Randonnée “special family” n°3 on Sunday, October 3rd : Fontainebleau Forest, passing by the "The Cassepot" and Denecourt's Tower
(Explanation in English, partly translated into French below.)
IMPORTANT : from experience, I advise this is best for kids with a minimum age of 6 years (baby carriages are impossible). Of course, adults alone and your friends are welcome !
Starting from the Fontainebleau-Avon station, we will hike a circuit of 13km (8mi) in the part of Fontainebleau Forest north of the town of Fontainebleau.
On the program: climbing toward the Calvary Cross, the rocks of Mount Ussy, le Rocher Cassepot" (literally the crackpot rocks, check out the picture!), the view from atop Denecourt's Tower, the Fountains, the Spongy Rock, and finally the descent to the station at Fontainebleau-Avon.
This hike is somewhat athletic, but it's a real pleasure to "climb" these magnificent rocky spaces while searching for the famous "blue blazes". These are the original trails marked by Denecourt, who is credited with creating these first recreational hiking trails in France in the mid-19th Century. (See Wikipedia and test your French!)
PLEASE RSVP with https://spreadsheets4.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGhmMW9qYjJxQ2twanhBbC11Wjh1NHc6MA
: . Note we will collect a 10€ fee per family for event-planning, cheerful guide services, and logistics.
Directions: meet at Gare de Lyon (niveau rue) at 9 h 45, Sunday, October 3rd. PLEASE check the information signs under "departures" to verify the zone color. Facing the trains, the "blue zone is to the right and the yellow-orange zones to the left, further on. We will meet at the front of the quai, in other words the station-end of the platform for:
train GIMO leaving at 10h05 toward Montargis
It is scheduled to arrive at the station Fontainebleau-Avon at 10 h41.
Buy before coming to our meeting, a round-trip ("aller-retour") ticket to that station. It's in zone 6, and should cost 16.10€ for adults and 8€ for children.
Bring a nice picnic and lots to drink, and wear very good shoes (hiking boots are the best!).
When we hike with adults between rocks, we average about 3.5 km/hr, making this 4 hours of hiking. Counting on longer with the kids, we probably will be catching a train back after 4pm. Trains leave Fontainebleau roughly half-hourly (at :04 and :31) and take 35-40 minutes to get back to Gare de Lyon. http://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/pdf/Horaires%20de%20train%20Fleau%20Paris%202009%20-%202010/horairetrain2010weekend.pdf
Départ 15h31 16h04 16h31 17h04 17h31
Arrivée 16h11 16h41 17h11 17h41 18h11
Randonnée familiale n°3 du dimanche 3 octobre : Circuit dans la forêt de Fontainebleau « en passant par Cassepot et la Tour Denecourt »
A partir de la gare de Fontainebleau-Avon, nous allons parcourir une boucle de 13 km dans la partie située au nord de la ville de Fontainebleau.
Au programme : la montée vers la Croix du Calvaire, les Rochers du Mont Ussy, le Rocher Cassepot, panorama du haut de la tour de Denecourt, les Fontaines, la Roche Eponge et enfin la descente vers la gare de Fontainebleau-Avon.
La randonnée est un peu « sportive » mais c'est toujours un réel plaisir de « crapahuter » dans ces magnifiques espaces rocheux tout en recherchant avec l’aide de vos enfants le fameux balisage bleu !