Château de Neuilly-en-Vexin walks

This is the eighth stage of the Grand Tour de l'Île-de-France on the GR®11, starting from Chars station in the Val d'Oise and heading towards Bornel-Belle-Église station in the Oise, through the north-eastern part of the French Vexin and the borders of the Pays de Thelle. This stage is unique in that it runs along the border between the Val d'Oise and Oise departments, with roughly 50% of the route on each side. The proposed itinerary passes through the Buttes de Rosne, the highest natural point in Île-de-France, although it deviates slightly from the GR® for this.

The walk takes you through a string of pretty villages, each with its own church boasting distinctive architecture and, for the most part, also home to a castle, the most remarkable of which are those at Guiry-en-Vexin, Théméricourt and Viry. There are also several museums along the route: the Archaeological Museum, the Tools Museum, the Harvest Museum and the Maison du Parc.It is also an opportunity to admire the open landscapes of this very hilly French Vexin region, where fields, meadows and forests intermingle. The calcareous meadows are particularly striking in spring due to the abundance of flowers found there.

Crossed by numerous waterways, the town of Chaumont-en-Vexin has been awarded the Petite Cité de Caractère label. Along the route, you can discover the rolling landscapes of the Vexin and the Troesne valley, with two megaliths along the way: the Dolmen des Trois-Pierres in Trie-Château and the Pierre Droite de Delincourt.

A hike from station to station with the Oise as the guiding thread. You will cross several wooded parks and follow the river for a long time, mostly on a right of way. At the end of the route, the passage through Auvers-sur-Oise is an opportunity to evoke the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh.

A walk starting from the new town of Cergy will take you past the circular bends of the Oise, the Cergy leisure centre and its ponds, and the old villages of Vauréal, Jouy-le-Moutier and Neuville-sur-Oise in the Val d'Oise. You will arrive in the Yvelines at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, the capital of inland waterway transport at the confluence of the Seine and the Oise.

A walk from station to station, following the river. After skirting the Oise to Port Cergy, the route joins the Île de Loisirs de Cergy, then takes the Axe Majeur to reach the old Pontoise–Poissy railway line. After the confluence, it follows the Seine along the quays of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, following part of the discovery trail, before reaching the station.

Seventh stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France on the GR®11, starting from the village of Genainville, in the heart of the French Vexin, and heading towards Chars station further east. This stage goes hand in hand with the previous Mantes-Genainville stage, with a night in Genainville or the surrounding area necessary to walk between Mantes and Chars stations. This beautiful stage continues the crossing of the equally magnificent French Vexin Regional Nature Park, heading generally eastwards. It joins andthen climbs up the Aubette de Magny valley, crosses a series of agricultural plateaus between Oise and Val d'Oise before descending into the Viosne valley to reach Chars.

The ninth stage, entirely in the Oise department, of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France on the GR®11, between the stations of Bornel-Belle-Église in the Esches Valley and Cires-lès-Mello in the Thérain Valley. It consists of a crossing of the Pays de Thelle, from west to east, in the south of the department, and always through magnificent varied landscapes, between woods and fields.

A lovely walk along the banks of the Seine, passing through pretty villages such as Evecquemont. The starting point and finishing point are two stations on the same SNCF line.

A long hike from station to station, alternating between the banks of the Seine, forests, fields, towns and villages, offering numerous views of the Seine and the French Vexin. The route, dotted with historical landmarks, also serves as a reminder that heavy fighting took place in the region in August 1944.