Boissy-le-Cutté is a small village in the Essonne, south of Paris, sitting on the edge of the Juine valley in the Gâtinais français regional park. It is a place of quiet streets, stone houses and fields, far from the bustle of the capital even though it lies only an hour away. The surrounding landscape is a mix of farmland, woods and river valleys, with sandstone outcrops scattered across the hills.
The Gâtinais is known for its natural beauty and its traditions. The sandy soils and woods have shaped a distinctive landscape, with heathland, rocky outcrops and clear streams. Essonne is also famous for its watercress, grown in beds fed by springs along the valleys, and you may see the green beds shimmering in the sunlight. The Juine winds through a pretty valley with mills, wash houses and old châteaux.
The roads around Boissy-le-Cutté are relaxed and pleasant to ride, winding through valleys and over gentle hills. They are generally quiet, apart from weekends, when cyclists and day-trippers come out from Paris. The surfaces are good, but watch for gravel on some minor roads and for tractors in the fields. In autumn, the woods turn gold and the light is soft and beautiful.
There are few services in Boissy-le-Cutté itself, so plan fuel and food in Étampes, the nearest larger town, or La Ferté-Alais. Étampes is worth a stop for its medieval churches and the ruined Guinette tower, the remnant of a royal castle. From here, the route heads north-west towards the great loops of the Seine, where chalk cliffs rise above the river and the roads follow the water.