Covered walkways, churches and castles in the Epte Valley

A hike rich in heritage, in the heart of the Vexin region and on the border between Île-de-France and Normandy. Alternating between fields and woods and playing leapfrog with the River Epte, you will come across no fewer than two covered walkways, a Romanesque church, the ruins of a medieval castle and a more recent castle.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 252 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 251 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 138 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 29 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the church in Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (accessible via the D14 road between Pontoise and Rouen). There are three parking options:
- Rue Victor Hugo, at the foot of the church or on the small triangular square opposite (around 15 spaces).
- At the start of Rue de l'Ermitage, around 50 metres from the church, in a small car park (around 20 spaces) open from 8am to 8pm.
- At the end of Rue de l'Ermitage, 500 metres from the church, in the large car park (300 spaces) next to the community centre.

Yellow signposts

(S/E) With your back to the church, turn left onto the main street, which soon turns left. At the fork, turn right onto Rue Rouget de l'Isle (which is actually the street you have been following until now). Cross the Epte river and enter Les Bordeaux de Saint-Clair and the department of Eure.

(1) After the first houses, turn left onto Rue des Marais and stay on the tarmac road. After a series of brick houses on the right, at a place called La Papeterie, continue along a grassy path. Walk alongside a poplar grove on your left, then a fenced-in meadow on your right.

(2) At the corner of the meadow, turn right onto a farm track. Cross a small tarmac road (the platform of an old railway line), ignore a turn-off on the right and you will come out onto the D146. Cross the road and climb the steep slope on the path opposite. At the top of the hill, follow a small road on the left.

No signposts
TwoPR® trails marked in yellow pass at the foot of the castle: the one you have been following until now, which you leave momentarily, and one that starts a few metres further on. You will therefore come across a few yellow markers and crosses: ignore them and follow the map and the description of this section.

(3) At the fork that appears immediately, take the Côte de Guerlande on the right and continue until you reach a hiking sign. Then turn right at an acute angle and begin to circle the ruined castle (square tower on the left). At a fork, turn left and continue to the entrance of the castle with a view of the keep above. Continue and, at the fork, turn left again and descend. At the bottom, follow Rue des Lavandières to the right. After a few metres, you will rejoin thePR® trail that you followed at the start.

Yellow signposting

(4) Then turn right and, at the fork that immediately appears, follow the left-hand path (leaving the Chemin du Grand Repos on your right, which, as its name suggests, leads to the cemetery...). Leave Château-sur-Epte and continue south on a narrow road that slopes slightly downhill.

(5) At the corner of a small isolated house, leave the road and follow a grassy path roughly opposite, which runs alongside the house on your left and then a hedge. Climb gently between the fields (behind you on the right, you will see the cemetery chapel and the castle). Come out onto a road and follow it to the left.

(6) Leave the Saint-Ouen-Sainte-Beuve church in Berthenonville on your left (information sign) and then the town hall on your right, and descend steeply. At the bottom (war memorial), turn right. At number 16, follow Chemin du Miroir on the left. Climb up and enter a wood.

Yellow + blue signposting

(7) At the fork (signpost), take the path on the right uphill. Leave the woods and continue uphill between the fields (beautiful view of the Epte Valley behind you). At the top of the hill, continue along the edge of the woods on your left. Enter the woods and, at the fork that immediately appears, take the path on the right. Ignore a path coming from the left, leave the woods and go straight ahead along the edge of a field on your left.

Blue markings + "Allée couverte" sign

(8) At the corner of the field (signpost), turn right to enter the woods. Take the first path on the left. Go downhill, ignore the first path on the right and you will immediately come to a second intersection.

Signpost "Allée couverte"

Turn right and follow a good path that is mostly flat, leading to an information board and, on the right, to the Allée couverte d'Aveny.

(9) Retrace your steps.

Blue signpost

Back at the intersection, turn right and go downhill.

No signposts

(10) After about 100 metres, at a three-way junction, turn left onto a narrow path (ignore the blue signpost on the right). Head south-east on a slight downhill slope, alternating between narrow and wider sections, dense undergrowth and a few more open passages. The dotted line on the IGN map, which is supposed to cross our path, does not exist (or no longer exists). You will come out onto a farm track at the edge of a field.

Yellow markings

(11) Then turn right and follow the farm track downhill with a fenced meadow on your right. At the corner of the meadow and at the foot of an electricity pole, turn right onto a grassy path along the edge of a hedge. Turn left with the path and descend slightly. You will come out onto the D119 and follow it to the left. Cross the village on this road (beautiful houses) and come out onto the D146 at the corner of the Château d'Aveny.

(12) Then turn right and left to take a small road closed to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Cross the Epte river over an old paved bridge, then cross the greenway (old railway station on the right). Continue straight ahead (east) on the tarmac road and, before the first houses, turn left onto a gravel track with a fence on your right. At the end, turn right.

