Equestrian excursion around Provins

The itinerary starts in the car park of the Provins Tourist Office, also welcoming horseboxes and lorries. Leaving the car park turn left, cross the D231 secondary road and begin your excursion along a tractor track, then a lovely grassy path. At the end, turn left towards the road. Take your time crossing the N19 trunk road: heavy traffic, but excellent visibility. Follow the lane snaking prettily up and down through the fields. On your left, you can see the dome of Saint-Quiriace de Provins collegiate church. Built during the 12th century, it was never completed due to financial difficulties under Philip the Fair. The 17th-century dome was constructed following the collapse of the transept crossing. And also the Tour César tower: crenelated during the Middle Ages, it was covered in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Take the pretty path descending to your right. If you went all the way to the water tower, turn around! At the first fork, go left, and at the next fork in front of the trees go right. At the end turn right, then follow the first grassy path on the left crossing through the fields. On you’re right, that's no hallucination, but an actual oil well still in activity! Turn left onto the minor road, then take the first path on the right towards the houses. Before reaching the houses, turn right onto the path and at the end take the second path on the left. Pass through the pretty grove and continue straight on to the hamlet of La Chapelle-Saint-Sulpice.

Turn right onto the road to Nangis. Carefully cross the N19 and take the opposite path. At the end of this long grassy path, take the country lane opposite. At the crossroads, turn left towards the houses. At the stop sign, turn right. Follow the narrow road, passing by the cemetery.

Continue straight on along the road through Vieux-Champagne. Keep right on the path bordering the Ferme de la Courouge farm. Pass by a path on your left, continuing straight on. At the end turn left towards the Chenoise forest, then left again still in the direction of the forest. At the end turn right along the edge of the forest and continue straight on towards the high-voltage power line. At the end, after passing under the power line, turn left onto the narrow road towards the farm and forest. At the end, turn left onto the road; your stop, the Ferme de la Mercy farm, is on your right. Sleeping 12, this vast holiday cottage is wonderfully well-equipped and offers educational tours. Meet its sheep, rabbits, pigs, goats and ponies! The farm is named after the “Abbey of the Fathers of Mercy”, situated on-site. The “Order of Mercy” was founded in 1189 down in Languedoc, for the redemption of captive Christians.

Leaving Ferme de la Mercy, enter the forest, then head right onto the road continuing all the way to the Maison Forestière du Sud (forest service lodge). Take the far-end white path “Hainault du Milieu”. At the second crossroads, turn right onto “Haute Route”. Cross the lane and continue along “Haute Route” opposite. At the first small crossroads, turn right onto “Route de la Rue Mourron” (hidden by a hedge). At the next crossroads, take the left-hand white path “Route Basse”. At the end, take your time crossing the D231 (occasionally heavy car and lorry traffic).

Continue along “Route Basse” until the Maison Forestière du Beau Chêne (forest service lodge). Take advantage of the picnic area, or wait until Ferme de la Mortery, a little further on. You’ll leave the forest by turning right onto the second minor road, towards the equestrian centre and the hamlet of Les Bordes. Careful not to take the D75 secondary road. At the end, turn left onto the lane in the hamlet of Combles. Careful when you arrive at the D12, with its fast-moving traffic even in town. Upon leaving Combles, take the first minor road on the right towards Beauvais. Follow this narrow road turning first left then right, and finally take the path on the right before the big farm with a white hangar/cowshed.

Gallop on to your picnic, passing under the high-voltage power lines! Take the first path on the right after the power lines. You can’t go wrong, as you can’t miss the big pit in front of you! At the end, turn left onto the minor road towards Mortery. In Bois Bourdin, continue on in the direction of Mortery. On your right, you’ll see a lovely farmstead, Le Gueriton, your picnic stop! Take advantage of your visit to enjoy a short (or long) carriage ride – you could even return to Provins by carriage! Leave the farm turning right and at the end, turn left towards Mortery (careful here, the visibility isn't ideal). When you reach the water tower pylon, take the path on the right and continue on until the D55 secondary road.

