From Crécy-la-Chapelle to Trilport via the Dhuys Aqueduct

Starting point and access: Crécy-la-Chapelle station.
- Tram – Line T14, the line’s terminus at Esbly (connection with Line P).
Take the only exit, Avenue de la Gare, on the side of the single platform.

Red and white + mauve + yellow markings

(S) On leaving the station, turn left onto Avenue de la Gare. At the end, first turn right then left to follow Rue du Bon Accueil. At the end of the tarmac road, turn left onto a gravel path which leads to the D934. Cross this road at the pedestrian crossing on the right, then take the path that branches off diagonally to the left. After a right-hand bend, the path climbs. Cross a road and follow the path opposite which climbs between the fields. Pass a reservoir on your left and continue uphill.

(1) At the T-junction, turn right. At the end of the track, follow an uphill street to the left. Carry straight on and ignore a dead-end on the left. At the Stop sign, turn left and immediately ignore a street on the right.

Red and white + mauve markings

At the next junction (elevation 135), go straight on.

Red and white markings

(2) At the next junction, just before the sign marking the exit from the village of Férolles, turn left onto a track bordered by a fence on the right-hand side. At the corner of the fence, continue along a field path. Ignore a turn-off on the left and walk alongside a copse on your left. Enter the hamlet of Rue de l’Égout and go straight on.

N.B. On the following section, the purple route line intended to represent the^GR®®1on the 1:25,000 map is out of date.

Red and white + blue markings

(3) At the corner of No. 9, turn right onto Rue de la Mare Bréant. At the three-way junction that appears shortly afterwards, turn right. At the corner of No. 5, turn left, pass a hairpin bend and join a grassy track (not shown on the IGN map) running along the edge of the field. Follow this track, first turning right then left. Then continue straight on, slightly downhill, keeping a wire fence, a fenced-off woodland, another wire fence and then a wall on your left. Pass a second chicane.

Red and white + blue + yellow markings

(4) You’ll come out onto a street; follow it to the left. At the three-way junction, turn right onto Rue de l’Église and cross a stream. Continue straight on, passing a bar-tobacconist’s on your left, then the school car park.

(5) At the corner of No. 15 (a lovely house; elevation 93), turn left onto Rue de Vignot. Pass between the buildings of an equestrian centre.

Red and white + yellow markings

(6) About fifty metres past these buildings, turn right onto a track that runs between horse pastures. Continue along a grassy path between the fields. Ignore a turn-off to the right (elevation 109) and then a turn-off to the left, and follow the path alongside a copse on your left.

(7) You’ll come out onto the D33; follow it to the left for about 150 metres. Shortly after a path on the left, turn right to cross the road (take care) and follow the path opposite, which is bordered by a hedge on the left-hand side. At a three-way junction, turn left, still following the hedge. Continue between the fields, ignoring a path on the right, until you reach the D87 road.

Red and white + yellow + mauve markings

(8) Follow the road to the left. At the junction, carry on along the D33 towards Meaux and Trilport ( narrow verge). Cross the bridge over the A4 motorway and continue along the safety barrier ( very narrow verge). At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead on the D85 towards Quincy-Voisins. Cross a stream.

(9) As you approach a left-hand bend, leave the road and take a farm track on the right (take care when crossing the road). Ignore a path on the right, then one on the left, and continue along the edge of the woodland. Enter the woodland and climb steadily.

(10) On emerging from the woods, you’ll come out onto a track; follow it to the right. Ignore a one-way road on the right and you’ll immediately come to a ‘give way’ sign. Cross the D228 ( a busy road). Continue along the path opposite and immediately ignore a turn-off to the right (not shown on the map).

Yellow and purple markings

(11) At the junction (with metal barriers on either side), turn right and head onto the grassy embankment of the Dhuys underground aqueduct (a small masonry structure; let the^GR®® carry on straight ahead). After a bend to the left, walk alongside a sparse woodland on your right. At the junction (metal barriers), carry on straight ahead through a woodland.

(12) At a junction following a short, steep descent, go straight on towards some houses. Then pass through a metal gate via a passage on the right, cross a street and continue opposite, first on tarmac and then quickly back onto the grassy embankment. Further on, cross a road, cross a stream over a stone slab and follow the aqueduct for another hundred metres or so.

