Equestrian loop around the Gâtinais

Depart from Achères, home to Le Closeau Ecomuseum. Before setting off, take the time to tour this fascinating museum presenting rural tools and accessories collected over many years (open from 2 to 6 PM every second weekend from April to November, and every weekend in July and August; closed from October to March). Begin your excursion by following the “Chemin de Nemous” that starts opposite the bar. Skirt the village, then cross a minor road and continue straight on. Next, the loop passes through a vast area planted with crops, before approaching the town of Ury after crossing over the motorway via a wide bridge.

After easily crossing the little-used road, take the first path on the left. The path skirts the village and passes behind the cemetery. However, when leaving Ury, be very careful crossing the road with heavy traffic. Then leave the road to take a path on the left that passes by an equestrian centre. The path then runs along the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest, following the boundary markings; ride first along fields, then through woods.

As soon as you come to a narrow forest lane, follow the path on the right into the little village of Recloses. Pass through Recloses along the road, with little traffic in this tiny village. When you arrive at a little square, turn left onto a paved path that will lead you down to a sandy trail typical of the Fontainebleau Forest. Within the forest, keep your eyes peeled for green lizards among the pine groves or herons fishing the ponds, not to mention foxes, deer and wild boar. The Fontainebleau Forest is home to a magnificently diverse fauna. Ride down the almost perfectly straight path until you reach a narrow road, which you follow on the left for a hundred metres.

Turn right onto the path leading to Villiers-sous-Grez, crossing through woods dotted with farmed plots. The path skirts the village on the right, passing next to meadows home to horses. Leave Villiers-sous-Grez via a path skirting the village, passing through fields and under the motorway via a small tunnel. You’ll pass by the charming little hamlet of Busseau.

Enjoy a nice long ride through La Commanderie Forest, all the way to the village of Larchant. This preserved, national forest comprises an ensemble of woods situated south of the Fontainebleau Forest. These woods stretch all the way to the farmlands of La Beauce and allow the region’s wild animals to pass from forest to forest.

Along the way, don’t miss La Dame Jouanne, a well-known rock climbing spot. The site boasts the tallest rocks in all of Île-de-France, as well as caves and overhangs, some of which bear ancient graffiti.

The path you’re on will also take you near the Larchant wetlands, situated between the Fontainebleau Forest and the La Beauce plain. This marsh is home to an exceptional bird, insect and plant life. The wetlands cannot be visited without authorization, but guided tours are organized.

Upon exiting the forest, you arrive at the village of Larchant, with its impressive Saint-Mathurin Basilica. Three centuries of construction finally came to an end in the 16th century, for this religious edifice dedicated to Saint Mathurin. Born in Larchant in the late 3rd century, this holy man – who, according to legend, miraculously healed many ailing souls – requested that upon his death he be buried in the village of his birth. Arriving at Larchant, follow the road for a few dozen metres, then after the cemetery take the path on your right. As soon as the path reaches a road, turn once again right. The path runs along the forest, then crosses a narrow road.

To reach Boissy-aux-Cailles, ride through a vast agricultural area typical of the Gâtinais. Then wind your way through small woods and crops until you reach the Chapelle de la Commanderie des Templiers. This “Chapel of the Templars’ Commandry” was built around the mid-12th century. Following the dissolution of the Knights Templar in 1312, the commandry passed into the hands of the Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem, before serving as a hermitage from 1621 up until the French Revolution of 1789, when the site was finally abandoned and fell into ruin.

The path next passes through woods and fields until the picturesque village of Vaudoué, nestled on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest. As you approach the village, a passage drops suddenly down into a scree, requiring a bit of care (indeed, this passage is known as le mauvais trou or “the bad hole”). You then reach a road taking you into Vaudoué. Pass through the village and head east, following a path climbing past a few isolated houses. Upon reaching a plateau, the path continues straight on through a wood.

Your excursion will come to an end by crossing first a small forest then the fields outside Achères. By continuing straight on, you reach the Platière de Meun. An environmental feature characteristic of the Fontainebleau Forest, a platière is a rocky flat holding water and thereby sheltering and nourishing numerous plant and animal species. Indeed, the Gâtinais is dry and the region’s ponds and wetlands are essential for its biodiversity. From the village of Meun, head left towards Achères; follow the road to the village and the loop’s point of departure.