Artists’ Trails: the Ruban Vert art and nature trail

Park in the car park at Villeneuve-sur-Yonne station.

(S/E) Cross the tracks via the tunnel and head towards the wall painted by Rougerune. Follow the factory wall along the Chemin de l’Usine to the end, where you’ll find a piece by Crazy Spray at the far end of the same wall. Turn left onto Rue Édouard Bouthier. Continue to the junction with^{the GRP®} du Pays du Lunain.

(1) Turn right onto this small path, which climbs between two gardens. Continue until you reach Chemin des Moulins. Turn left to find Marie-Line Dey’s *Entrée en Matière*. Carry on along the^GRP® to pass Estelle Ventura’s *Turicules en Totems*. You will then reach the junction with Chemin de la Haute-Épine.

(2) Turn right onto the path, also known as the Chemin des Quarts-Froids. Walk uphill to admire the ‘Barrière Dorée’ created by the children of the École Joubert. Further up on the left, you’ll find ‘Bigarré’, the restored tree by Muriel Patarroni and Harold Denneulin. Continue along the path, which becomes a small road, until you reach the orchard meadow.

(3) Leave the^GRP® here, turn left and head down through the meadow-orchard to the Route de Villeneuve in La Haute-Épine. Turn right onto it, heading uphill, until you reach the^GRP® junction beneath the high-voltage power line.

(4) Head down the path to the left towards the small Route des Ligaults, noting first the ‘Petit Monde de la Forêt’ signs painted by the children at the leisure centre, then the ‘Forêt des Lichens’ where all the trees are covered in lichen. Turn right onto the Route des Ligaults. At the bend, keep right on the^GRP® and continue until you are directly beneath the high-voltage power lines.

(5) Here you have two options:
- take a shortcut on the right which climbs up beneath the high-voltage power line and joins the Route de la Haute-Épine, near the village pond.
- continue along the^GRP® to cross the Bussy-le-Repos to Rousson road at the edge of the woodland.

(6) Cross the road, then take the^GRP® path opposite, marked in red and yellow, to reach the large sequoia crossroads.

(7) Leave the^GRP® here and turn right onto the forest track furthest to the right. Continue until you reach the tarmac road. Turn left onto it until you reach the forest bus shelter. Turn right onto Rue des Tourelles and head for the Ruban Vert picnic area.

(8) Continue along Rue des Tourelles and then Rue Thénard until you reach the village pond on the left, next to the other bus shelter. Here, rejoin the^GRP® de l’Orvanne.

(9) Just past the communal pond and its fairy statue, turn left onto Chemin des Marnions – this is also the^GRP®. Follow it whilst looking towards Le Passage, turn right after the small merry-go-round, and head downhill, admiring the valley, until you reach Avenue Georges Bolnat at the corner by the cemetery wall.

(10) Turn right onto Avenue Georges Bolnat and, a few hundred metres further on, you’ll reach the junction where a footpath begins.

(11) Turn left onto this path; it is still the^GRP®, marked in red and yellow. Walk past the Foyer Gentilini and follow the road to the junction with Rue Georges Bouthier. Turn right onto this street, then immediately turn left onto Chemin de l’Usine to return to the station car park (S/E).

Car park at Villeneuve station.
If you’re coming from the other direction, you can also park at (6) or along the track at (8).
No special equipment is required, but there are no water points along the route, so bring a water bottle if it’s hot.

The walk can be split into two 5–6 km walks by taking a shortcut between (5) and (9)
(5) Shortcut to reach (9)

(8) Ruban Vert picnic area. The orchard is open.

This is an Art and Nature trail featuring thirty-three artworks along the route.
The numbers below correspond to the reference points for the artworks on the information boards and on the leaflet you may find here and there.

Between (S/E) and (1)
1 – Mural by Rougerune.
2 – Poem by Candice Lizé on the factory wall.
3 – Mural by Crazy Spray.

Between (1) and (2)
4 – ‘Entrée en Matière’ by Marie-Line Dey.
5 - ‘Turicules’ totem by Estelle Ventura.

Between (2) and (3)
6 – To the right of the path, the ‘Barrière des Enfants’ by Joubert School pupils, led by Didier Duchesne.
7 - On the platform to the left of the path at the ‘rond-point du chêne’: ‘Bigarré’, the repaired tree by Muriel Patarroni and Harold Denneulin.

