From Bouffémont to Taverny via the Montmorency Forest

Start from Bouffémont-Moisselles station (Transilien line H, on the section between Paris-Nord and Monsoult-Maffliers).

(S) Exit the station on the east side, heading from Montoult towards Paris (if arriving from the opposite direction, use the underpass). Turn right and follow the railway line to the D909. Turn left and take the path running parallel to the D909. Walk past the cemetery, then continue along the footpath which branches off to the left at the roundabout before the underpass beneath the four-lane road. Follow this road northwards and keep left at the first fork, then continue to a junction.

(1) Continue straight ahead northwards along this path until you reach the tall statue of Notre-Dame de France, visible from a great distance.

(2) Retrace your steps back to the previous junction.

(1) Turn right, then immediately left. Go under the railway bridge, then turn left onto the path running alongside the railway line, which then continues between the railway line and some allotments. Carry on and you will find yourself in front of the station.

Note: this return trip to the statue of Notre-Dame de France can be avoided, which shortens the walk by about 4 km.

(S) Take the Allée de la Gare opposite, cross Avenue Ferdinand de Lesseps, veer slightly left and climb the large steps to take the narrow Rue Le Vau. Continue more or less straight ahead due west, then at the end of the green space turn left onto the path that runs through the middle of the housing estate. At the stadium, where the road bends to the right, take the path on the left that runs alongside the tennis courts. You’ll come to a car park, then Rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, which you should follow to the left. Cross the road opposite the secondary school, then continue left until the next junction.

(3) Turn right after the secondary school onto Rue de la Clairière, then take the path on the right that runs between the school fence and the houses. You’ll reach the RD 44, which you follow to the right for about 100 m. At the town boundary sign, take the path on the left that winds its way through the trees. After about 300 m, turn right. The path curves before heading due west, then turns north. At a fork after passing a second, barely marked gully, turn right heading due north and descend towards the village of Bouffémont.

(4) Walk past the town hall, a strikingly modern building – with its ‘belfry’ built on concrete pillars – in a village with well-preserved traditional architecture. Head up Rue de la République to the left, passing the Ferme de Bouffémont and then the double wash house (on the left). Continue to the church and turn left onto Rue Léon Giraudeau. Walk past the gates of the castle – of which not much can be seen – then turn left onto Rue de Sainte-Radegonde, which leads to the cemetery. Enter and go right to the back of the last row to visit the grave of Baron Empain, a local figure who became best known to the general public in 1978 following his abduction.

(5) Leave the cemetery and continue up the street, which turns into a track. You’ll come to a good track (at an altitude of 183 m); cross it slightly diagonally to the left and continue along the path heading due south. Arrive at the Carrefour de la Baronne, cross the aptly named Route du Faîte, and take a path that slopes down to the left (Chemin de l’Entonnoir) to descend, mostly through a deep ravine, to the Château de la Chasse.

(6) Walk around the pond to admire the view from the downstream embankment and return towards the château. Shortly after the château, turn right onto the Chemin des Philosophes, lined with philosophical quotes and reflections inscribed on small signs. Pass in front of a large sundial built into the ground, before arriving at the small Bosc Cemetery, a place with a very special atmosphere, the meaning and origins of which are explained on site.

(7) At the far right of the cemetery, look out for a tiny path leading down towards the stream. Cross over, head back up to the left, and reach the Route des Fonds. Turn left and walk past the Sainte-Radegonde Fountain. At the next crossroads, turn left, cross a stream, head back up, then turn slightly right, before branching off to the left to climb back up to the ridge. Look out for a path on the left: 50 m further on, there is a tree-statue.

(8) Return to the path, continue leftwards uphill. Pass a gully, then climb up to the Carrefour du Plumet. Continue straight ahead on a good path, and after about 100 m take the second path on the right to the Tour du Plumet, 100 m away.

(9) Almost opposite the tower, take the path that descends to the left to rejoin the Route du Plumet. Turn right onto it, then after 100 m turn left onto the path leading to the pleasant Étang Marie. Go round it on the left and arrive at a crossroads.

(10) Cross the forest road and climb the path opposite. After 100 m, turn left. At the crossroads (elevation 142 m), turn right and continue climbing to the ridge (of the Lapin Sauté). Descending opposite, you will soon reach a tarmac road. Take the steep, sunken path opposite which descends quite steeply. You will arrive in front of the gate to a house where the Goncourt brothers once lived (commemorative plaque).

(11) Walk down the street opposite to Rue Auguste Rey. Turn right and you’ll reach the foot of the church: on the right is the Oratory of Saint Prix, on the left a fountain, a small park with benches, a covered courtyard, and an esplanade with superb views stretching as far as the towers of La Défense. A perfect spot for a picnic.

(12) Climb the steps to the church, walk around it, then head down Rue de la Croix Saint-Jacques until you reach Rue Auguste Rey again; turn right onto it. Then take the^second street on the right (Impasse Notre Dame).
At the end of the cul-de-sac, at the “Clairière du Souvenir” (monuments), continue left along the path until you reach the tarmac road. Head up the road on the right for 200 m until you reach a T-junction with a road coming from the right.

(13) At the junction, turn left onto the lane blocked by a wooden barrier. Take the first path on the right, then turn left after about 100 m. You will reach a tarmac road (RD 192p); cross it and turn left to follow a rough forest track heading north-west, running parallel to the road.

(14) After about 700 m, find a track, almost obliterated by forestry work, to return towards the road, then cross over to take the path opposite heading south-west. (If you cannot find this track, continue along the track beside the road to the roundabout, turn left for about 300 m to join the route described, at a slightly cut-away left-hand bend). Continue along this path, which first makes a long left-hand bend, then turns sharply left before joining the tarmac road.

(15) Cross the road, ignore the path furthest to the right which climbs back up alongside the road, and take the second path which descends slightly due north. Follow this path as it turns left and joins a track, then turns right to reach the Pont du Diable.

(16) Walk down the embankment to arrive beneath the bridge, and reach the path that climbs straight up quite steeply. When you reach almost the highest point, take the path on the left which more or less follows the military ridge. When you reach a junction of wide paths, take the one opposite (heading north-west), and at the next junction (marked by a pole set in a wide concrete base) turn right.
You will arrive at the Camp de César roundabout.

(17) Walk around the pond at the roundabout, covering just under 360°, then head west along the last lane before the one you arrived on. Turn right at the first junction, then left before the fence of the military site. After 200 m, turn left onto the^GR® marked route, then right. Walk alongside the cemetery to the church at Taverny.

(18) Go round the church and head back up towards the cemetery. Turn right, then at the next junction take the first right. About twenty metres further on, look out for a narrow path that cuts left between two fences. You are now on the “Taverny par les Sentes” route, which is clearly signposted. Follow the path which runs alongside a vineyard before reaching Rue Gabriel Péri. Turn left for 20 metres, then right onto another path until you reach Rue de Paris. Turn right towards the town hall, then left onto Rue Jean Nicoli. Continue straight ahead to the railway line and you’ll find Taverny station (E) just to your right (Transilein line H, on the section between Paris-Nord and Persan-Beaumont via Mériel).

Some sections may be muddy in wet weather: wear suitable footwear.