Circular route around Les Grands Avaux

There are a few parking spaces in the hamlet of La Padôle (commune of Mondeville).

(S/E) From La Padôle, head south to join the farm tracks as you leave the hamlet. At the end of the road, take the track on the left, then turn right onto the next track. After about 250 metres, you will come to a crossroads with four tracks.

Red and white markings (GR®11)

(1) Turn left to walk along the edge of the woods. Then enter the woods and continue in the same direction for 100 metres.

(2) Turn left, continue straight ahead for 200 metres, then follow the path that veers to the right along the edge of the plateau on your right. When you reach a small wall, go down it and turn onto a path that branches off to the left. You will reach the Vanne and Loing aqueducts, which cross here at right angles.

(3) Continue straight ahead, follow the left-hand bend and then the right-hand hairpin bend downhill. Continue downhill to the D948 at Saut du Postillon. Cross carefully and follow the road to the left until you reach the end of the bend.

(4) Take the path that branches off to the right into the fields and enter the woods opposite. Go around the bottom left of the Tertre Noir hill and you will come to a T-junction.

(5) Take the path on the left to a small pass and continue along the path on the right, at the foot of Tertre Blanc. Take a small path that climbs to the summit (be careful, the slope is steep and the sandy ground can be unstable. In wet weather, it is better to go around the hill by following the GR® markings that go around it on the left).

(6) Descend on the other side (or continue around the mountain) and you will come to another T-junction. Turn left, then right after 100 metres. You will come to another T-junction; turn left until you reach a four-way junction.

(7) Continue straight ahead between the woods and the field until you come to a perpendicular path. Take it to the right and turn into the next path on the left. This will take you to the path that leads to Nainville-les-Roches.

(8) Turn sharply left and continue straight ahead until you reach the D948.

(9) Cross the road carefully and enter the Grands Avaux Departmental Forest. Follow the Chemin des Houdarts downhill until you reach a three-way junction.

(10) Take the path on the right, which eventually climbs up a valley between sandstone blocks (and climbers) to the ridge.

(11) Turn left to walk along the ridge of the Rochers du Duc. Be careful, the path winds between sandstone boulders like in the forest of Fontainebleau, and the route can be difficult for inexperienced hikers. Enjoy the panorama and the view of Paris in good weather.

(12) Shortly afterwards, follow the path that veers to the left, descending between the sandstone blocks, and reach the first houses of the hamlet of Beauvais. Be careful, as the markings can easily be missed here. If this happens, continue generally westwards to descend and rejoin the road. Once on the road (Rue du Rocher du Duc), follow it to the left to reach the hamlet of Beauvais.

(13) Take Rue de la Ferrante on the right, then Rue du Rocher du Duc on the left, and then Rue de la Vallée on the right.

(14) Turn right onto Chemin de la Messe and continue along this road, climbing up to the ridge. This will take you to Platière du Télégraphe. Cross this protected natural area and join another, more imposing path on the other side, leading to Tour du Buisson.

(15) Pass in front of the tower (which you can climb) and take the path on the left, which continues straight ahead at the three-way junction that follows. Cross the Vanne and Loing aqueducts again and you will come to a road at the Ferme de Noisement.

No markings

(16) Take the road on the left, then the path that branches off to the left again, to retrace your steps on the other side of the field. Continue across the fields until you reach a three-way junction.

(17) Turn right onto the straight path and follow it for 1,500 metres until you reach a perpendicular road.

(18) Follow the road to the left to return to the car park at the hamlet of La Padôle (S/E).

(S/E) Access to La Padôle is difficult to achieve other than by car. It can be reached from the west via La Ferté-Alais and the main village of Mondeville, or from the east via the A6, exit 11, then Auvernaux and Beauvais, and the hamlet of Champcueil.

Other parking options (more spaces available): the Rocher du Duc car park on the D75, near the point (9), or the Chaumière du Télégraphe car park, on Rue du Rocher du Duc between Beauvais and Loutteville. In the first case, you can join the route between (9) and (10) by crossing the forest, and in the second between (12) and (13), and start from there.

The circular route isn’t very long, but it features fairly steep terrain, with a topography similar to that of the Forest of Fontainebleau. It is reserved for experienced hikers with good equipment, and above all, good footwear.

Hike completed by the author on 7 September 2025

• Le Tertre Blanc, a small hill that can be climbed (6).
• The Grands Avaux Forest and the Rocher du Duc ridge, with a beautiful panorama to the north (visibility as far as Paris in good weather), from (10) to (13).
• La Platière du Télégraphe, a very pretty protected natural area, before (15).
• La Tour du Buisson (15).
• The agricultural plateaus of Gâtinais.