(4) Now turn right down an unmarked path that climbs slightly and leads to a crossing in the forest with a PR footpath (yellow waymarks).

(5) Turn right down the marked path called Route du Loup, and then turn left down Route de Caribotin. The path bears west and then turns south (ignore a path off to the right at this point).

(6) At the forest barrier, turn right and head downhill. At the bottom of the slope, head due west between the arable fields until you reach Ouye Abbey.

(7) Climb back up through the forest opposite you along Chemin de la Messe (signposted, red and white GR waymarks), ignoring any paths off to either side.

(8) When you reach the end of the woods, turn right down the path that takes you past the car park. Cross the D5 road, and walk downhill to cross a stream. Climb back up again opposite you, and then continue along the edge of the forest, ignoring any paths off to either side.

(9) At the car park, turn right down a wide gravel track. Keep going straight on (east-northeast) for 3km, ignoring the many paths off to either side along the way.

(10) At the roundabout of the D116, there is a pedestrian path just before a cycle path, and the church tower indicates the direction for Dourdan town centre. Walk down Avenue de Chateaudun, and then continue down Rue du Puits des Champs, Rue de la Basse Foulerie, and finally Rue de la Haute Foulerie on the right.

(1) Walk back around the castle to your left (anticlockwise), and follow the route you took on your way to get back to the station (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 117 m - Gare de Dourdan
  2. 1 : km 0.54 - alt. 104 m - Château de Dourdan
  3. 2 : km 0.78 - alt. 95 m - Orge (l')
  4. 3 : km 1.09 - alt. 106 m - Rue de l'Ouye
  5. 4 : km 1.63 - alt. 127 m - Cross the small road and take the opposite direction
  6. 5 : km 2.45 - alt. 101 m - Track
  7. 6 : km 3.44 - alt. 113 m - Take the unmarked path to the right
  8. 7 : km 4.14 - alt. 146 m - Route du Loup
  9. 8 : km 5.22 - alt. 155 m - Forest gate, turn right
  10. 9 : km 6.09 - alt. 126 m - Ouye Abbey
  11. 10 : km 7.11 - alt. 155 m - At the edge of the forest, turn right
  12. 11 : km 8.99 - alt. 154 m - Car park
  13. 12 : km 12.01 - alt. 116 m - Roundabout
  14. S/E : km 13.52 - alt. 117 m - Gare de Dourdan

Practical information

There are lots of shops in Dourdan.
Dourdan is accessible by RER train line C, as well as by direct trains from Austerlitz station (take the line for Paris-Tours via the Vendôme).

In the nearby area

It is possible to visit the castle. Check the information on it.
It is also possible to visit the church.

 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

4.2 / 5
Based on 32 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you ozogiminy for your comment. I've gone back to the description and added the WP5. As a result, your explanations are out of sync with the new description.
In WP3, I noticed a right-left. To avoid any confusion, I've mentioned the street names.

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ozogiminy
ozogiminy

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

At point 3 it's more of a left-right, following the signs in fact,
Be careful at point 5, or at least before, when you arrive at the clearing with the water treatment plant below, ignore the path on the right which climbs slightly, you have to go back down a little before forking off, I mistakenly took the Caribotin road which you take later.
At point 7, there is no forest barrier. This has already been pointed out and should be rectified.

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Zati
Zati

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

On Sunday 24/03, there were few muddy stretches thanks to the sandy soil.
No concrete areas, in the middle of the forest with a few edges. And above all, sheltered from the cold wind. No noise pollution!

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géraldine91
géraldine91

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

We did this circuit running with our dogs, starting the course in the town centre, admittedly, but very interesting. Then the route through the forest was very pleasant and easy to identify. Thank you so much for this lovely route!

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Natacha91
Natacha91

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We completed this walk in 2 hours 45 minutes. The route starts in the town and very quickly winds through the forest at the edge of the fields. There were no difficulties; we followed the route using GPS, as we do for all our hikes. We love the site, which offers routes that have never disappointed us. Thank you for all your hard work.

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papatom
papatom

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant hike that's easy to do (not much difference in altitude).
But to spice things up a bit on the way back, I followed the advice of a number of visitors who were complaining about the monotonous final stretch...
So I followed the paths from 300 m after marker 9, which took me to the Poulet stream, and I followed the winding, wide and clean path indicated in dotted blue on the "Open Street Map randonnée" map.
I also parked in a large free public car park at marker 2.

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benoit POINCARE
benoit POINCARE

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Hiking alone to do some reconnaissance. There are signs on the route but they do not correspond to the terrain.
There are several tourist attractions along the route (for example, a 250-year-old oak tree) but they are not included in the description.

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quetil
quetil

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A few minor inaccuracies in the forest
But thanks to the app and the QR code, it was perfect!
It was a great hike, and we did a little variation on the way back to get away from the long straight stretch and climb a bit more!
THANK YOU

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jpricour
jpricour

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very fine route, most of it in woodland.

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zuydcoote
zuydcoote

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A lovely, varied walk with plenty of shade

No problem following the route, but you need to keep an eye on the map to avoid a few pitfalls.

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TITUS 28
TITUS 28

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Hello
The signposting is very average or even absent in places and as there are a lot of paths to the right and to the left you need a GPS.
Good attendance for a Pentecost Sunday.
Hi Titus

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COLIBRI93
COLIBRI93

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

I've adapted another route from this one, keeping some of the sections.
The passage through Dourdan is pleasant.
I avoided the long straight stretch on the way back by taking a more winding route.
A beautiful forest with a few glimpses of fields.
Thank you for this trail.

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Ann Liz
Ann Liz

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Nice hike, but unfortunately spoiled by inaccurate explanations. A stream and a forest barrier never found, for example.
Impossible to follow without GPS assistance.
Lots of flies in the forest

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petits randonneurs
petits randonneurs

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

carried out on Saturday 20 June 2020.
done in the opposite direction.
one regret, that long, never-ending straight stretch.
Otherwise very pleasant on good paths

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yti999
yti999

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A very varied and interesting route. What's more, it's a great introduction to other great walks in this area... I highly recommend it!

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.