Circular route in the French Vexin region starting from Valmondois

A lovely walk through three different types of landscape: the Sausseron valley, cultivated plateaus (with beautiful unobstructed views over the rolling hills of the Vexin), and varied woodlands, mainly comprising chestnut, beech and birch groves, with a few oaks, and, in the valley, poplar groves. Two exceptional points of interest: Saint-Symphorien Church and the Tour du Lay stone polishing site. Not to mention the many old mills on the Sausseron, beautiful country houses, and interesting stone crosses along the paths.
As for famous figures, the village honours (with a villa and bust) Honoré Daumier, the great caricaturist who died in Valmondois in 1879. Another, more contemporary artist has donated a series of sculptures on permanent display in Michel Charpentier’s Sculpture Garden.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 20.51 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 210 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 208 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 135 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 25 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the station car park.

(S/E) Walk past the station on your right, reach Avenue de la Gare and follow it, turning left. Turn left immediately opposite the Café de la Gare, then left again at the first junction. Walk for about 150 m.

(1) Turn right onto the footpath (yellow markings) which follows the route of the old Valmondois to Marines railway line. Cross Rue de Parmain (D4), continue straight ahead, then go under a bridge.

(2) Cross the Grande Rue at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead for about 300 m, ignoring the path on the right, which will be the route back.

(3) When you see the church’s distinctive bell tower, take the street branching off to the left, called Chemin du Moulin sous l’Église. Opposite, on the right, you’ll see the Moulin sous l’Église, a pretty building set within a lovely estate. Admire the church and continue to the right until you reach the town hall. Then turn right into the car park next to it. Follow a path to the lane running alongside the Sausseron, which you take on the left and where you will immediately find the Villa Daumier (Honoré Daumier died in Valmondois in 1879).

(4) At the junction, continue straight ahead along the street which becomes a lane and runs parallel to the Grande Rue (D151), then veers off to cross Rue Dorée and heads straight on to Rue Léon Bernard.

(5) Turn right towards the Maison de la Meunerie, housed in the Double Moulin de la Naze, on the Cours du Sausseron.

(6) Return to the crossroads.

(5) Continue to the right towards the north-west. On the way, on the right, you can admire the beautiful Vieux Moulin, unfortunately set at the back of a large estate and the headquarters of a company: it is difficult to get close to it. Continue until you reach the D151.

(7) Leave the footpath (former railway line), turn left onto the D151 for a few dozen metres, then immediately take the tarmac track leading uphill to the right, called Chemin de la Vallée Qué. This track curves to the right, then turns left to emerge from the woods into the farmland on the plateau.

(8) At the crossroads opposite a barn, turn right, heading due north. Follow this path along the edge of the plateau, with some lovely views, until it descends towards Nesles-la-Vallée. You’ll come out onto Route de Chenival, which you follow to the left for about 500 m.

(9) Turn right onto the small lane/path, then left at the first junction to join Rue de Pontoise. Turn right and, after crossing the Sausseron bridge (with a wash house on the right), turn left into Rue Jules Cardon and continue to the town hall, then the beautiful Saint-Symphorien Church. Just before you arrive, admire the lovely Ferme du Colombier on the left, with its distinctive tower, possibly a former dovecote.

(10) Continue along Rue Pierre Pilon, which passes in front of the church porch, then turn right onto Rue Thiébault. Pass an old mill and its leat on the left. Continue until you reach the D151, turn left and cross as soon as possible.

(11) As soon as the road begins to descend, and before it bends to the left, take the path that shoots off to the right, called Chemin du Val Millon. Join the path that passes in front of the tennis club and continues through the fields. Pass under four high-voltage power lines, then enter the forest.

(12) You will soon spot a path, marked by a wooden post, which climbs up to the left, clearly signposted in yellow: leave the track to take this path. Follow it through the forest, often between two barbed-wire fences, until you reach the edge of some farmland and a path which you take on the right. At the next junction, turn left (signposted “Polissoir”). Follow Chemin du Val de Nesles until you reach a junction signposted “Polissoir” and “Layon de la Bécasse”.

(13) Turn left, and after less than 200 m, you will reach the “Polissoir”, which is clearly signposted and preceded by a path lined with large stones.

(14) Return to the previous crossroads, known as Bois Brûlé.

(13) Continue straight ahead, turn left at the next crossroads, then right. Leave the forest, heading due south, and pass under the high-voltage power lines again.

(15) Turn right onto Chemin des Moutons, which is lined with a telephone line. After 300 m, turn onto the path on the left which curves sharply round the last fence. Continue for about 500 m until the path turns left at a right angle.