(13) At the T-junction, follow the road (D37) to the right, then take the first left, Rue des Fontaines. At the stop sign, turn right onto Chemin des Trois Marolles. Go up a steep paved road and pass a chicane. Continue uphill on a path, through the woods, then along the edge of the woods and finally between fields. Follow the woods on your left until you reach a crossroads.

Yellow + red and yellow markings

(14) At the crossroads, turn left (north-east) onto a farm track starting with a hedge on the left. At the end, follow a small road to the left for a few dozen metres and then turn right (north) onto another farm track at the edge of the woods. Shortly before a small road, leave the track and turn right onto a short passageway lined with stones. Cross the road and continue opposite (north-east) on a grassy path slightly downhill between the fields.

(15) At a fork, turn right onto level ground with a hedge on your left, then climb gently between the fields. At the T-junction (elevation 131), turn left (north) onto a slightly downhill farm track. Cross a small road and continue straight ahead on a slightly uphill farm track. Head north-northwest and ignore the paths branching off to the right. You will come out onto a road; follow it to the right for about 50 metres.

Yellow markings

(16) Before an electricity pole, turn left onto an agricultural track that climbs uphill. At the T-junction, turn left towards a reservoir.

(17) At the foot of the reservoir, turn right onto a stony track. Keep to the left, alongside a wood and then a fenced meadow. At the corner of a wood, ignore a path on the right and descend. Wind your way between fields and woods, leaving a second reservoir on your left and continuing between the fields. You will reach a road.

(18) Follow the road to the left, on the wide shoulder on the left-hand side. When the road turns right, leave it on the left and go down a one-way street (Rue Louis Pasteur). At the bottom, turn left (ignore the yellow arrow pointing to the right) and you will find the church of Clair-sur-Epte (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 38 m - Église Saint-Clair (Saint-Clair-sur-Epte)
  2. 1 : km 0.99 - alt. 37 m - The Bordeaux wines of Saint-Clair
  3. 2 : km 2.14 - alt. 34 m - T-junction
  4. 3 : km 2.46 - alt. 70 m - Château de Château-sur-Epte
  5. 4 : km 3.16 - alt. 75 m - Y-junction
  6. 5 : km 3.9 - alt. 48 m - La Briqueterie
  7. 6 : km 4.65 - alt. 55 m - Église Saint-Ouen (Berthenonville)
  8. 7 : km 5.03 - alt. 75 m - Fork in the woods
  9. 8 : km 5.82 - alt. 126 m - Corner of a field at the edge of the woods
  10. 9 : km 6.13 - alt. 121 m - Allée couverte d'Aveny
  11. 10 : km 6.41 - alt. 100 m - Three-way junction
  12. 11 : km 7.36 - alt. 90 m - Farm track at the edge of the woods
  13. 12 : km 8.31 - alt. 34 m - Aveny Castle - Epte (l')
  14. 13 : km 9.62 - alt. 39 m - Copierres
  15. 14 : km 10.51 - alt. 126 m - Crossroads
  16. 15 : km 12.15 - alt. 110 m - Fork
  17. 16 : km 14.42 - alt. 124 m - Fork
  18. 17 : km 14.95 - alt. 137 m - Reservoir
  19. 18 : km 16.85 - alt. 67 m - Route
  20. S/E : km 17.25 - alt. 38 m - Église Saint-Clair (Saint-Clair-sur-Epte)

Notes

Hiking boots are required. As much of the route is in open terrain, avoid the hottest days and times of the year in summer and take appropriate sun protection with you.

In Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (S/E): bar, bakery, mini-market.

Despite the installation of useful signposts on the sections between the fields, a 1:25,000 map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Variants:
- To avoid the section in dense undergrowth after the Allée Couverte d'Aveny - On returning from the covered alley, at the intersection, retrace your steps and go up to the left (blue markings) until you reach the field (8). Then turn right and follow the yellow markings, heading south-east along the edge of the field on your left and the edge of the woods on your right. Join the main route at the point (11).
- Shortcut from the Allée Couverte d'Aveny - At the fork (7), take the path on the right (yellow markings). Walk south-south-east through the woods on fairly flat ground. Turn south and climb slightly, finishing between fields and rejoining the main route at the point (11). This is about 1.5 km shorter.

Hike completed by the author on 14 May 2017.

