From the Seine to the Meudon Forest

Starting point and access: Pont de Sèvres, left bank (first access point below and marked on the map) or right bank (the other two access points).
- Tram - Line T2, Musée de Sèvres station. Take the unnumbered exit located at the rear of the tram when travelling from Pont de Bezons to Porte de Versailles (if travelling in the opposite direction, cross the tracks carefully at the designated crossing).
- Metro - Line 9 (terminus). Take exit 1 Île Seguin and Bus.
- Bus - Lines 169, 171, 179, 291, 426 and 467.
In the latter two cases, cross the bus station towards the Seine (west), turning slightly to the right. At the end, cross Avenue du Général Leclerc on the right at the traffic lights. Then turn left, cross an access ramp and take the bridge over the Seine. Just before the old Pont de Sèvres station (square brick building), go down the stairs on the right. At the landing, turn right and go down the stairs, leaving the building on your left. When you reach the tram station, cross the tracks carefully at the designated crossing and turn right to reach the exit at the end of the platform.

No signposts

(S/E) Go straight ahead towards the clearly visible National Ceramics Museum. Cross the bus lane and turn left. At the traffic lights, turn right and cross Rue de Saint-Cloud in several stages. On the other side, climb a staircase. At the top, turn left onto a concrete path towards the town centre. Ignore a footbridge on the left and a staircase on the right, continue straight ahead and go down a staircase. At the bottom, turn right and follow the D910 road.

At the traffic lights, turn left and cross the D910 in several stages. On the other side (signposted Grande Rue), first turn right then left to enter the porch at No. 1. At the end of the porch, turn right onto Rue du Vieux Port and continue straight ahead between a few restaurants. When you reach a bank, turn left onto a footpath. At the end, turn right and go under a large porch. Go straight ahead and go under a second porch. At the end, first turn left then right to cross a wide avenue (Avenue de la Division Leclerc).

(1) On the other side, turn left and walk up the avenue. Cross Rue Madame Jules Favre on the right-hand side, then take the next right, Avenue Henri Regnault, which is wide and lined with trees and beautiful houses. At the end, turn left into Rue Brongiart. Take the^first right, Rue Théodore Deck. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead and climb a long staircase. At the top, first turn left then right to go up Rue Blaise Pascal (cobbled). At the top, turn right, still on the cobbled street. At the stop sign, take the bridge over the railway tracks. At the end of the bridge, turn right onto Rue Ernest Renan and walk along the railway tracks on your right.

(2) At the fork, turn left, staying on Rue Ernest Renan (ignore the access to Sèvres-Rive Gauche station on your right). Take the^first left, Rue Albert Dammouse, uphill. Then take the^first right, Rue Avice (private road open to pedestrians). At the end, turn left into Rue des Fontaines. Go up between a stadium on the left and a residence on the right. At the end of the tarmac road, continue along a path that goes up into the forest.

Yellow + red and white markings

(3) At the T-junction, turn right and climb a short but steep slope. At the next two junctions, go straight ahead on fairly flat ground. Cross a road and then a path running parallel to it and take a path that branches off to the left. Wind your way through the undergrowth along this marked path and ignore any vague tracks on either side. Join a path along a wall, follow it to the right for a few dozen metres and you will come to a large crossroads (marked Belle Étoile on the IGN map). Continue straight ahead (west-southwest) on a wide forest path lined with beautiful oak trees.

Yellow markings

(4) At the next crossroads (marked Femme sans Tête on the IGN map), take the^first path on the left (plot no. 52) and follow^PR® no. 9. Go straight ahead (south-east), ignoring the mountain bike tracks on either side. Walk along the fence of a residence and, at the end of the path, you will come to a roundabout at the entrance to Sèvres. Go around the roundabout on the left and take the Route des Bois Blancs opposite. Immediately, at the 30 km/h speed limit sign, turn left. Pass through a forest barrier and walk along a football stadium on your left. At a hut (for specialists, at the 16 m line on the football field), turn right onto a narrow path (south-southeast).

(5) At a slightly marked crossroads, take the^second path on the right (south-west). At the end, you will come to a roundabout with a radio tower in the centre. Go around the roundabout on the left, cross a tarmac cul-de-sac and then a road. Then cross the Route des Treize Ponts (ignore the yellow arrow for^PR® no. 9, which invites you to take this tarmac road). Immediately afterwards, take a path that leads into the undergrowth and follow^PR® no. 6. Walk south then south-southeast and continue straight ahead at two crossroads. Ignore a path on the right and continue to the Chêne des Missions oak tree, at the foot of which stand a pseudo-menhir and three pseudo-dolmens.

(6) Leave the oak tree and pseudo-megaliths on your left. Join a wide path and follow it to the left.

Red and yellow markings

At the Fonds de la Chapelle crossroads, follow the^GRP® Ceinture Verte d'Île-de-France (the^third path on the left and right). Go straight ahead, heading east, and cross two drainage ditches. At the crossroads (chicanes made of tree trunks across the path), go straight ahead, still heading east. At the end, the dirt track turns right and gives way to a tarmac road.

