From Crépy-en-Valois to Villers-Cotterêts via the Automne valley.

Access: Crépy-en-Valoisstation (Transilien line K or TER Hauts-de-France).

Red and white markings (GR®11 then GR®11A)

(S) Turn right when leaving the station and follow the tracks to Avenue Sadi Carnot.

(1) Follow the avenue to the right and cross over the railway tracks. Continue straight ahead, still on Avenue Sadi Carnot.

(2) At a three-way junction just before a sports park, turn left onto Rue du Bois de Tillet. Continue straight ahead through the business park until you reach the entrance to the woods.

(3) Continue straight ahead and enter the woods. Go straight ahead, east-south-east, and ignore all the side roads.

(4) At the first crossroads after the end of the road, turn left. Pass Carrefour de la Folie and continue to Carrefour du Centre.

(5) Take the third right, Laie de Crépy, heading due east. Pass Carrefour des Bruyères and continue straight ahead (east) across the moor for about 1 km, crossing two perpendicular paths.

(6) At the third crossroads, take the second path on the left, Chemin de Gondreville à Vaumoise. Continue straight ahead (north-east) until you reach the D88 at the entrance to Vaumoise.

(7) Follow the road to the left and pass under the railway bridge. Then make a first turn left then right to cross the D1324 carefully and continue towards the church.

(8) At the intersection just after the church, continue straight ahead, climbing up onto the plateau. Cross the plateau, passing under a high-voltage power line.

(9) Turn right and pass in front of a sewage treatment plant. Follow the path that turns left, then descends in a wide right-hand bend to a road.

(10) Continue left on the road and cross a river. Follow the road as it climbs slightly up the side of the valley. You will arrive at a mill, below the ridge between the two converging valleys.

(11) Take the path on the right and follow it up the Automne valley for about 2 km until you reach the hamlet of Petit Vez.

(12) Do not follow the GR® markings, which continue straight ahead, as you may find yourself blocked by a barrier 2 km further on. Instead, follow the detour route by turning left onto the road: cross the river in front of a chapel, then turn right. Follow the D32 to the church in Largny-sur-Automne.

(13) Then turn right. Pass a school on your right, then the Château de Fief Goret on your left, and you will come to a road.

(14) First turn left then right to take a path that descends opposite, into the valley. Reach the Moulin de Wallu and the pond of the same name (on the right, the dyke has collapsed and is therefore closed to traffic).

(15) Return to the GR®11, follow it to the left and walk along the pond on your right. Follow a small road to the N2.

(16) Cross the N2 carefully and continue on the road opposite. Follow this road which runs along the valley before making a sharp right turn downhill.

(17) Cross the Automne river and continue along the road. Ignore a street on the left and turn right into a street that climbs towards the centre of Coyolles. Pass by the foot of the church and you will immediately come to a T-junction.

(18) Turn left onto Rue du Châtelet, then right onto Rue du Vieux Château. At the fork, follow Rue de Queue d'Ham to the left. Walk along the wall of the castle grounds and continue along the road that descends into the valley.

(19) At a fork, keep right and climb up into the Retz National Forest on a footpath. Continue straight ahead (south) until you reach a level crossing.

(20) Cross the railway line and immediately turn left, following it. At the railway bridge, take Route de Queue d'Ham on the right (south-east).

(21) After about 300 m, at the Carrefour de la Sorcière, take the Laie de la Bruyère on the left (or the Tortue road 200 m further on if the path is impassable). After about 1 km, turn right and you will immediately arrive at the Carrefour des Faisans.

(22) Cross the road carefully, follow it to the left for about 20 metres, then turn right. Shortly afterwards, turn right again (east) onto Route Tortue. Continue straight ahead, passing Carrefour Magenta, then Carrefour du Poirier d'Oignon. You will reach Carrefour de la Montagnette.

(23) Cross the D936 with caution (very busy road) and continue on Route Tortue, which turns left (northeast). Follow it to Carrefour du Poteau Coquetier, and let the GR® 11 trail go to the right.

(24) Pass under the Laie de la Queue d'Oigny bridge (old railway line). On the other side, take the second path on the left (north-west) taken by the GR® 11A. Continue straight ahead to the edge of the Retz National Forest at the entrance to Villers-Cotterêts.

(25) Then turn right. You will soon reach a road; follow it to the left. Leave the forest and enter Villers-Cotterêts via the Route d'Oigny. Continue along Rue du Marchois (ignore Rue Maurice Bourdon on the right).

(26) You will come out onto Avenue de La Ferté-Milon (D936). Follow it to the right and take the bridge over the railway tracks. Immediately turn left to reach Villers-Cotterêts station (E).

Arrival: Villers-Cotterêtsstation served by Hauts-de-France TER regional trains.

(S) Departure from Crépy-en-Valois station, terminus of the Transilien K line (with TER fares, as the station is located in the Oise department), also served by the Hauts-de-France TER. Please note that service is limited compared to other Transilien lines. For more information, visit transilien.com or the Hauts-de-France TER website.

(E) Arrival at Villers-Cotterêts station, on the TER Hauts-de-France network (Paris-Laon line). Similarly, check the TER Hauts-de-France website for timetables. Another option is to stay in Villers-Cotterêts (several hotels and other accommodation available in town) and travel to La Ferté-Milon the next day for the next stage. This could also be an opportunity to visit the town, particularly its castle and park.

Long stage (30 km). It is possible to break it up at Vaumoise station, accessible from (7), bearing in mind that only 1 or 2 trains per day stop there in each direction.

Please note:

• Bois de Tillet between (3) and (7): the GR® route through the woods seems to have changed frequently, as the markings on the ground did not correspond to those on my digital and paper maps, even though they were recent. In any case, even if you do not follow the suggested route exactly, or the GR® route on the ground or on the map, from (5), I recommend passing through Carrefour des Bruyères, which crosses a beautiful natural area before reaching (6).
• GR® diversion in the Automne valley from point (12):the Wallu mill dyke, over which the official GR® route passes at point (15), is closed due to subsidence. A detour (by road, unmarked) is suggested by the FFR Oise from Petit Vez at point (12), passing through the village of Largny-sur-Automne. As I was not aware of this when I did the stage, I found myself in front of the closed dyke... Having made good progress in the valley, I did not follow this detour, but took another route through the woods that I cannot show here... It is still worth checking whether it is possible to cross this dam on foot, in case consolidation work has been carried out in the meantime...
• Retz Forest between (19) and (25): the paths can be muddy in wet weather. In this case, allow extra time to cross the forest (and don't hesitate to take parallel paths that are more passable).

Hike completed on 14 December 2024 with the aim of covering the entire GR® 11.

• Bois du Tillet, from (3) to (7), with its heathland at the crossroads of the same name.
• Village of Vaumoise (beautiful view from the plateau to the north) with its Saint-Pierre church (8).
• Vallée de l'Automne, from (11) to (17).
• Village of Coyolles, its church and castle (18).
• Retz State Forest, from (19) to (25).
• Town of Villers-Cotterêts and its castle (E).