Arc Boisé in eastern Paris

Start from Boissy-Saint-Léger station (RER A).

(S) Turn left as you leave the station onto Boulevard de la Gare. Cross the D19 with care and first turn left then right to join Rue de Paris, which climbs gently. After the climb, continue along Rue de Paris through the old part of the village until you cross the D136 (Rue de Valenton).

(1) Continue straight ahead along Allée de la Princesse (yellow and red markings) until you reach a gate.

(2) Go through the entrance gate to the Gros-Bois forest. Once inside, turn left (yellow markings). A little further on, turn right onto the dirt track known as Allée du Clocher.

White and red markings

Cross the Allée du Lapin.

(3) You’ll come to a tarmac road; follow it to the left. Ignore a path on the left, then turn left. At the next junction, go straight on.

(4) At the end, follow a road to the right. Pass a car park on the left and reach the Maison Forestière des Bruyères.

(5) Turn left and pass under the high-voltage power lines towards the houses. Turn right after the first row of houses, following Rue de Marolles. Go straight on. Just after a barrier, turn onto the path on the left and head towards a crossroads with tables.

(6) Take the^second path on the right, following the^GR®14(red and white markings). Join a wider path, follow it to the right and walk past a riding school.

(7) Continue straight on, crossing the road and following Allée de Villemenon. About a hundred metres past a gate, turn left into a lane. Go round a small pond on the left and you’ll soon reach a junction.

(8) Then turn right onto a path that winds its way under the trees. This path is quite damp, and you’ll need to step aside from time to time to keep your feet dry. Continue until you pass a pond on the left, and arrive at a large tree stump.

(9) Turn left. At the next junction, turn right. Go straight on until you reach a lovely stony path (the Chemin du Vieux Pavé de Paris). Then turn left and you’ll soon reach the Petite Three-Way Junction.

(10) Turn right. Cross the stony path and take the inconspicuous track opposite that leads into the forest. After about 400 m, turn left. Join the Chemin du Vieux Pavé de Paris and follow it to the right.

(11) Take the^first path on the left and walk past two majestic oak trees. Continue straight on until you reach the Étoile Dauphine (a large crossroads with signposts and benches).

(12) Turn right, following the red and white markings (discreet...). Continue straight on (wet patches) until you reach a gate blocking access to the Château de Maison Blanche.

No markings

(13) Take the^second path on the left and leave the red and white markings. Follow a wire fence for 400 m. Continue straight on for 200 m, following yellow markings.

Marked sections

(14) Turn right onto a path under the trees, rejoining the red and white markings. At the end, follow a lovely lane to the right. After 500 m, follow the lane as it turns left.

(15) At a clearing, turn left onto a path that soon becomes a track (the Allée Verte). Continue straight ahead (north). Cross the Allée Royale and continue straight ahead.

(16) Take the^first path on the left (marked in red and white). At the next junction, turn right. At the next junction, turn left. At the end of the path, take the first turn left then right to head west-south-west.

(17) At the end, turn left. At the next junction (elevation 104), follow the Chemin des Grands Clos to the right (carefully follow the yellow markings throughout this section of the route). You will come to a wire fence at the moat of the Château des Marmousets. Go round the castle on the left, following the fence until you reach a large car park.

(18) Turn left onto a lovely lane, the Chemin Noir. At the Carrefour Royal, take the^second right, the Allée Royale. Continue straight on to the large Carrefour des Huit Routes (signs and benches).

(19) Take the^third right, the Route Dauphine. After about 1.5 km, pass a pond on the right and turn left onto the lane which becomes the Allée Blanche. After about 1 km, the lane turns right and joins a crossroads with benches.

(20) Follow the red and white markings again, continuing straight ahead.

(21) On leaving the forest, cross the D136 (at the pedestrian crossing) then turn right into the park, following the red and white markings. Follow a very long green corridor, which descends gently between the houses alongside a stream.

(22) At the very end of the green corridor, turn left onto the road, then right (towards the Ormesson sign). Follow the road until you see the sign for Parc du Morbras. Then leave the road on the left.

(23) After about fifty metres, turn left again, pass a leisure centre on your right and enter Parc du Morbras. Walk the length of Parc du Morbras. There are few signposts in the park, but the main path is easily recognisable.

(24) At the park exit, go down the path on the left to cross a river and reach a car park. Then take a sharp right-hand bend. Next, turn left into Rue Thiers (no sign at this point). This street climbs gently whilst curving to the right. At the very end of the street, turn left and you will reach a junction.

(25) Continue straight ahead along Rue Jean Moulin (D229). Take the^second left onto Rue des Champs Saint-Denis. This leads onto Rue de Champigny; follow it to the left. Cross Rue Villebois-Mareuil and continue straight on to Sucy-Bonneuil station (E).

This walk covers two of the three forests that make up the Arc Boisé forest complex; https://www.tourisme-valdemarne.com/patr...
A lovely map is provided by the Friends of the Notre-Dame Forest association: http://amisforet.notredame.free.fr/sorti...
Red-and-white markings from point (1) (barely visible until you reach the Gros-Bois forest) to point (13). Then from point (14) to point . And from point (20) to point (24).
Yellow markings from point (13) to point (14).
(In July 2021, in the Notre-Dame forest, some bare posts appeared to be awaiting directional signs: to be confirmed...)

For those wishing to take a shorter walk, two shortcuts are available:

• From point (8), continuing straight along the main path (Chemin du Parc aux Boeufs), you reach point (19) directly.
• From point (12), by taking the Allée Dauphine on the left, you also reach point (19).

And for those who wish to go further, you can access the eastern part of the Notre-Dame forest by taking.
Finally, starting from point (24), I have indicated the quickest route to the finish, but you can also follow the red-and-white markings.

There are educational displays: information boards about the forest, etc...
And shortly after point (18), on the left, there is an educational pond.
In the valley, you may come across cows grazing.
Finally, Morbras Park, at the end of the walk, is a very beautiful spot.
There are no water points, toilets or bins in the forests.