Chérence - Haute-Isle

Loop starting from Chérence. The Seine, troglodyte dwellings and gliders. Pass through the Coteaux de la Seine reserve, which is closed for nesting from 1 March to 30 June.

Details

107894
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.71 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 134 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 140 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 150 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 17 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the Chérence cemetery car park.

(S) Head south-east, follow the ridge road (D100) eastwards (towards Vétheuil) for 200 metres. At the crossroads (cross), take the path on the right. Continue to the crossroads at the edge of the cliff (altitude 149 metres).

(1) You can go down the path opposite for a few metres and turn left to take a look at an old quarry dug into the rock, then return to the crossroads (option not shown on the map).
Otherwise, take the path that runs along the ridge to the west and ignore several paths branching off to the left.

(2) When the path joins the ridge road near a house, turn left onto the path that descends. At the T-junction, turn left and continue down Chemin du Village, passing the partly troglodyte houses of Haute-Isle. When you reach the D913, turn left.

(3) Continue on the D913 to reach the troglodyte church at the end of the cemetery a little further on. Retrace your steps.

(3) Turn left towards the Seine. Take the first path on the left, parallel to the D913 (on the left) and the Seine (on the right). Continue straight ahead on the paved road.

(4) At the wash house and the landing stage for Île de Moisson, go up the street on the left (Chemin de l'Ormeteau). Cross the D913 and continue opposite on Chemin de la Messe de Chantemesse, which starts with a few steps. Leave a chalky path on your right that leads to the foot of a limestone spur, then quickly turn left onto a narrower path that soon climbs in hairpin bends.

(5) A few hairpin bends higher up, a path climbing up a slope leads to a promontory offering a panoramic view of Vétheuil, the Moisson loop and La Roche-Guyon. Return to the original path and continue climbing.

Leave a path on your right and take the next one in a hairpin bend to the right. The path on the left splits into two a little further on. Finish the climb and join the ridge path at the end of the Chérence aerodrome runway.

(6) Continue straight ahead along the path that crosses the plain to join the paved road (D100).

(7) Turn left for about 100 metres, then turn right onto the first path. At the end, turn left onto Rue de l'Église, walk alongside the church and continue straight ahead onto Rue des Cabarets. Then turn left to go up Rue des Jardins and reach the cemetery car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 135 m - Chérence Cemetery
  2. 1 : km 0.67 - alt. 150 m - Ridge above the old quarry
  3. 2 : km 2.05 - alt. 132 m - Start of the descent, Chemin du Village
  4. 3 : km 3.04 - alt. 22 m - Haute-Isle troglodyte church - Access
  5. 4 : km 4.41 - alt. 18 m - Chemin de l'Ormeteau - Seine [la]
  6. 5 : km 4.68 - alt. 80 m - Promontory with viewpoint
  7. 6 : km 5.19 - alt. 149 m - End of the Charence aerodrome
  8. 7 : km 5.79 - alt. 134 m - Route D100
  9. S/E : km 6.71 - alt. 135 m - Chérence Cemetery

Notes

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 65 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
RNN des coteaux de la Seine
RNN des coteaux de la Seine

Hello,
This is stipulated in the practical information on the description of the walk, with the link to the decree and the nature reserve website.
Of course, they should mention "closed from 1 March to 30 June" instead of "until the end of June", that would be clearer, but the information is there.
Bonne continuation

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Pommefraise
Pommefraise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb tour, great views of La Roche Guyon from the crest path. The only annoying thing is that the path back to the start from the banks of the Seine is closed from March to June to protect wildlife. Apparently this is posted at the town hall on Haute-Ile, but who reads the town hall signs before going for a walk? You come across paths that are closed at the last minute.

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RNN des coteaux de la Seine
RNN des coteaux de la Seine

For your information, following a collapse last summer, the Piton du Colombier above the troglodyte church is off-limits at all times for obvious safety reasons.
Please remember not to organise this hike between 1 March and 30 June each year, because as mentioned in the directions, you will not be able to complete the loop and will have to turn back. The paths from la messe to Chantemesle are closed by prefectoral decree in order to preserve the reproduction of endangered species, and passing through is therefore liable to a fine.
Thank you for helping to preserve the richness of this site by respecting the regulations of the nature reserve.

