From Isles-lès-Meldeuses to La Ferté-sous-Jouarre via the Dhuys Aqueduct

Access: Isles-Armentières-Congis station on the Meaux - La Ferté-Milon branch of the Transilien P.

Red and white markings (GR®11)

(S) From the end of the station platform, take the Route d'Armentières on the left, with your back to the centre of the village of Isles-lès-Meldeuses. Turn right at the three-way junction onto Chemin de Saint-Jean.

(1) Turn sharply right onto Chemin des Bruyères, then continue straight ahead, first through fields, then into the woods, on a slight incline. You will arrive in front of the Château des Bruyères.

(2) Continue straight ahead, ignoring the path leading off to the right. Descend into the woods, then across the fields until you reach the embankment of a railway siding.

(3) Turn left to follow the embankment, then left again at an old level crossing. Continue straight ahead, following and then approaching another railway line. Climb the hill as the railway line enters a tunnel.

(4) At the top, 200 metres after the tunnel entrance, turn right and descend slightly. Continue straight ahead, then slightly to the left, along the old Route d'Allemagne until you reach the Carrefour du Chêne au Roi crossroads.

(5) Take the Route de Gèvres opposite, which veers slightly to the left, heading south. You will arrive at the D603.

(6) Cross the road carefully, follow the D19 opposite, which veers to the left, then 200 m after the bend, take a small path perpendicular to the left that leads into the woods. Follow it for 400 m, then take the Route du Cerf on the right. Pass a path coming from the right and arrive at the wide track of the Aqueduc de la Dhuys.

(7) Follow the aqueduct path to the left. Stones and inspection chambers mark its route at regular intervals. Follow it into the woods, turning right, then left, then right again, then along the edge of the woods to the Ambroises farm, which you will reach after a final right turn.

(8) Pass to the left of the farm, still on the aqueduct. Staying at the same level, cross a road, small valleys, a path crossing down into the valley, two other roads, and reach the hamlet of Arpentigny at a perpendicular road, just before the A4 motorway.

(9) Leave the aqueduct trail temporarily and take this road on the left to cross the bridge over the A4 motorway a little further on. Continue to follow the road as it turns left, overlooking the motorway and its exit ramp. Follow the right-hand bend and reach the hamlet of Montretout.

(10) Turn right onto the road that runs perpendicular to it and rejoin the aqueduct track 600 m further on.

(11) Take the track on the left over the aqueduct. Climb the hill opposite and descend on the other side. Cross a road at the entrance to Signy-Signets and descend into the valley. Ford a small stream and climb up the other side (if the stream is impassable, head to the centre of Signy-Signets (13) via the road you crossed earlier).

(12) Leave the GR® for a moment by taking the road on the left to reach the church of Signy-Signets (optional detour, you can continue straight on the GR® towards the point (14) directly).

(13) At the church, take the street on the right in front of the farm buildings and follow the path that turns right. Cross a road to reach the aqueduct track 300 m away.

(14) Turn left onto the track, follow it around a right-hand bend, then a sharp left-hand bend at the bottom of a small valley, before crossing the D21.

(15) Cross the road and continue straight ahead. Follow a sharp left turn and cross a small road at the entrance to Signy.

(16) Cross another agricultural area, first heading north-east, then straight east. Descend into a valley where the aqueduct crosses a stream on a dedicated structure. Cross it on the footbridge next to it (caution: narrow footbridge!).

(17) Climb up opposite to a road. Cross it and continue straight ahead. Cross the woods and follow the curve to the right at the exit. Cross another wood and reach the road at the entrance to Sept-Sorts.

(18) Cross the road, continue in the same direction and reach the road leading to the Château de Venteuil.

(19) Cross it and continue to follow the track, now along the edge of the plateau and the edge of the woods. Reach a perpendicular road after 1 km.

(20) Leave the aqueduct here and follow the road to the left until you reach the nearby D402. Take this road on the left downhill and immediately turn right onto a path that descends even more steeply into the woods on the hillside. At the bottom, you will reach a place called Le Petit Pays, where there is a grain silo on the banks of the Petit Morin.

(21) Take the road on the left, then immediately turn right to follow the river on its left bank. You will reach the D603.

(22) Follow it to the right for a short while until you reach the roundabout behind the bridge over the Petit Morin. Take the path down to the left into the park along the Petit Morin and follow the river to its confluence with the Marne 200 metres away.

(23) When you reach the mouth, follow the Marne to the right to go upstream. Pass under a bridge, then rejoin the road that runs slightly above it.

(24) Follow the Marne upstream to the next bridge, the Pont Charles de Gaulle.

(25) Leave the GR® trail on your right and cross the bridge, then continue straight ahead. Pass the town hall, then continue in the same direction.

(26) When you see the railway line, take Avenue de la Gare on the left to reach the station 200 m away (E).

Return: La Ferté-sous-Jouarre station, on the Paris - Château-Thierry branch of the Transilien P.

(S) Isles-Armentières-Congis station on the Meaux - La Ferté-Milon branch of the Transilien P. Connection required in Meaux from Paris-Est. One train per hour in each direction.

(E) La Ferté-sous-Jouarre station on the Paris - Château-Thierry branch of the Transilien P. One train per hour in each direction.

See theÎle-de-France Mobilités website for timetables.

From point (7) to point (20), covering almost two-thirds of the route, the GR® follows the Dhuys aqueduct trail, which is fairly level except for a few bumps and siphons, as well as a few exits from the trail for practical reasons (crossing the A4 motorway, mandatory detour) or heritage interest (optional detour to the church of Signy-Signets). Be careful, however, as in wet weather the track can be muddy, especially in the wooded sections.

It is possible to split the stage in two at Changis-sur-Marne station, which can be reached from the point (8) and the few crossroads that follow. The station is located about 2 km away on the other bank of the Marne.

Hike completed on 2 March 2025 with the aim of covering the entire GR® 11.

• Marne Valley.
• Montceaux Forest, from (1) to (8).
• The Dhuys Aqueduct, which supplies eastern Paris with drinking water, from (7) to (20).
• Signy-Signets and its church (13).
• Siphon of the Ru de Péreuse (17).
• Petit Morin Valley, from (21) to (23).
• Banks of the Marne at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, from (23) to (25).
• Town hall and church of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, between (25) and (26).