Starting point and access: Chaville Rive Droite station.
- Transilien – Line L, on the section between Paris-Saint-Lazare and Versailles.
- Transilien, Line U, on the section between La Défense and Versailles-Chantiers.
Take the Rue Carnot exit, at the front of the train when travelling from Paris or La Défense towards Versailles.
Red, white and yellow markings
(S) On leaving the station, turn right onto Rue Carnot, preferably using the left-hand pavement. At the stop sign, cross Rue du Coteau, go through a forest gate and follow a forest path that climbs gently. At a crossroads, veer slightly to the left, passing a bench on your right, and immediately afterwards, turn right between plots nos. 132 and 133. Ignore a path on the left and continue uphill.
Unmarked
(1) At a junction, take the second path on the left, passing an information sign on your left. Go straight on along a gently ascending stretch and ignore a path on the left. You will then begin a descent and ignore a turn-off on the right. At a junction, cross a bridle path, carry on straight ahead and descend steeply. At the next two junctions, carry on straight ahead downhill. This will take you to the Ville-d’Avray ponds.
(2) Head straight along the embankment between the two ponds. At the end, turn left and follow the northern shore of the upstream pond on your left. Turn left with the path and cross the stream that feeds into the pond. Ignore the path on the left along the southern shore of the pond and you’ll soon come to a T-junction. Head to the right (red and yellow marker). At the next junction, turn right, go past a hairpin bend and walk between the houses. You’ll come out onto a wide road; follow it to the left until you reach the traffic lights.
(3) Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing, then first turn right then left to walk alongside a small car park. Pass through a forest gate and walk gently uphill along a tarmac path, ignoring a few perpendicular paths.
Yellow markings
At a junction (plot no. 68), turn left onto another tarmac lane and head back down.
Horseshoe markings
(4) At the bottom, at a crossroads, take the second right, go through a forest gate and follow a compacted track that passes the base of a tree marked No. 70. Keep going straight on, skirting a sparse high forest on your right. At a junction, continue straight on and enter a darker high forest.
No signposting
At the junction where plots nos. 78 and 77 meet, carry on straight ahead (ignore the signpost for horse riders heading left). Stay on the main track and ignore a few side paths.
Red and yellow markings
(5) At the junction on the boundary of plot no. 79, turn right and head slightly uphill. At the top of the hill, cross a hard-surfaced track and you will immediately come to a large crossroads. Go round the crossroads on the right to cross the D182 in two stages at the pedestrian crossings. On the other side (former toll house), turn right and cross Avenue de Villeneuve l’Étang in two stages, followed by Boulevard de la Porte Verte. Pass an information board on the left and, at the Fork in the road that appears shortly afterwards, keep left and head downhill.
No signposting (a few faded ‘horseshoe’ markers)
(6) At the junction marking the boundary between plots nos. 30, 31 and 32, veer to the right and head gently uphill. At the junction that appears immediately, go straight on. The track soon gives way to a footpath. Cross a wider track and continue along the footpath opposite. Further on, the footpath widens to become a track again.
At the T-junction (plots nos. 29 and 28), turn left and head downhill. Ignore a footpath coming from the left and, at the next junction (plots nos. 29 and 27), turn right. At the next junction, go straight on and cross a stream. At the next junction, continue straight on and you’ll come out onto a road (D173). Cross this road with care (limited visibility on the right) and continue along the path opposite (plot no. 23).
Red and yellow markings
(7) At the next junction, turn right. At the Fork in the road shortly afterwards, veer right onto a path (ignore the wider path leading off to the left). At the next junction, veer right and pass an outdoor fitness station. At the next junction, go straight on. Cross a stream and, at the junction immediately after, turn right and head uphill. At the next junction (plots nos. 19 and 21), continue straight ahead. At the end, take the second path on the right, at a 90° angle – the widest one (ignore a path at an acute angle). You’ll come out onto the D173; follow it to the left and pass under the A13 motorway bridge.
Unmarked
Just before a 50 km/h speed limit sign, turn left, go through a forest gate and follow a forest track due west. Further on, as you approach the A13, ignore a track on the right and, immediately afterwards (plot no. 12), take the next track on the right. At the T-junction (plot no. 11; the path shown opposite on the map is overgrown), turn left. At the next junction, as you approach a road, go straight on. After about 150 metres, at a Fork in the road, turn right (a raised blue arrow on a tree). You will come out onto the D307.
(8) Cross the road in two stages at the pedestrian crossing. N.B. In October 2022, roadworks were underway: adjust your route according to the conditions on the ground. On the other side, first turn left then right onto Allée Jules Verne. Take the first right onto Allée Corot. At the next junction (with Place Léon Perrod opposite), turn left. Cross Avenue Molière and follow Avenue du Chesnay. At the next junction, turn right onto Allée La Fontaine. Then cross Avenue des Gressets, passing a small triangular square on your right.
(9) Turn left onto Allée de la Forêt. Cross Avenue Pasteur on the left-hand side and continue straight on towards the station. When the road bends to the left, carry on straight ahead and take the bridge over the railway line. Immediately ignore a path on the left, then a path on the right (not shown on OSM), and head uphill. At the junction, turn left. At the next junction, turn left again (ignore a red and white signpost indicating to go straight on). Follow the path downwards until you reach a car park. Then first turn left then right to go down a flight of steps. You will then find yourself opposite La Celle-Saint-Cloud station (E).
To get back home:
- Transilien – Line L, towards La Défense and Paris-Saint-Lazare (direct access) or Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche (use the underpass).