Why this ride
302 km one way from Bresles - plan on about 4 h 42 of riding. The stops in between: near Gisors, near Ablis and Verrières-le-Buisson. near Vaux-le-Pénil is the high point.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Fontainebleau Forest and Loing Sweep · short arc
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 302 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 42
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Paris / Île-de-France escapes
The area is chalk plateau and river valley, with big fields of wheat and sugar beet on the heights and woods and meadows along the water. It lies about eighty kilometres north of Paris, and for people from the capital it is a quiet, flat place to ride out to for lunch.
Read the complete Paris / Île-de-France escapes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Paris / Île-de-France escapes is where the day begins. Next is Food stop near Gisors.
2. Food stop near Gisors
Gisors is a Norman town that stands guard on the border with the Île-de-France. It lies on the Epte, the old border river, and its great castle, a motte-and-bailey fortress with a tall octagonal keep, was built by the Normans in the late eleventh century and strengthened by the kings of England, before it fell to the French king Philip Augustus in the twelfth. It was one of the key strongholds on the frontier, and the walls and keep still dominate the town. A local legend says that the Knights Templar hid treasure in the castle, and it has kept treasure hunters busy for generations, though nothing has been found.
Read the complete Gisors return gate write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Food stop near Gisors is where this day stops to eat. Next is Photo stop near Ablis.
3. Photo stop near Ablis
Ablis lies right where the forest of Rambouillet gives way to the Beauce, and the change is almost theatrical. Ride south out of the trees and the land flattens into an immense, open plain of wheat, barley and rapeseed that runs to the horizon in every direction, the granary of France. On a clear day you can sometimes make out the spires of Chartres Cathedral far to the south-west, rising out of the fields like a ship on the sea, the way pilgrims saw them for centuries.
Read the complete Photo stop near Ablis write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 182 km into the recorded legs you reach Photo stop near Ablis. Next is Fontainebleau Forest checkpoint 8.
4. Verrières-le-Buisson
Verrières-le-Buisson is one of the greener towns on the southern edge of Paris, a residential place wrapped around a large wood, the Bois de Verrières, that runs along a ridge above the Bièvre valley. Antony and Châtenay-Malabry are next door, but the trees give the town a feeling of space that is rare this close to the capital.
Read the complete Verrières-le-Buisson write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fontainebleau Forest checkpoint 8 closes the day. Next is High point near Vaux-le-Pénil.
5. High point near Vaux-le-Pénil
Vaux-le-Pénil sits on the high ground above the Seine, just east of Melun, in the Seine-et-Marne department. From the edge of the plateau, you can look down on the river as it winds through its valley, with Melun on its island and the forest of Fontainebleau stretching away to the south.
Read the complete High point near Vaux-le-Pénil write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
High point near Vaux-le-Pénil tops the climb. Next is Scenic stretch near Melun.
6. Scenic stretch near Melun
On the night of 17 August 1661, Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent of finances, threw a party at his new château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, a few kilometres north-east of Melun, for the young Louis XIV. There were fireworks, a new comedy by Molière, music by Lully and a banquet served on gold plate. Three weeks later, Fouquet was arrested by d'Artagnan of the musketeers, and he spent the rest of his life in prison. Louis took his architect, painter and garden designer, Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Nôtre, and set them to work on Versailles.
Read the complete Scenic stretch near Melun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 302 km.
Leg by leg
Food stop near Gisors to Photo stop near Ablis
Food stop near Gisors → Photo stop near Ablis is 113 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Photo stop near Ablis to Verrières-le-Buisson
Photo stop near Ablis → Verrières-le-Buisson is 51 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
High point near Vaux-le-Pénil to Scenic stretch near Melun
High point near Vaux-le-Pénil → Scenic stretch near Melun is 13 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.