Yellow markings

(13) At a metal barrier, leave the aqueduct and head down a path on the left (see an alternative route in the practical information). Ignore a path on the left and continue between a hedge on your left and a field on your right. At the entrance to Vincelles, first turn right then left to follow the (tarmac) Chemin du Ru des Cygnes, continuing downhill. Ignore a turn-off on the right, then another on the left (not shown on the map), veer to the right and continue downhill. Cross the Ru des Cygnes via a small bridge.

Red and white markings

(14) As you come off the bridge, turn right, walk alongside the stream on your right and follow the^GR®®14A(see a warning in the practical information). Cross the stream again, walk along the edge of the woodland and then between the fields, uphill.

(15) At a junction, go straight on and continue uphill. You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the right and walk past the cemetery. Ignore a turn-off on the left and you’ll soon come to the Dhuys aqueduct again.

(16) Then turn left and follow the aqueduct’s embankment again. Walk alongside a road on your right for about 50 metres, then veer left, staying on the grassy embankment. Cross a road and continue straight on with a hedge on your left (golf course beyond). Stay on the grassy embankment until you reach a road, ignoring any side paths.

(17) Cross the road and continue along the aqueduct embankment (wooded section). At the next junction (marker 119), go straight on across flat ground between the fields. Ignore a path on the right (marker 120), turn left at the next junction and cross the Ru des Cygnes again.

Red and White + Yellow + Green markings

(18) Continue straight on uphill and ignore the paths branching off to the right. At the junction at the top of the climb, go straight on and head back down to a road.

Red and white + yellow markings

(19) Cross the road, take the path on the left (north) and follow the branch of^{the GR®®14A}leading to Trilport station (let the main branch of^{the GR®®} head off to the right alongside the aqueduct). Walk between the fields on a gentle descent. Ignore a path branching off to the left (marker 59) and then one to the right (not shown on the map).

(20) Join a track and follow it straight ahead (north-north-west), downhill. At the junction, take the^second left, Rue du Bout Cornet. At the roundabout, go straight on along the same street. Pass Rue Pierre et Marie Curie on your right and continue straight ahead. Cross the D17 at the pedestrian crossing on the right-hand side and continue along Ruelle du Jard. At the end, carry on along a path to the banks of the Marne.

(21) Turn right and keep as close as possible to the river on your left. Go under the road bridge. You’ll come out onto the Chemin de Halage (tarmac) and follow it straight on (north). At the roundabout, turn right onto Rue du Bac, which goes uphill. At the end, take the first turn right then left to follow Rue Aveline. Take the^first left, Avenue de la Gare, and you’ll soon reach Trilport station (E).

To get back home:
- Transilien – Line P, towards Meaux and Paris-Est (immediate access) or Château-Thierry or La Ferté-Milon (use the underpass).

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Arrange to have at least two vehicles, one at the car park of each of the two stations, which are situated on different sections of the P line. With just one vehicle, travelling there or back by train would involve two changes: one at Meaux and one at Esbly.

Hiking boots are essential. Wet and potentially muddy sections between the fields and on the Dhuys Aqueduct.

No water points have been identified along the route. There is a bar and tobacconist’s in Bouleurs.

A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Warnings:
- Take great care along the road between points (8) and (9).
- The Dhuys aqueduct embankment is a protected area: horses are prohibited and dogs must be kept on a lead.
- At point (14), the purple route further north on the map, which is supposed to represent the^GR®®14A, is out of date: for safety reasons, the Bois le Comte has been closed to the public since 2009 (risk of collapse).

Alternative route:
At point (13), it is possible to continue along the aqueduct embankment (purple markings) to point (16). This shortens the distance by around 500 metres and reduces the elevation gain by 50 metres (in both directions).

Hike completed by the author on 3 December 2019.

The Dhuys underground aqueduct (also spelled Dhuis) was built between 1863 and 1865 to help supply Paris with drinking water. Small masonry structures (outlets) and numbered markers line the embankment.

Apart from the aqueduct, the route often runs through fields. You pass through a few villages with some old houses.