Tour of Île aux Moines and a stroll along the banks of the Seine

Park in the car park opposite the church in Marolles-sur-Seine.

Yellow markings

(S/E) Head north on the D29, preferably on the right-hand pavement, and pass the church on your right. Cross the bridge over a branch of the Seine.

(1) Above the lock, head down the small road on the right leading to Île aux Moines. At the bottom, continue straight along the road, keeping the river on your right (many moored barges). At the end, turn left and reach the Marolles Dam.

(2) Go round the fence of the dam on the left, pass by the foot of a transmitter and return to the riverbank. Continue along the Seine (or at least its second branch) on a gravel path that soon becomes shaded. Return to the road taken on the way out and follow it to the right. Before the road climbs, turn left onto a gravel path and go under the bridge. At the lock’s fence, take the concrete steps on the right that lead back up onto the bridge.

(1) Turn left, cross the second branch of the Seine and follow the D29 along its left-hand verge.

No signposting

(3) After about 200m (two Stop signs on either side of the road), take a sharp left onto a gravel track. Follow the zigzagging track and ignore a few side paths, including a dead end on the right. Head west and cross a bridge (the Seine on the left, a former sand pit on the right).

(4) Continue along a sheltered path. After about a hundred metres, at the bottom of a gentle descent, turn right into the undergrowth (trunks lying across the path) and follow a track leading to a small beach. Retrace your steps and continue a few metres westwards along the path. At the first junction, turn left onto a good path leading to a viewpoint over the Seine. N.B. Looking towards the Seine, the path branching off to the right leads nowhere of interest. Return to the bridge.

(4) Follow the track in the opposite direction to the way out.

Yellow markings

(3) Follow the D29 to the right, cross the two branches of the Seine and return to the church car park (S/E).

In dry weather, good walking shoes are sufficient for this short walk. In wet weather, there may be muddy sections around (4).

No water points identified along the route. Bar-restaurant in Marolles-sur-Seine, near the church (S/E).

Small beaches along the banks of the Seine, ideal for a break or a picnic, shortly after the Marolles Dam (2) and further on (4).

This walk is a shortened version of an FFRP^PR® trail, which has recently been rerouted at this point (3) due to the expansion of a sand and gravel quarry.

A detailed map is useful (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Walk completed by the author on 20 May 2018.

- Saint-Germain Church (12th–18th centuries) in Marolles-sur-Seine (S/E).
- Banks of the Seine, moored barges.
- Marolles lock (1).
- Ponds providing a habitat for birds.