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capu6
capu6

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A great walk!
When you arrive near the Seine, instead of turning left you can go straight on towards the Seine and there's a picnic table.

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fabrice92
fabrice92

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pretty route that offers a variety of pleasures: forests, the banks of the Seine, cliffs and a superb viewpoint. The climb is a little steep but the view from the promontory is exceptional.
There were no detours on the way: everything was accessible.
On the other hand, it's a good thing the GPS was there on the climb, because at times the path to follow wasn't very visible.

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JRM78180
JRM78180

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Due to landslides, a municipal by-law prohibits taking the path to the right (heading west) at stage 1.

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Edeline V
Edeline V

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied and very enjoyable tour. The directions were very good, except perhaps on the way back up, but logic guided us to the top of the cliff and everything went really well! A great day out.

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christinegj
christinegj

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There's no indication of how much time is left to walk at each stage, so when in doubt we had to do 1/2 a lap, which is a shame.

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Thierry95100
Thierry95100

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk on Sunday 10/10/2021, leaving at around 3pm: sunny day, pleasant temperature, dry terrain except in some parts of the undergrowth. Apple festival at Chérence.
Reliability of the description :
It is very reliable up to point 4.
At this point, after "...a few steps. Leave a chalky path on the right...". It seems that this chalky path has been tarmacked...
Then, as the road forks, there are numerous forks leading to adjacent paths on the right and left.
We had to turn back twice, as these paths lead back down to the valley.
Footfall:
The GR2 is quite busy. As for the rest, we didn't come across many people.
Overall assessment:
The cemetery car park only has 5/6 spaces. However, during the apple festival, the field behind the cemetery was used as a car park. The town of Chérence is very pretty with its typical street signs. The views from the GR2 are breathtaking. The descent to Haute-Isle is a little complicated by the gully in the middle of the path and the pebbles that tend to roll around under your shoes. The houses and troglodyte caves, including the church, are very pretty. The climb back up is very steep and complicated by the many junctions. Arriving at the end of the airfield is impressive, especially when the gliders land just above you. Curiosity: On the way back to the car park via Rue à moineaux (Chérence), you can see a fence on the right made up of numerous metal objects found in the garden below.

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Didier95
Didier95

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk with magnificent scenery overlooking the Seine valley and its chalk cliffs - we loved it!
The signposting is light, so be sure to stop at junctions if you don't want to get lost. Don't do it if it's raining, as I imagine the ground is very slippery going up and down.
... do it again!

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tabs
tabs

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

NICE WALK BUT BE CAREFUL BETWEEN THE 4 AND 5 AND THE FAMOUS LEFT TURN WHICH IS A BIT TREACHEROUS AND NOT TO BE MISSED.

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rocker_2
rocker_2

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The starting point is easy to find, but after that there's virtually nothing, which meant we had to take a diversion of several kilometres because we missed a change of direction at a junction where there was no signposting. The route on the map is not clear because it overlaps another route of virtually the same colour.
That said, the path is pleasant and the view very beautiful.

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Marc0s
Marc0s

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk along the banks of the Seine and on the hillsides of Chérence.
Not recommended for young children, as the section at the top of the cliffs is not safe.
Otherwise, a great change of scenery, highly recommended.

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Les santeuillais
Les santeuillais

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone,
Some of our older friends had a bit of trouble climbing up the cliff because of the vegetation, but nothing too serious.
Magnificent views over the Seine valley and caves.
Outside the "Covid" restrictions, it is possible to get the keys to the troglodyte church from the town hall? the municipal official is very friendly.

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linotte 78
linotte 78

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

interesting route
beautiful views over the Seine valley.
the ascent to Cherence is a little steep
be careful on the descent from the start in case of rain... slippery chalky ground

passing the troglodyte church of Haute Isle ... unfortunately closed

You can extend the route on the way back by bypassing Cherence.

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