The Maréchaux trail in the Chevreuse Valley

A pleasant walk one hour from Paris to discover an old sandstone quarry.

The "sentier des Maréchaux" is a forest path marked out in the park of the Vallée de Chevreuse. The walk is nice without being exceptional, you walk in the middle of old sandstone quarries and many panels allow you to discover the life of the workers at the time. You will learn about the different stages of sandstone formation. From this walk you can reach the Abbey of Cernay and the famous waterfalls of Cernay are not far either. It is a good way to discover this part of the Chevreuse Valley.

Interest:

good (1 user)

Difficulty:

Duration: 3 h.

Departure point (Google Maps)

Le parking

❤12

Le parking — You have to leave the road and enter the forest to find the parking lot which is located not far from the trailhead. You have to be careful because there are several parking lots. The road that leads to the start is called the "route des Franchises".

The trailhead

❤13

The trailhead — An explanatory marker is located at the beginning of the trail. It is the only way to find your way on the trail.

The career

❤9

The career — After 3 minutes of walking we arrive at the first quarry. It was exploited until 1930, the sandstone was used for the construction of sidewalks. The quarry was for a long time the first employer of the region, more than 200 people worked on this site.

The pines

❤7

The pines — The landscape is reminiscent of Fontainebleau with pine trees and white sand. It is worth the trip.

The career

❤6

The career — There are several quarries along the trail. They are not very big.

The indications

❤3

The indications — Apparently the path is also marked with explanations on the fauna and flora, it is necessary to follow the arrow just below the explanations, it is necessary to pay attention because one does not distinguish it almost any more.

Development on the course

❤4

Development on the course — The course is not very difficult, there are sometimes passages with a rather strong slope.

The exploitation of millstones

❤7

The exploitation of millstones — The millstone was also exploited in this quarry. The millstone has been widely used for the construction of individual houses in the Paris region. They gave their name to this type of house.

An old watering hole

❤5

An old watering hole — Along the way we can see the remains of the sandstone exploitation. Here is a tank that was used to water the animals that worked on the site.

The wall of the abbey

❤5

The wall of the abbey — The path goes back down to the abbey of Cernay, one could rather speak about the fortress of Cernay because the domain is entirely closed with a wall. You can either retrace your steps, or go to the waterfalls of Cernay, or visit the abbey. The visit of the abbey is paying and there is only one entrance, it is located on the main road, you will have to walk on the side of the road.

🚶‍ Practical information 🌳

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