From Fontenay to Clamart via the greenway, parks and woods

Starting point and access: Fontenay-aux-Roses station.
- RER - Line B, on the section between Paris and Robinson.
Take exit 1 Rue Félix Pécault (on the platform in the direction of Paris to Robinson). If arriving from Robinson, take exit 2 Rue Robert Marchand, follow a path and join the route at Place Henri Dunant.

Yellow markings

(S) When you leave the station, turn right onto Rue Jean-Noël Pelnard. After about 50 metres, take the footbridge with blue railings to cross the railway line. On the other side, cross Place Henri Dunant and turn left towards the town centre.

Yellow + Green + Red and White Markings

Cross Rue Robert Marchand. There are two paths that intersect further on: take the left-hand one, a cement footpath (do not take the tarmac path on the right, which is for cyclists). Pass a small memorial to the victims of Nazi barbarism on the right-hand side. At a fork, turn left and go under a footbridge. At the T-junction, turn left and go under a^second footbridge. You will briefly rejoin the Coulée Verte on the right-hand side, but stay on the cement path.

Cross the street and continue straight ahead on the cement path. Reach Rue Boucicaut and follow it to the right. At the traffic lights, turn left to cross the street. Go straight ahead and stay parallel to Rue Marx Dormoy. Walk along the left-hand side of a sports field and then some outdoor fitness equipment. After crossing Rue Georges Bailly, you will see three paths ahead: take the leftmost one, which remains flat (follow the markings).

Yellow + green markings

(1) In front of a chicane, turn left (let the^GR® continue straight ahead; two^PR® paths separate here) and walk along a rugby field on your right. At the corner of the field, continue straight ahead and go down a flight of steps spaced apart from each other. At a small roundabout, turn left to cross Square Borehamwood, climbing three flights of steps. At the top (fountain), turn right. You will come out onto an avenue; follow it to the right.

At the traffic lights, cross Avenue Jeanne et Maurice Dolivet to the left, then Rue Blanchard to the right. Continue straight ahead for a few metres and, at the sign marking the entrance to Châtillon, turn left into Parc des Pierrettes.

(2) Climb a staircase and follow an uphill path interspersed with steps. Cross a roundabout (basketball hoop) and climb a staircase opposite, lined with small pseudo-rocks. When you reach the foot of an oriental-style kiosk, descend another staircase on the left. At the bottom, turn right to find the park exit.

Cross the street and continue straight ahead on Allée du Cèdre (dead end), preferably on the left-hand pavement. At the end, climb a ramp that curves to the right. Continue on Allée Debussy, which leads to a wide street, and follow it to the right.
N.B. In March 2019, the alley and surrounding streets were under construction: follow the signs on site.

(3) At the traffic lights, turn right again towards the town centre. Walk along the left-hand side of Square de l'Europe and you will come to Place de la Libération (town hall on the right, church opposite). Turn right and cross Impasse Samson on the right-hand side. At the fork, follow the D68 to the right towards Bagneux.

At No. 13, turn left into Parc Henri Matisse. Go through a^second narrow gate and, at the fork immediately ahead (statue of a gleaner), take the left-hand path. At the next fork, turn left again and, at the next crossroads, turn left again. Climb the stairs and leave the park.

Cross Avenue de la République at the pedestrian crossing and make a zigzag left-right to follow Allée des Sarments. Go past a wooden barrier and continue straight ahead. At the end (Maison du Patrimoine opposite), turn right.

(4) At number^26bis, turn left into Parc des Sarments. Go straight ahead, go down two staircases and then go around a small kiosk and a pond on the right. At the end of the garden, turn left and exit.

Return to the tarmac, go straight ahead, ignore a street on the right and go under a porch. At the exit (former public baths opposite), turn left. At the crossroads, turn right and go up Rue Sadi Carnot. Further on, cross Rue Gambetta and continue straight ahead.

At the end, follow Rue d'Estienne d'Orvres to the right for a few metres, then cross at the pedestrian crossing before the bus stop. Follow the street to the right again, downhill, and pass a memorial to General de Gaulle.

At the crossroads, turn left up Avenue de la Division Leclerc and walk alongside the Châtillon reservoir on your left. Just before a roundabout, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead through the blue gate of a public park (no name on site or on the map). Continue straight ahead and you will soon come to a small roundabout.

No signposts

(5) Continue straight ahead and take the footbridge over Avenue de Verdun and the tram line. At the end of the footbridge, enjoy a beautiful view of western Paris, from Mont Valérien to the Eiffel Tower, passing through the La Défense district. Retrace your steps.

Yellow + green markings

(5) Back at the small roundabout, turn right and go through a gate. Stay on the main path (tarmac), which winds through the park. Climb a staircase that goes around a small pond and an artificial waterfall on the right. At the top, turn right and, at the crossroads immediately ahead (benches), turn left. Walk past a nursery on your right and exit the park.
N.B. In March 2019, the main exit was closed. In this case, climb the small staircase that leads to the entrance to the nursery, turn left immediately and find another exit.

Then follow the avenue on the right and uphill. Cross Impasse Hoche on the right-hand side, then cross the street at the traffic lights (monument in honour of the defenders of Paris in 1870 opposite).

Yellow markings

(6) Then turn right and take the bridge over Avenue de Verdun and the tram line. At the end of the bridge, turn left into Rue du Fort (two^PR® trails separate here). Follow this street, ignore two turnings on the right and enter Clamart. Cross Rue de la Défense on the left and you will come to a crossroads.