(7) Take the footbridge over the N118 (inevitably noisy). Then go down the stairs on the right and turn left into Rue Henri Etlin.

Red and yellow + yellow markings

At the fork that appears immediately, follow the same street to the left. Pass in front of the Lycée de Villebon, turn left with the street and walk along the municipal greenhouses of Meudon. Shortly before the entrance to a horse riding club, leave the road and turn right onto a path that leads into the woods. Go downhill, ignore the tracks on either side and you will arrive at the Carrefour de l'Étang de Villebon.

Yellow markings

(8) Go straight ahead and walk along the pond on your left. Just before the next crossroads, turn left and go down to the edge of the pond. Walk along the pond on your left. At a fork, turn left, still following the pond. Cross a stream, take a wooden walkway and climb a flight of steps. You will come out onto a tarmac path. Follow it to the right until you reach the Carrefour de la Queue de l'Étang.

No signposts

(9) Turn right, cross a small car park, go through a forest barrier and climb up a stony path. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead on flat ground.

Yellow markings

At Carrefour des Cloîtres, turn left onto a wide path and walk along a wall on your right (this is the wall of the Paris Observatory park, which will serve as a landmark until you reach the next tarmac road). At the corner of the wall, take the^third path on the right, which leads away from the wall and is lined with small yellow two-sided signs.

At the next crossroads (large yellow two-sided sign), turn right (east-northeast). At a T-junction, turn left and rejoin the wall. Pass in front of the remains of a reservoir. Cross a wide path on the left-hand side, pass in front of a large gate and continue along the wall on your right-hand side.

No markings

(10) At a crossroads (tree stump and metal gate on the right-hand side), take the path on the right (ignore the signposting on the left). Follow the wall on your right, stay on the main path and ignore all the paths on the left.

Red and white + yellow markings

You will come to a road; follow it to the right and pass the entrance to the Paris Observatory. Stay on the right-hand side of the road, on a path that runs parallel to it. Go downhill and enter Meudon.

(11) At the stop sign, turn right at an acute angle into Rue des Capucins. After a few dozen metres, descend to the left into Passage Tivoli. At the bottom, turn left and follow the gravel side road downhill along Avenue du Château. Continue straight ahead until you reach a crossroads (post office opposite, church on the right).

Cross Route des Gardes at the pedestrian crossing and continue opposite, alongside the post office, along Sentier des Balysis (path between two walls). At the end, turn right into a one-way street. At the end, turn left and then immediately right to cross the street at the pedestrian crossing. Pass in front of Bellevue station.

(12) At the corner of the station, turn right onto a path for pedestrians and cyclists and follow the railway line below on the right. At the bridge, turn left onto Route des Gardes, quickly cross Rue Louis Blanc and go downhill. At the road sign on the right-hand side, just after the entrance to a car park, turn left onto a path that leads into the Bois des Tybiles. The path turns left and runs alongside a fence on the left-hand side. At an isolated house, take a sharp right turn and continue downhill.

At the bottom, cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and follow it downhill to the left. Take the bridge over the tram line. Continue downhill, cross the street and you will arrive at a car park at the foot of the Brimborion tram station.

(13) Cross the wide avenue at the pedestrian crossing. Go down the steps and you will reach the gravel towpath. Turn left and walk along the Seine on your right. Go under the footbridge that leads to Île Seguin and La Seine Musicale, and continue along the towpath. Walk along the Port de Sèvres and then go under the Pont de Sèvres. You will then find the tram station on your left (S/E).

To return home:
- Tram - Line T2, towards La Défense and Pont de Bezons (immediate access) or Porte de Versailles (cross the tracks carefully at the designated crossing).
- Metro - Line 9.
- Bus - Lines 169, 171, 179, 291, 426 and 467.
In the latter two cases, just after passing under Pont de Sèvres, climb the stairs on the left that run alongside the brick building of the old station. This will take you to the bridge, which you can cross to reach the station.

Hiking boots or good trainers are recommended.

No water sources identified along the route. Bars and restaurants on Rue du Vieux Port, before (1) and near Bellevue station (12).

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Alternative starting or finishing points:
- Transilien - Line N, Sèvres-Rive Gauche station (2): take the exit on the Rue Henri Duveyrier side and join Rue Ernest Renan; Bellevue station (12): take the exit on the Rue Troyon side.
- Tram - Line T2, Brimborion station (13). Take the exit on the Rue Troyon side.

Hike completed by the author on 23 May 2020.

- National Ceramics Museum, at the start of the loop.
- Beautiful townhouses.
- The Chêne des Missions (6), surrounded by pseudo-megaliths (erected in the early 20th century).
- The Villebon Pond, between (8) and (9).
- Towpath along the Seine, between (13) and (S/E), and views of Île Seguin.