Worth a visit

- Beautiful views of the Epte Valley, particularly between (5) and (8) and between (14) and (17).
- To the left of the church (S/E), there is a plaque commemorating the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911), which allowed the Normans to settle in Neustria (the region that became Normandy).
- Church of Notre-Dame de Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (11th-16th centuries) (S/E).
- Ruins of the Château d'Epte (11th-15th centuries), between (3) and (4).
- Saint-Ouen-Sainte-Beuve Church (16th-17th centuries) in Berthenonville (6).
- Covered alleyway in Aveny (9).
- Aveny Castle (12).
- Old bridge over the Epte, shortly after (12).
- Allée Couverte de Coppières, shortly after (14), on the left of the farm track. Located in the middle of a field, its accessibility depends on the season and the crops in place: please do not damage the crops on the pretext of going to see this monument.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 36 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 24407627

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first half of the hike was very enjoyable. The route was blocked just after the first covered walkway... Private property! We had to take a small detour, but it wasn't a big deal.
We took a shorter route, arriving halfway, and returned via the cycle path that runs alongside the Epte. Nice, but a bit long towards the end.

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HélèneGr
HélèneGr
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hike completed today in 4 hours.
Some paths (especially the first steep climb) are not very visible.
The first section is really very ugly (crossing Bordeaux-Saint-Clair to the greenway).
The restoration of the Château de Chateau-sur-Epte is worth a look, if only from the outside.
As mentioned in other reviews, after the covered walkway (9), don't waste time going down to (10) as access is now prohibited (private property). Go back up to (8) and follow the forest on your right to get back to (11).
There is little shade on this walk.
As many previous reviews have mentioned, it's clearly not the most beautiful in terms of scenery, but it's a nice way to spend a Sunday in the sunshine.

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Hallu
Hallu
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route, at least until the last third... Between Aveny and Buhy, the hike becomes rather unattractive, in the middle of the vast fields typical of the Vexin region, with no hedges or anything else. It might be pretty when the fields are green in May and the rapeseed is in bloom. But otherwise... Nothing to see. It's a shame, because between the castles, the views and the covered walkway in the first part, there's enough to make a much more interesting route. Perhaps by going via Montreuil sur Epte and Le Fayel. But the route takes us further east towards an almost desert-like area with no relief. A shame. In terms of time, it took me 3 hours and 45 minutes on my own. I think you should allow 4½ hours for a normal group.

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novomarqui
novomarqui

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very muddy path in the marshy area between points 1 and 2; the group had difficulty getting through. Between points 10 and 11, we had to negotiate large obstacles (tree trunks). On this section, avoid the path if there is a barrier in place, as this indicates that loggers are working. After point 15, the hike is not as interesting as the first part.
Overall, a beautiful hike with a picnic (for a small group) at the covered walkway at point 9.
Bus route from Cergy St Christophe to St Clair sur Epte.

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bpoirrier
bpoirrier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, hilly with beautiful landscapes.

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Pingpong
Pingpong

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very muddy section between 1 and 2 => take the greenway. At point 10: private property => after the covered lane, return to point 8 and take the PR to rejoin the route at 1.
the first part is quite nice until 15, where an area, probably set up by hunters, provides shelter for a break.
After point 15, the walk becomes a little less pleasant.
There were far too many hunters out that day.

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Lepontdav
Lepontdav

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Uninteresting hike over the last 7 kilometres. The start is interesting with villages and castles, but the last few kilometres are through fields, which quickly became tedious. We searched in vain for the covered alleyway at Coppières (14) without ever seeing it...

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doudou281
doudou281

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the hike was great, but the return through the fields was a bit difficult, though there was no other way around it

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Thesacados.org
Thesacados.org

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. Easy to follow with clear directions and perfect signage. Only one issue: after point 9, when we were returning along the same route, the path on the left was closed (private property). We had no choice but to go around. It seemed that the path was temporarily closed due to logging work (for how many days?).
Here's a short video of the hike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzP1TqIo...

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Erwan Pinsault
Erwan Pinsault
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start of the hike was great. However, out of 17 km, the last 7 km were just farm tracks, and the variety at the start gave way to endless fields.

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hauteluce
hauteluce

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty views of the Vexin countryside and beautiful churches. We recommend it!

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FREROU78
FREROU78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike under the February sun. Very pretty views of the Epte valley, the ruins of the castle at Chateau sur Epte, the covered walkway and the castle at Aveny. The first part is more interesting, the second part is a bit more monotonous.
But the group was delighted.
There is a butcher's and a small grocery store open on Sundays (for those who didn't think to bring a picnic).
The route is fairly exposed, so it should be avoided in hot weather for those who are sensitive to the heat.

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evdams
evdams

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and interesting hike up to number 15. The second part, long straight paths through fields, is rather monotonous.
The second covered walkway (Coppières) is not visible as it is in the middle of a cultivated field

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FEUILLARD
FEUILLARD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike. We were able to discover a rich and varied heritage.
We'll be back...👍😍🥾
Thanks, Netra

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ChrisPaq
ChrisPaq

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, very well signposted. The first part is more focused on heritage, while the second part is more rural.
A very enjoyable experience

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