Between (4) and (5)
8 – On the path leading down from (4), a collaborative artwork by the children of the Villeneuve-sur-Yonne leisure centre, ‘Le Petit Monde de la Forêt’.
9 – A work of nature, the ‘Forêt des Lichens’ (Forest of Lichens), as you reach the bottom of the path; it is particularly spectacular in winter.
10 - Just past the (5), continuing along the path beneath the medium-voltage power line, is Noëlle Tutenuit’s installation ‘Nostalgie et Rêve’, featuring Noëlle’s Rabbits.

Between (5) and (6)
11 - A fallen tree blocks the path; is it dead or alive? In any case, it is a work of nature and a whole world of life.
12 – To the left of the path, Étienne Boyer’s ‘Dreamcatcher’ will set you dreaming.
13 – A little further on to the right, look up: Évelyne Bouvier’s ‘Red Fox’ awaits you.
14 - A little further up to the left of the path, Cécile Chéreau’s *Dérive*;
15 - A little further up still, just before you reach the road and the (6), you’ll find Magali Nourrissat’s work, *Fécondation-Éclosion-Germination*.

Between (6) and (7), cross the road and take the forest track on the right
16 – Almost immediately on your right, you’ll find Dominique Andreau’s *Fenêtre Ouverte sur la nature*.
17 - Continue along the path; just past the hunting lodge, you’ll see Fiona Laty’s colourful *Classe Verte* on your left.
18 - At the large crossroads at (7), admire the Centenary Sequoia, which was planted to celebrate the centenary of the Thénard Bequest.

Between (7) and (8)
19 – On the right, spread across several trees, look out for ‘Centigrade’, an installation by François Kenesi.
20 - Opposite a forest track junction, Hakuturi, the Māori eagle by Dominique Menguy, stands guard over the forest.
21 - A little further on to the left, walk a few metres into the woods to marvel at the ‘guitar pond’, a creation of nature and Noëlle Tutenuit.
22 - At the junction of the forest track and the road from Bussy to Rousson, Alix Vonderweidt’s ‘yogi tree’ awaits you directly opposite; take a look at it and follow the road to the left as it winds downhill.
23 – Directly opposite the bus shelter, amongst the two large oak trees, is a spider’s web woven by Pierre Wisler.
24 - On the bus shelter, the forest painted by the children of Saint-Louis School in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne awaits you.
25 - A little further along Rue des Tourelles, the picnic area (8) and its ceramic benches are the work of Carmen Bouyer. You’ll also find a notice explaining the work of Le Ruban Vert, the charity that organised the entire trail, along with membership forms. You can also find them here [https://lerubanvert.net/.

From (8) to (9)
26 – Opposite this small orchard, a path leads to the largest and mightiest oak in the Legs Thénard forest; once you’ve seen it, return to Rue des Tourelles.
27 – Continuing along Rue des Tourelles, you’ll reach Rue Thénard. On the right, a gap in the hedge reveals a secret pond where Yvan Bigaud’s *Mon Nid* is hidden.
28 - At (9), in the middle of the pond, Michèle Toutain’s ‘Fée de la Mare’ welcomes you.

From (9) to (10)
29 – At the bend in the Chemin des Marnions, Cedric Martineaud’s *Passage* echoes the criss-crossing lines of the neighbouring pylons.
30 - Just before the descent, the row of fruit trees is a collaborative creation of the elders and nature.
31 - Walk down the path through the fields, admiring the panoramic view of the Yonne valley; in the distance, you’ll see Pierre Marty’s *Variété de la Mort*.
32 - At the crossroads by the allotments, a path branches off to the right; on the verge of this path, wild boars have churned up the ground and Soazig has sown *Dans les Traces des Sangliers* – look out for the biodiversity perennials.
33 - After the allotments, along a row of plane trees where Claire Marin’s tiles glisten, you’ll find *Lettres par la Racine*.
34 - At (11) on the lawn, let yourself be enchanted by Otha, Xavier Bernard’s Woodhenge.

From (11) to (S/E)
- Discover the factory wall and its paintings.