A circular route in the Chevreuse Valley starting from Bonnelles

A walk alternating between woodland and farmland, mostly on footpaths with a few sections on roads with very little traffic.

Details

3743876
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 103 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 103 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 175 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 107 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the Church of Saint-Gervais-et-Protais in Bonnelles.

(S/E) Turn left onto Rue de la Libération to reach the roundabout on Route de Bullion.

(1) Take the path on the right alongside the road; this is the Allée de la Duchesse. Cross the road and continue along the path straight ahead; this is the sharedGR® 11D and 655 West, marked in red and white. Join a disused road.

(2) Continue left to join the path that leads across the fields. First cross the Ruisseau de la Botellerie, then a few metres further on, cross the old railway line via the footbridge. You will then reach the Route de Villevert.

(3) Turn right onto it, reach Villevert, leave theGR® here and turn left across the fields. Pass under the high-voltage power line and you will soon come to a new crossroads.

(4) Take the path on the left and reach a multi-way junction at the Ruisseau Blain.

(5) Take the road on the left, pass under the high-voltage power line again and arrive at the hamlet of Longchêne.

(6) Turn left, cross the village, take the Route du Clos du Puits on the left and leave the path leading into the woods on your right. You will then come to a path junction after reaching Rue du Clos des Vignes.

(7) Walk to the hedge and take the path that climbs through the fields, cross the D149 and continue along the path through the forest. Follow the forest path, keeping well to the left.

(8) Turn onto the path on the left and emerge onto the main road to Bullion, the D149.

(9) Turn right onto it, cross the stream and the wash house, continue and turn left at the church, then left again. You’ll reach a multi-way junction.

(10) Turn left onto Rue de Noncienne, follow the road past the cemetery and then through the Clairière neighbourhood. Continue along a forest track, then take the path on the right which descends slightly. You will reach the entrance to the village of Bonnelles.

(11) Turn left, pass the riding school, then take a narrow path that leads back towards a residential area. Turn left twice and continue along the old railway line, which runs below the Monastery of the Orantes. You’ll reach another crossroads.

(12) Turn right onto the street, pass the recycling centre, and continue until you reach the original crossroads you passed on the way out.

(1) Continue straight ahead, following the route taken on the way there, to reach the car park at Bonnelles Church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 121 m - Car park of the - Église Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais (Bonnelles)
  2. 1 : km 0.32 - alt. 128 m - Roundabout
  3. 2 : km 0.92 - alt. 137 m - Junction with disused road
  4. 3 : km 2.2 - alt. 168 m - Route de Villevert
  5. 4 : km 3.26 - alt. 170 m - Junction across the fields
  6. 5 : km 3.93 - alt. 167 m - Blain Stream - Gloriette (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Rémarde
  7. 6 : km 5.85 - alt. 166 m - Longchêne
  8. 7 : km 6.61 - alt. 135 m - Path fork to the right
  9. 8 : km 7.31 - alt. 119 m - Path forks to the left. Near the - Aulne (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Gloriette
  10. 9 : km 8.08 - alt. 110 m - D149 road
  11. 10 : km 8.45 - alt. 113 m - Rue de Noncienne
  12. 11 : km 10.12 - alt. 124 m - Equestrian centre
  13. 12 : km 11.07 - alt. 151 m - Old railway line
  14. S/E : km 12.05 - alt. 121 m - Car park of the - Église Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais (Bonnelles)

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

3.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
3.3 / 5
User 11649208

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed the route because the weather was beautiful, it's not hilly and it's accessible to everyone!
We chose to start from Gometz La Ville, so the circular route was 15.5 km long.
A very good distance for getting back into shape.

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EricJan78
EricJan78

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Lots of games on the road

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jpdalbiez
jpdalbiez

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This route is pleasant from Bonnelles to Villevert. There are no issues between this village and point 5. The stretch across the fields along a dirt track poses no problems, and the high-voltage power line does not detract from the landscape in any way (a very common sight on the plateaus of the Chevreuse Valley). However, from point 5 onwards, things go downhill! The route description says to take the path on the left at the crossroads. In fact, you do need to turn left, but onto the road towards the hamlet of Longchêne, not the dirt track also on the left. And from there, there are 2 km of tarmac to cover. It’s a tedious and monotonous stretch, but there’s little traffic. The description for point 6 in Longchêne isn’t precise enough; you need to follow the small road on the left that descends to the ‘Route du Clos du Puits’ sign after joining the Route du Clos des Vignes. As for the hedge, we walked past it without noticing it. Fortunately, our GPS, which was tracking the route, alerted us to our mistake 50 metres further on. From there on, starting at point 7, the walk became pleasant again through the woodland. Back in Bonnelles, don’t hesitate to extend the route a little to catch a view of the restored Château de la Duchesse d’Uzès.

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digit29
digit29

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

This is a moderate route, as it includes a fairly long stretch across windy farmland followed by 2 km along a narrow road. It is possible to take a route that stays more in the woods, as there are plenty of options around Bonnelles.
Otherwise, the route is easy to follow.

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ClaudeJ78
ClaudeJ78

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Long stretches across fields of little interest make up 50% of the route
A pleasant walk nonetheless, as it is VERY quiet (didn’t see a single person)

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michel.gordin
michel.gordin

Hike not completed

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Marg91
Marg91

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

We enjoyed the start of the walk and the end too, but the long stretch across the fields with a view of the high-voltage power line made us turn back and take a completely different route further south.

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menuetb1944
menuetb1944

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Setting off from the church in Bonnelles, we skipped points 1 to 6 – too much open farmland and not very interesting – and headed due south through the Etangs nature reserve. We then followed the PNR trail to Bullion, where we visited points 8, 7 and 11 before returning to the church. It was a very pleasant route through the woodland.

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libel
libel

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The entire section of the route through the flatlands is rather uninteresting; the directions are sometimes too vague or poorly worded, for example in Longchene (we had to ask a local for directions) and similarly at the exit from the Clairière housing estate.

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