Continue straight ahead, slightly to the right, along Avenue du Bois Tardieu. Go straight ahead between Clamart Cemetery on your left and Alain Fournier College on your right. Pass the cemetery entrance and go downhill. At the traffic lights, cross the avenue and continue straight ahead. At the end, cross another street in two stages.

N.B. When crossing the Bois de Clamart, between (7) and (8), not all paths and crossroads are shown on the map.

(7) Continue straight ahead into the Bois de Clamart, on a wide gravel path that climbs uphill and is interspersed with steps. At^{the first} intersection (small paved area), turn right. At the next intersection, go straight ahead. At a crossroads, follow the widest of the paths roughly opposite. At the next intersection, go straight ahead.

At a crossroads (kiosk on the left), head straight ahead towards a bench. Leave the bench on your left and, at the crossroads immediately ahead, take the^second path on the right (the^first is not very marked, although it is wide). Quickly ignore a path coming from the right and head towards the electricity pylons. Ignore a path that descends to the right and walk along the wall of a property.

No markings

(8) At the corner of the wall, take a paved path downhill on the right (ignore the markings continuing straight ahead). Ignore a path coming from the left and continue to an electrical substation at the end of Route du Vieux Cimetière.

Yellow markings

Turn right immediately to find the (discreet) entrance to the Jardin du Dr Damlamian. Go around the right side of the Conservatoire de Musique building and cross the garden, following a winding tarmac path. Ignore a gravel path on the left and turn right to exit the garden.

Then follow Rue Princesse to the right and, at the end, turn left onto Rue Taboise. Cross Rue Fillassier and first turn right then left to follow Rue de l'Église. Go straight ahead, walk along Square du 18 juin 1940 and you will arrive at the foot of a fountain.

Then turn right onto Rue du Trosy. At the roundabout, continue straight ahead. Cross Rue de la Fontaine on the right-hand side and immediately turn left onto Rue Chef de Ville (pedestrianised at this point). At the next intersection, continue along this street, which becomes open to traffic again. Go straight ahead, ignoring the streets and alleys on either side. At the end, go around the roundabout on the left and cross Rue Paul Vaillant-Couturier and Rue Gabriel Péri.

(9) Enter the Parc de la Maison Blanche. At a fork, turn left and pass in front of a sheep pen and then a small wooden dovecote. Continue past a kiosk on the left and then along a pond on the right. At the end, take two footbridges in succession. Then first turn right then left to take a gravel path flanked by two human head sculptures (the Termes Gods).

Leave the park, turn right, cross Rue Georges Huguet and follow Rue Louis Dupont. Note the giant sequoia on the left-hand pavement. Cross Rue Martial Granchamp on the left-hand side and you will immediately come to a crossroads.

No signposts

(10) Then turn left at the^first street, Rue des Closiaux (ignore the signs pointing straight ahead). At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue Pierre Louvrier. Continue straight ahead and cross Avenue Victor Hugo, Rue des Leux on the right-hand side and Avenue Jean Jaurès. Then take Allée Balanche (private road, pedestrians allowed).

At the end, turn right. Go down gently and ignore the^first street on the left. At the next crossroads, turn right into Rue du Moulin de Pierres. Follow this street to the end (traffic lights). Then first turn right then left to follow Rue Gambetta.

At the roundabout, take the^second left onto Avenue Jean Jaurès, towards the station. At the end, cross a square and a small car park. Then turn right onto a one-way street and you will quickly reach Clamart station (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line N, towards Paris-Montparnasse or towards Versailles-Chantiers then Rambouillet, Dreux or Mantes-la-Jolie.

In dry weather, good trainers are sufficient for this hike. In winter, in wet weather, hiking boots may be necessary to cross the Bois de Clamart.

There are a few water points in public parks (marked on the map). Bars, restaurants and shops can be found in the centre of Châtillon, between (3) and (5), in the centre of Clamart, before (9), and near Clamart station, before (E).

For the most part, this hike follows^PR® trails, designed and marked by the Hauts-de-Seine departmental committee of the FFRP. A detailed map is still necessary (at least the one accompanying this description).

Public park opening hours:
Coulée Verte: 24 hours a day.
Square Borehamwood: 24 hours a day.
Parks in the municipality of Châtillon: des Pierrettes, Henri Matisse, des Sarments, and unnamed:
- Opening hours: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 9 a.m.; weekdays, 9 a.m. from November to March, 8 a.m. from April to October.
- Closing times: November to March, 6 p.m.; April to October, 8 p.m.
Parks in the municipality of Clamart: Dr Damlamian and Maison Blanche:
- October to March, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- April to September, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Hike completed by the author on 7 March 2019.

- Memorial to the victims of Nazi barbarism, shortly after the start of the green corridor, between (S) and (1).

- Oriental-style kiosk at the top of Parc des Pierrettes, shortly after (2).

- Saint-Philippe-et-Saint-Jacques Church (12th-16th century), in Châtillon, after (3).

- Several sculptures in Parc Henri Matisse, between (3) and (4).

- Charming Parc des Sarments (4).

- Beautiful view of western Paris from the footbridge after (5).

- Monument in tribute to the defenders of Paris (siege of 1870-1871) (6).

- Pleasant forest walk in the Bois de Clamart, between (7) and (8).

- Parc de la Maison Blanche (9): pond and sculptures, including the Dieux Termes near the exit.