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Park in the paid car park at Villiers-Neauphle-Ponchartrain station (see conditions in the Practical Information section).
To access the station, see the timetables in the same section.
(S/E) From the station, take the underground passage to the paid car park on Rue de la Gare, the starting point for the walk. Walk to the end of Rue de la Gare.
(1) Turn right at the level crossing and start climbing Rue Charles-de-Gaulle on the right-hand pavement. When you reach the roundabout on the right, note the statue of the Virgin Mary on your right, which gives the street its name. Cross the roundabout and continue along Rue Charles de Gaulle.
(2) Under the porch on the right is the farmyard, which serves the church of Villiers Saint Frédéric, the former town hall (now the media library) and the cemetery. At the next roundabout, take Rue des Bois on the right and immediately after, take the small path on the left (Sentier des ruelles). At the end, turn right onto Rue de la Source for 20 metres, then left onto Rue des Bois for another 20 metres.
(3) Take Chemin des Forceries on the left (Mare des Forceries) for 800 metres with the Bois de Villiers on your right. At the edge of the woods, a path comes in from the right. Continue for another 200 metres with a black wire mesh fence on your left until you reach the next intersection.
(4) Take the path that climbs slightly to the right; ignore a path on the left after 100 metres and continue straight ahead until you reach a junction with a road (Rue de la Croix Bagot). Cross carefully and take the grassy path opposite; after a few hundred metres, this path runs alongside a street separated by a row of shrubs. Stay on this grassy path, walking along the fields on your left, for about 2 km. The grassy path ends at the intersection of Rue Michel Ange and Avenue Paul Albert Bartholome.
(5) Cross Rue Michel Ange and continue in the same direction on the pavement of Rue du Clos. Cross the next roundabout to stay on the same street; continue straight ahead and you will reach Rue René Bazin opposite after crossing the intersection.
Continue straight ahead on this street until the next intersection with Rue Albert Calmette. Cross this street and continue for 50 metres.
(6) Turn right onto the path through the park, which runs alongside a stream on the left and a few gardens on the right.
(7) When you reach the covered market in Plaisir, cross the square, keeping to the left. At the end of the square, turn right to find yourself in front of Plaisir Town Hall.
(8) Walk up Rue de la République on the left, admiring Parc de Bouclos on the left.
(9) Head opposite towards Saint-Pierre Church and walk to the right of the church car park to enter the castle grounds through a gate located almost at the end. Take the central path that runs alongside a canal on the right, towards Plaisir Castle.
(10) Go around the château on the left, skirting the ponds. Take the next tree-lined path on the left, which climbs steeply after about 300 metres. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left, until you reach the park entrance gate.
(11) Cross the road and take the dirt track opposite, which leads into the woods.
(12) After 75 metres, take a path on the right, which crosses several ditches before arriving at a straight stretch of a few hundred metres leading to a forest barrier. Go through the forest barrier and cross the road with caution, as this is a fast road with poor visibility for motorists. Take the path opposite, which veers to the right, to reach the Route de Plaisir path.
(13) Turn left and continue along the wider, stony path that leads into the woods.
(14) At the intersection of several paths, leave the main road on the right and take the path slightly to the right that leads into the forest. Plot 26 is marked on the trees at the entrance to this part of the forest. After a few hundred metres, the path descends steeply and then gradually climbs again on the opposite side. Continue straight ahead until you reach the first signpost.
(15) Head straight ahead towards Carrefour de la Table Ronde; 50 metres before you reach Table Ronde, there is a plaque on the left indicating the location of the former Chapel of Sainte-Apolline. Only the avenue of lime trees remains today. Continue straight ahead until you reach the next intersection.
(16) Turn right. The path is wider and stony. This section is clear on both the right and left for 100 metres. Continue straight ahead, following the path and crossing a few intersections to reach the exit of the Bois de Sainte-Apolline at the roundabout.
(17) Turn right towards Neauphle-le-Château, staying on the footpath. At the next roundabout, take Rue Saint-Martin on the left. Keep left to arrive at Place du Marché in Neauphle-le-Château. Continue straight on Grande Rue, which begins the descent towards Villiers Saint-Frédéric. Admire the view of the valley. At the traffic lights, cross Route de Saint-Germain and begin the descent.
(18) After 100 metres, take the road downhill on the right (Rue des 2 Neauphles). Follow this road to the end, crossing several intersections. At the end of the road, turn right onto Rue de la Gare. The station car park is 100 metres up the road (S/E).
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Difficult 
Easy 
