Easy hikes and walks in Forêt Domaniale De Barbeau

Super gravel trail among the trees and along the Seine, very beautiful in the sun

Footbridge which provides access to the Cradle Island from lower Bréau.

This villa became a historic monument in 2002.

Samois was not on Thibaut de Champagne's itinerary. It seemed useful to me to leave this village to have a view of the hillside opposite Héricy-Vulaines-Samorau. We regret that the old Roman bridge between Samois-sur-Seine and Héricy no longer exists, Louis XVIII decides to rebuild one, between these two communes. Built from wood provided by the surrounding forests, its location further upstream of the village, near Samoreau, is more favorable thanks to a narrowing of the Seine. In 1811 work began, but it was only in 1825 that the first Valvins bridge was inaugurated. To be more solid and adapted to modern life, in 1866 the bridge was rebuilt as a metal structure. After the Second World War, the bridge, completely destroyed by the German army, was entirely rebuilt in reinforced concrete, wider and asphalted, to facilitate the ever-increasing traffic] (Wikipedia has shortened the history of this bridge: The army American having crossed the Seine on a boat bridge, a temporary bridge in metal structure with wooden floor then bitumen was rebuilt to replace the one destroyed by the Germans. The current concrete bridge dates from 1977). The plateau of La Brosse and Fontaineroux, which is part of the commune, has been inhabited since the Neolithic period but the village of Héricy has its origins in the warehouses built by the Senon nautes, opposite the port of Samois-sur-Seine, the most important between Sens and Lutetia. Under Louis between Melun and Montereau-Fault-Yonne. It has been said to be Roman, but in 1177 it was already there, flanked by its mills. It was probably in the 14th century that it was equipped with towers and that the city was surrounded by walls and moats. With its large fortified gates to the south and north, Héricy then had the title of town. She suffered greatly from the Hundred Years' War. There were battles there several times and it was occupied from 1419 to 1430. The first written mention of the name is villa Velcina. This refers to “villa”, a large farm with farm buildings. The villa is a Roman creation whose name was given to later foundations (from the 6th to the 12th century). In relation to the other surrounding villages or hamlets, Samoreau, Héricy and La Brosse in the 12th century and even Fontaineroux in 1279. All this means that a large Gallo-Roman or Merovingian property may have existed on the site of the village. Samoreau was already occupied during the Neolithic period: numerous cut flints (chisels, scrapers, drills, saws, etc.) testify that peoples were “attracted there by the river where they found both the water necessary for their needs and fish in these waters, game on these banks, finally the very raw material of their weapons and their tools, the precious flint. » In 1177 the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés acquired part of the village territory. In 1520 François I bought the hillsides where he built the Château des Pressoirs du Roy. From 1592 to 1597, Henri IV stayed at the Pressoirs du Roy in the company of the beautiful Gabrielle d’Estrées. In 1679 the royal water coach was created between Paris and Valvins (the village closest to Samoreau, on the banks of the Seine).

This forest path along the Seine is very pleasant. There are shaded segments and more open parts that offer great views of the river.

A pond affected by drought.

Ideal for the picnic under shelter.

rather rare trees in the Paris region frequent in Louisiana. Do well in wet and marshy ground. Its wood is reputed to be rot-proof. Its brick red foliage is magnificent in autumn. It can live up to 1000 years