(16) Continue straight ahead on the track that forms part of theGR® 1 and quickly becomes a footpath. Once at the bottom of the valley, you’ll come out onto a farm track which you take to the left. Walk along the back of a large campsite (fence) before reaching a right-angle bend to the right marked by a stone cross.

(17) Take the path that climbs almost directly opposite, to the left of this cross. Emerge from the woods onto the plateau and cross the fields. Go straight on at the Croix des Friches crossroads, which is, however, worth a look. Continue gently uphill to a crossroads, practically on the ridge line.

(18) Turn right and head slightly uphill to the D64, which you cross with care at a hilltop (elevation 110). Descend steadily straight ahead, cross a section through the woods before reaching the cultivated fields again. You’ll arrive at a good stony path.

(19) Cross the road and head straight on, to the left of the iron cross mounted on a stone pillar, perhaps in memory of Louis Aubert: 1876–19... ? Continue along this path until you reach the first houses and a junction of tarmac roads.

(20) Turn left onto Chemin des Vallées. Pass the first road on the right which crosses the Sausseron, and take the second one which brings you back to the old railway line.

(4) Turn left, pass Villa Daumier again, and shortly afterwards, on the left, pass Michel Charpentier’s Sculpture Garden.

(3) Continue straight on and turn left onto a path that starts just after a small ditch. Cross the Sausseron, turn right and come out onto Rue d’Orgivaux. Go straight on, then turn left at the crossroads. Pass under the arch of the bridge linking Château d'Orgivaux (unfortunately closed) to the garden on the hillside on the other side of the road, and arrive at the junction with the D4, where there is fairly heavy traffic.

(21) Take the road almost opposite, which runs to the right of a building that must be a former mill (with a leat at its base). Walk alongside the poplar groves and arrive at the station car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 28 m - Station car park
  2. 1 : km 0.36 - alt. 27 m - Junction onto a footpath
  3. 2 : km 1.14 - alt. 29 m - Grande Rue
  4. 3 : km 1.4 - alt. 28 m - Chemin du Moulin beneath the church
  5. 4 : km 1.92 - alt. 31 m - Junction of the circular loop
  6. 5 : km 3.17 - alt. 35 m - Rue Léon Bernard
  7. 6 : km 3.32 - alt. 32 m - Maison de la Meunerie - Sausseron (rivière)
  8. 7 : km 4.47 - alt. 40 m - D151
  9. 8 : km 5.15 - alt. 88 m - Crossroads (barn)
  10. 9 : km 6.62 - alt. 46 m - Alley on the right
  11. 10 : km 7.38 - alt. 40 m - Saint-Symphorien Church (Nesles-la-Vallée)
  12. 11 : km 8.23 - alt. 46 m - Chemin du Val Millon
  13. 12 : km 9.41 - alt. 60 m - PR trail
  14. 13 : km 10.8 - alt. 128 m - Carrefour du Bois Brûlé
  15. 14 : km 11.04 - alt. 135 m - Polissoir de la Tour du Lay
  16. 15 : km 12.64 - alt. 100 m - Chemin des Moutons
  17. 16 : km 13.42 - alt. 93 m - GR 1
  18. 17 : km 14.88 - alt. 44 m - Stone cross
  19. 18 : km 16.32 - alt. 105 m - Marker 104, crossroads
  20. 19 : km 17.54 - alt. 83 m - Louis Aubert Cross
  21. 20 : km 18.35 - alt. 36 m - Crossroads
  22. 21 : km 20.08 - alt. 26 m - D4
  23. S/E : km 20.51 - alt. 28 m - Station car park

Notes

(S/E) If you arrive by train, leave the station heading north-east to reach Avenue de la Gare. Turn left and join the route.

Bakery, delicatessen, mini-market and pizza in Nesles-la-Vallée.

An easy walk; low-cut trainers are more than adequate.

Worth a visit

Michel Charpentier’s Sculpture Garden: open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 6pm, or contact the town hall (01 34 73 06 26).

Moulin de la Naze: open from March to July and September to December.
Saturday: 2pm to 6pm, Sunday 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
Groups by appointment: moulindelanaze95760@gmail.com, 01 34 73 06 26.

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Gardiner
Gardiner

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't make the return trip (after a nice lunch at the hardware store restaurant in Nesles la Vallée!) and we reached Parmain station via the hillside. 16km

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JPScherer
JPScherer

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, varied landscapes and very pretty little villages in Nesles-la-Vallée. No particular difficulties.

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weidenfeldm
weidenfeldm

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I went for a walk on 3 February; the weather was grey and drizzly, but despite that it was a lovely, varied route that I’ve promised myself I’ll do again on a sunny day to make the most of the sweeping views over the Vexin.
No particular difficulties.

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sylvain.rambault
sylvain.rambault

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed it

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