Aulnay-sur-Mauldre - Velannes - La Villeneuve loop

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This route follows part ofthe GR®26 trailon the plateau above the Mauldre.

Details

n°30245
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.57 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 83 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 84 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 142 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 97 m
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Photos

Aulnay sur Mauldre. The church
La Villeneuve. Wash house
Orchard
Mézerolles Wood

Description of the walk

Park your car in Aulnay-sur-Mauldre (Yvelines), at the top of the Cul Froid hill. It must be quite cool there often! Don't hesitate to drive along the path beyond the tarmac. The path is perfectly passable.

(S/E) Once you have left your car, continue on foot up the hill to the plateau.

(1) Turn right towards the large Mare Malaise farm, which you will see as soon as you reach the plateau. Pass the farm and continue straight on towards Velannes (commune of Epône). Join the D139 junction.

(2) Cross over and take Chemin du Patis opposite. Turn right, then left and leave theGR®26for the moment, continuing straight ahead. Pass close to the reservoir and the associated pylon.

(3) Rejoin theGR®26at La Villeneuve (commune of Mézières) and turn left.

(4) At one point, the path splits in two. Take the left-hand path that leads into the forest.
If it has rained in the previous days, the path may be very muddy.

(5) After about 800 metres, turn left. Continue heading south-east, ignoring the paths branching off to the left and right.
After a while, the forest becomes lighter. You are approaching La Folie. Don't worry, it's just the name of this hamlet.

(6) At the underground reservoir, turn left onto the tarmac road, then right onto the path through the forest.
Cross the D130 (take care) towards the Canada campsite. Follow the path that continues along the tarmac road.

(7) Shortly afterwards, temporarily leave theGR®26by going straight ahead instead of turning left as the signposts would suggest.
This will take you back to the fields and a pretty grassy path.

(8) Take the first path on the left. This will lead you to theGR®26, which you will rejoin after 1 km.

(9) Turn right onto it. On the right, you will see the Bois-Henry farm, which is a cereal research centre. Continue straight ahead in an east-northeast direction.

(1) Continue straight ahead to return to your car. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 98 m - Parking on the Cul Froid hillside
  2. 1 : km 0.2 - alt. 114 m - Plateau - crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 2.55 - alt. 111 m - D139 - opposite
  4. 3 : km 3.66 - alt. 130 m - GR26 junction - on the left
  5. 4 : km 5.14 - alt. 142 m - Fourche, on the left
  6. 5 : km 5.68 - alt. 133 m - Crossroads, on the left
  7. 6 : km 7.56 - alt. 123 m - La Folie
  8. 7 : km 8.83 - alt. 107 m - Junction, straight ahead
  9. 8 : km 9.56 - alt. 128 m - Path on the left towards the Boisset hills
  10. 9 : km 10.49 - alt. 129 m - GR junction, on the right
  11. S/E : km 12.56 - alt. 97 m - Parking on the Cul Froid hillside

Worth a visit

After the hike, once you've picked up your car, you can drive along the Mauldre from Aulnay-sur-Mauldre to Mareil-sur-Mauldre, passing through Maule.
Things to see:
In Maule, visit the excellent chocolatier Colas, famous throughout the region.
In Montainville, you can visit the tomb of the actor Bourvil and have lunch or dinner at the Auberge de Montainville, a very good place to eat.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 20 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
JFObama
JFObama

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike that is accessible even after heavy rain.
Watch out for hunters. Buggy drivers were a little too fast and noisy that day.

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Gedeon3
Gedeon3

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good circuit, not very busy.
A good wooded section.

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agrio
agrio

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

a pleasant and easy hike through fields and forests. Nothing particularly interesting, no pretty villages or scenic viewpoints.
Thank you anyway for this suggestion

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SylvieLBJ
SylvieLBJ

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route to take in spring, surrounded by fields of grain and poppies. A very easy route, especially if you park at the top of the hill.

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LYBETH
LYBETH

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A 14 km hike in 3 hours at a brisk pace (starting from the church for simplicity's sake)
In my opinion, there are a few errors
at point 2, you leave the GR26 to go straight ahead, and that is where you pass near the reservoir and the associated pylon
then point 3: we rejoin the GR 26 at La Villeneuve and turn left
Point 9: we looked for it and found the GR26, BUT you have to turn left and then immediately right.
Luckily, the Bois Henry farm was there on our left to show us that we had made a mistake!
thank you for this lovely walk
Lybeth

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nine78200
nine78200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

It's always interesting to discover new landscapes near Mantes. The distances aren't very accurate if you start from the town centre.
I posted more than 16 kilometres. Dry ground is essential for this route, which is not that easy. I discovered the great Canada campsite, which makes you want to go on holiday.

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lolo92140
lolo92140

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very quiet trail, half fields, half forest. My GPS shows a distance of 17 km. It's true that in the woods, the path can be muddy, but at this time of year (summer), it's passable.

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ovil
ovil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I started the day with the "Le Bois du Domaine et le Ru de la Rouase" circuit. I reached Aulnay via the GR26 trail, then climbed the Cul Froid hill to return to the starting point of this hike.
It wasn't an easy hike after 10 km, with the climb up Cul Froid and the often muddy paths.
Beautiful landscapes and pleasant villages.

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jms78
jms78

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Short hike on quiet paths, but often very muddy in the undergrowth. Best done in good weather.

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yann92
yann92

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Not a bad walk, but nothing special.
Thanks to its author

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HAMEL-MARIE
HAMEL-MARIE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Notice already given on 30 May (see second notice below)

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Tataio
Tataio

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

https://www.visorando.com/images/smileys/...

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HAMEL-MARIE
HAMEL-MARIE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike on a warm Sunday afternoon, the forest sections were enjoyable.
To park your car, it is best to stay at the bottom of the road, as the road is in poor condition towards the upper plateau (we do not have a 4x4).

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Tataio
Tataio

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

perfect when it's hot

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ncarradec
ncarradec

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

nice route. Through woods and fields. Very sunny, but windy. Muddy in the fields.
easy to get lost on the route
- you have to be careful after La Villeneuve: you walk for about 1 km and the obvious path branches off to the right, while the GR trail enters the forest on the left, forming a fork. The markings are only visible once you are in the forest.

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