WALKING & RIDING

Sandy tracks wind through the forest, winding past sandstone outcrops, mossy clearings, and sandy paths that seem to go on forever. You will not cross a road. You can set out for a short loop and be back in time for lunch, or walk for hours without seeing a road or the same path twice. One of the most rewarding routes takes you to Barbizon, the village that drew the Impressionists to paint in the open air.

Horse-riding is another option, Stables ten minutes away on foot rent horses and ponies, giving you the chance to explore the forest at a slower rhythm, with hoofbeats muffled by pine needles. A thoroughbred is stabled on the property itself, though the stables are private, so the nearby school is the place to go if you want to ride. Whether on foot or horseback, the forest opens up in unexpected ways: ridges with views across the trees, sudden clearings, and the sense of being far from the city even though Paris is only forty minutes away.