Sensitive Natural Area : Le Chemin Des Roses

With a total length of 17 km, the Sensitive Natural Area the path of roses winds between the municipalities of Servon, Brie-Comte-Robert, Grisy-Suisnes, Coubert, Soignolles-en-Brie, Solers and Yèbles.
It offers walkers, horse riders and cyclists a route to stroll along, steeped in history.

The path follows the former railway line that connected Paris-Bastille to Verneuil-l'Étang. A major driver of the local economy of the last century, it was an essential element in the development of an activity specific to the region : rose growing.

Built between 1859 and 1892 for military needs, the railway was closed to passenger traffic in 1953, and to the transport of goods, by successive sections, from the seventies until 1990. The disused line then lay fallow. In the early nineties, the section between Brie-Comte-Robert and Coubert was bought by the Chemin des Roses Intercommunal Union, created for the occasion, bringing together the municipalities of Brie-Comte-Robert, Grisy-Suisnes and Coubert. This union then carried out a development project for the railway right-of-way, to make walking, cycling and horse riding possible. The section, known as the « green path », was transferred, in 2003, to the Department of Seine-et-Marne which decided to classify the entire site as a sensitive natural area in order to preserve its landscape and ecological interest. Several years were necessary for the acquisition and development of additional land rights-of-way : at Servon (on the border with the department of Val-de-Marne) and between Coubert and Yèbles, at the other end. They were opened to walkers in 2010.

The former line runs through mostly semi-urban and agricultural areas. The site's appeal lies mainly in its proximity in terms of leisure activities (walking, cycling) and the quality of the landscape. Indeed, it forms part of the wider ensemble constituted by the Yerres valley and the Brie plateau. The area's railway heritage is long-standing but the sector remains deeply marked by its history. The vestiges of the railway activity are identified by the linearity of the route, the presence of embankments or the sunken nature of the path, the presence of crossing structures and stations, some of which have been restored by the municipalities.

The area covered by the Chemin des Roses is remarkable for the linear character of the path and the presence of grassy or wooded borders which give it a significant role as an ecological corridor (spaces where living beings can move or spread in order to feed or reproduce).

Distance : 17 km
Natural environments : woods, scrubland
Points of interest : botany, landscape, history, ecological corridor
Special features : former railway line, crossing of the Yerres by viaduct.