Carefully cross the D55 and continue opposite until Rouilly. On your right, a lovely view of the Tour César tower and the Saint-Quiriace collegiate church of Provins. Before reaching Rouillot, take the first path on your left and continue on until the country lane. Turn left onto the narrow road, then take the first right path and again the first right path (that’s two right turns!). Continue on and take the wide grassy path on your left, then the first path again on your left. At the end, turn left. When you reach the narrow road, turn left. Take the path on the right that climbs past the white hangar. Continue along this path that now goes down, offering a splendid view of upper Provins. At the bottom, turn left in front of the wall. Take the stony path opposite, that climbs down to the Provins walls. At the bottom, take the right-hand road and then immediately turn left onto the white chalky path between the chains. Opt for the second bridge to cross the Fausse River and scale the Provins ramparts! At the time, Provins boasted one of the most impressive fortified walls in all of France, with 5 km of medieval ramparts. It was Count Thibaut IV of Champagne who, from 1226 to 1236, ordered the construction of this impressive wall rising over 25 metres. The count’s ambitious project was meant to protect not only the townspeople, but also welcome the many merchants who frequented the town’s famous “Champagne Fairs”!

Simply enter the town through the door in front of you, then follow the ramparts and enter upper Provins via the 14th-century Porte de Jouy gate, thus named for opening onto the road once leading to Jouy Abbey in the Jouy Forest. Follow the Rue de Jouy, then the Rue Saint Jean, and return to the tourist office car park (your initial point of departure). You can also explore the upper town on horseback!

Departing from the tourist office car park, turn left and then cross the D231 secondary road. Follow the path all the way to the end, then turn left. Once again cross the D231, take the opposite path and continue on until the water tower. Ride down the street opposite, and at the end turn left, then take the first street on the right. Pass by the stables of Equestrio, the medieval equestrian spectacle held within the old moat beneath the Provins ramparts. CAREFUL: listen carefully for cars before crossing the road, for the visibility on your left is zero! Follow the road for a few metres, before turning onto Rue Lamartine going down to the right. You might want to walk your horse here, for this descent can prove slippery. Carefully cross the main street and take the Rue de Beaujard opposite; you can once again mount your horse a little further on, to the left between the bridges. Continue along the road, then take the lane on your right before the turn in the road. Take the one-way road, then immediately the grassy, gently climbing path. When you once again reach a road, take the white path climbing to the left. At the fork, take the path climbing opposite. Continue on, keeping left until the houses. Turn left onto Rue Balzac, then left again before the intersection onto Rue Michelet. Continue straight on, then turn right onto Rue des Préaux. Cross and continue along Rue des Sablons until you leave the houses behind. Take the white path opposite heading towards the water tower. Careful at the fork: you must turn right onto the grassy, somewhat hidden path.

Upon exiting the wood, admire the lovely view of the aqueduct over which today's railway passes. At the end, turn left, pass by the railway bridge, and continue on the left-hand path. At the end the path becomes a narrow road that turns right. Before the end of the road, behind you: the entrance to the Railway Museum. Well worth the detour!

Upon exiting the museum, turn left onto the same road and before it turns, take the narrow grassy path climbing down to the right. Cross the Ru des Méances brook, then upon exiting the wood, take the left-hand path bordered by poplars. Continue and at the very end, take the path to the right. Before entering the wood, take the path to the left bordering the field. Enter the wood, ford the brook, and continue through the wood until the first path on the right (marked by a large red pointer). Follow this path, keeping right until leaving the wood. It’s soon picnic time!

Picnic at Château de Montramé or just nearby. When you leave Montramé, turn around and once again take the path to the right, where you left it. At the intersection, continue straight on and after the climb, turn left onto the path now going down; continue on until the next intersection, where you turn right. Follow the Ru des Méances brook. At the crossroads, turn left onto the small stone bridge. At the top of the climb, leave the country lane, turning left onto the white path. At the end, follow the path turning right. Take the first white path on your right. Turn right just after the wire fence, towards the gymnasium. Turn left onto the road and where it turns, take the white path in front of you that bends right. Continue straight on through the wood, following the white path that turns until reaching the bottom. Look familiar? You already passed this way earlier! Turn left onto Rue de Beaujard. Cross the main street and take Rue Lamartine opposite. At the top, follow along the D106 secondary road for a few metres, then carefully cross it to ride up Rue des Patries. At the intersection, turn right, then left onto Rue de l’étendard. At the fork, go right. Continue straight on until the D619, then take the right-hand path all the way to the D231. Cross this secondary road and continue directly opposite. Continue on until reaching the tourist office car park, your original point of departure.