- MSL Tourist Office
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Seine & Loing is a wooded area. Nearly one third of its territory is covered with oaks, beeches and other broadleaved trees, as well as Scots pines and maritime pines. It is home to the state-owned forests of Champagne, in the north, and Nanteau, in the south, and neighbours the famous Fontainebleau forest to the west. It is a paradise for outdoor leisure activities, offering a leafy green environment and plenty of fresh air, just three quarters of an hour outside of Paris.
Whether you want to contemplate nature with a walk, a nature study outing, or a spot of Shinrin-yoku ( Japanese “forest bathing”), or prefer a sporty option with rock climbing, horse-riding or bike-riding, answer the call of the forest!
This vast forest, covering more than 20,000 hectares,
Forêt d’Exception® certification.
A former hunting ground for the kings of France, particularly Francis I, this rich forest was a source of wood for timber and heating, as well as sandstone.
Famous around the world, Fontainebleau forest has inspired many painters (such as Corot, Millet and Renoir), writers and poets (including Victor Hugo and George Sand), who have been drawn to its evocatively shaped rock formations, lights and varied ambiances. At the instigation of such artists, particularly the Barbizon school of painters and, later, Rosa Bonheur, certain parts of the forest, designated as ‘sanctuaires de la nature’ (sanctuaries of nature), escaped the usual rules of exploitation (hardwood logging and sandstone extraction). This “art reserve” would become the world’s very first nature reserve.
Attracting many visitors (more than 17 million people a year), the forest has a network of more than 1000 kilometres of signposted paths, routes and alleys, which are very popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders. As a cradle of mountaineering, it is also a popular site for rock climbing.
This exceptional forest is in the running to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
GUIDES AND MAPS
At the Tourist Office’s shop, you will find the ‘Guide des sentiers de promenades dans le massif forestier de Fontainebleau’, an essential guide to the paths crisscrossing the largest stateowned forest in Île-de- France, as well as a map of the forest published by the French National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information (IGN). Other IGN maps are also available at the Tourist Office’s shop.
It’s easy to get from Fontainebleau to Moret-sur- Loing or vice versa via the paths in Fontainebleau forest (about a 12 km walk).
This is the place to come to learn all about this exceptional forest and its residents.
The centre is located next to the Gorges of Franchard, a major tourist attraction in Fontainebleau forest, just a few kilometres from Moret Seine & Loing.
Run by the association La réserve de biosphère de Fontainebleau et du Gâtinais, it welcomes visitors and organises nature outings, exhibitions and awareness-raising actions, particularly aimed at children. It is open to the public from mid-
April to mid-October, Wednesday to Saturday inclusive, as well as on all public holidays (including extended weekends), from
10 am to 6 pm.
Activities
every Saturday.
Centre d’écotourisme de Franchard,
Route de l’Ermitage, 77300 Fontainebleau
01 60 70 65 57, contact@biospherefontainebleau-gatinais.fr
biosphere-ecotourisme.com
Facebook : biosphere.gatinais
Among the 16 loop trails included in the Moret Seine& Loing hiking route map, four will take you on a discovery tour of the three forests in our territory :
Free map available on request at the Tourist Office and details of routes accessible online on this very page
ROCK CLIMBING
Offering alternatives to the busiest spots in Fontainebleau, Seine& Loing has three climbing sites that are listed by the Fédération française de la montagne et de l’escalade (French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing):
To find out more and access the sites, contact the Tourist Office.
Fact sheets are available at the federation website: ffme.fr
FOREST THERAPY
We know intuitively that immersing ourselves in nature, in the woods, surrounded by trees and plants, is good for us. Teams of Japanese scientists have demonstrated that woods have a positive effect on stress, insomnia and even conditions such as arthritis and high blood pressure.
A forest therapy guide offers forest bathing courses in the forests of Fontainebleau and Nanteau, for individuals or families, to recharge your batteries and enjoy an extraordinary experience in close contact with trees.
A WALK WITH LLAMAS
To discover the forest in a different way and experience a unique adventure, book a 1 to 1½-hour walk guided by Caramel, Mikado and Nougat, three sweet llamas kept the association Rando Lamas. Accessible for all.
Price: 40€ for 1 hour for a group between 1 and 5 people and 50€ for 1h30 for a group between 1 and 5 people and 5€ per additional person
the money collected helps the association cover the costs of looking after their llamas.
06 65 50 89 75
contact@randolamas.fr
www.randolamas.fr
With its famous sandstone rocks, Fontainebleau forest, on the north-western edge of our territory, has long been a playground for mountaineering enthusiasts. Here, in the 1920s and 30s, ‘Les Bleausards’, a group of young Parisian mountain-climbers, unable to train on real mountains, would come here on Sundays to climb the forest’s rocks instead.
Not only did Les Bleausards create their own art of climbing, they were pioneers of unguided mountaineering and came up with many innovations and inventions, including climbing shoes!
All of Moret Seine & Loing Tourist Office team is at your disposal.