Around the Motte Féodale in Chaumont-en-Vexin

Park in the square near the Town Hall.

(S/E) From the Town Hall courtyard, you can visit the Palaeontology Museum, which houses the Raymond Pillon collections.
Turn right, passing in front of the war memorial. Continue for 100 metres, passing in front of the old post office.

(1) Before turning right onto Passage Damiens, admire the Church of Saint Jean-Baptiste, which dominates the square. Follow the schoolchildren's path alongside the Upper Troesne. At the end of this path, turn left twice, then right after the stream to reach the area once occupied by marshes. Cross this green space to reach the footbridge over the Marquemont Canal, which was dug and completed around 1830 to drain the marshes.

(2) Continue beyond the footbridge to walk along the gardens on either side.

(3) Halfway along on your left, you will see the only remaining wash house on the Troesne, which has been beautifully restored. At the fork that follows, continue to the Loconville road.

(4) Cross at the pedestrian crossing and take the path that runs alongside the Ru du Moulinet. Follow it until you reach the wall surrounding the castle, which dates back to the 12th century.

(5) To see the castle, turn right to go around it and go to the gate that opens onto the pretty façade. The restaurant terrace is open for lunch or just a drink. Take a look at the magnificent dovecote that stands in the middle of the adjoining farmyard.

(6) Retracing your steps slightly, go around the castle car parks to follow the Ru du Moulinet again. You will come back to the gate topped with capitals, which you passed through on the way there, opening into the stone wall where a French observation plane, a Bloch 174, crashed in 1940 after running out of fuel. The three occupants escaped without serious injury.

(4) Cross the road again and turn right onto the footpath, then 50 metres further on, turn left onto Rue du Moulinet. At the end of this street, take the street on the left, walk 100 metres and turn left onto Rue du Préville. At the end, take the path on the right, in the opposite direction to the way you came.

(3) Pass by the wash house you walked past earlier and continue towards the footbridge.

(2) 30 metres before the footbridge, turn right onto a small path that crosses the allotments. As soon as you enter, you will step onto large flat stones that serve as a bridge over one of the drains that carry water to the Marquemont Canal. 100 metres further on, other flat stones form a bridge over the Ru du Moulinet, which flows through a concrete pipe above the canal to join the Troesne, which runs behind the schools before being channelled under the Place de la Foulerie, where you turn left. As you leave this path, admire the plane tree, classified as a remarkable tree, planted around 1800 by the gardener of the Château de Rebetz. Continue along the small Ruelle de la Foulerie, which will take you to Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville.

(7) Turn right, then, 50 metres further on, turn left onto Place du Marché, opposite the bailiwick, where exhibitions are regularly held. Then walk up to the Church of Saint Jean-Baptiste, remarkable for its architecture (16th-century flamboyant Gothic style) and its stained-glass windows, some of which are original. Take the time to stroll around the choir to admire them. After your visit, walk around the church to see the view of the town and its private courtyards, at the end of which flows a branch of the canalised Troesne river. Then climb the second set of steps.

(8) At the top, after admiring our beautiful church, take the path in front of you for about a hundred metres before entering the area where, at the height of feudalism, a fortress was built in the 10th century to defend against Anglo-Norman invasions. Surrounded by a brick wall, all that remains of the history of this place is a chapel that houses the descendants of the Counts of Chaumont (secure access prohibited). With your back to the chapel, admire the view of the French Vexin lands facing those of the Norman Vexin under the protection of Gisors Castle. Finish walking around the chapel and leave the feudal mound by taking the path on the right that leads to the Laillerie district.

(9) At the bottom of this path, turn right to reach the house of the Sisters of the Congregation of Compassion. Enter the courtyard and head towards the small chapel, which contains remains dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. Through a door at the back of the chapel, you can access the cemetery where the tombs of the Sisters of Compassion and donors are located. Exit onto Rue de Laillerie and turn left. At the end of this street, turn right onto Rue du Jard. At the top of this street, turn right onto the path known as "de la Fontaine Salée".

(10). After the antenna and the tennis court, turn right to reach the church forecourt.

(8) Go down the car park and the steps of the presbytery. Then go down to Place du Marché, where you will turn right onto Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville.

(7) Continue straight ahead along Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville to return to the town hall courtyard (S/E).

The climb to the church and its extension to the top of the feudal mound has more than 100 steps. (not too difficult)
Please respect the Motte Féodale site and do not enter the chapel, which is equipped with an environmental alarm system.
The path down to the Laillerie district can be slippery in wet weather, so wear sturdy footwear.

(S/E) To visit the Palaeontology Museum containing Raymond Pillon's collections, please make an appointment in advance at the town hall.
Enjoy a drink on the terrace of Rebetz Castle.
Visit an exhibition at the bailiwick; see the town hall website.
Visit the Church of Saint Jean-Baptiste.
Visit the Chapel of the Sisters of Compassion in Laillerie and its cemetery dedicated to the sisters who stayed there.