From Luzarches to Fosses via the Forest of Coye and the Pierre Longue

Starting point and access: Luzarches station.
- Transilien - Line H, terminus of one of the sections departing from Paris-Nord.
Take the Cour de la Gare exit.

In addition to the^GR®1and^GR®655, this route follows several^PR® trails in an area where many different^{PR® trails} intersect: at each intersection, the signs are very clear (thanks to the trail markers from the Val-d'Oise departmental committee of the FFRP).

Red and white + yellow markings

(S) Cross the courtyard and then Rue de Moanda and continue straight ahead down Rue Érik Satie towards the town centre. At the bottom, turn right onto Avenue du Maréchal Joffre. Walk up the avenue, which quickly becomes Rue du Pontcet. Cross Rue Vivien on the right-hand side and you will arrive at the old market hall.

(1) Turn left and follow Rue Bonnet. After 200 metres, go around Place de la République on the left (or cross it diagonally to the right). At the end, turn right onto Rue de l'Abbé Soret. At the three-way junction, turn left onto Rue Saint-Damien. Pass by the war memorial and, at the exit of Luzarches, you will reach the church car park (the church is located on the left, higher up).

(2) Continue straight ahead. Go around the roundabout on the left and take the bridge over the D316. At the end of the bridge, cross the access ramp and immediately take the^first left. About 150 metres further on, after a small row of trees on the left (beautiful view of the church), turn right onto a grassy path between the fields. Join a small road and follow it as it continues to the left.

(3) About 200 metres further on, leave the^GR®655on your right and stay on the road with the^GR®1. Cross a hamlet and a stream. About 100 metres further on, turn left onto a wide path lined with hedges. Cross another stream and you will come to a three-way junction.

(4) Turn right and follow the inviting Voie aux Porcs. Climb gently, first along the edge of a meadow on your right, then through the undergrowth. At a three-way junction (forest plot no. 551), take the path on the right and descend. At a fork (plots nos. 552 and 551), take a path on the left (be careful not to miss this turn-off). Follow the path through a narrow strip of woodland (wet passages).

(5) Leave the woods and continue north-east between the fields on a path lined with hedges, following a stream on your right. At the crossroads at the edge of the forest, turn right and stay on the edge. At the next crossroads (plot 545), turn left and enter the forest. Follow a wide paved path for about 300 metres between plots 544 on the left and 543 on the right.

(6) At the crossroads, take a narrower paved path on the right. The path climbs gently at first, then the slope becomes steeper. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead on a steep climb. Then turn right onto a less steep climb. Make a hairpin turn to the left, then a turn to the right, and you will come to a crossroads.

Red and white markings

(7) Ignore the yellow markings to the left and continue straight ahead on a slight incline. Walk east-southeast through a young forest and ignore all the paths branching off to the sides. You will reach a crossroads where the^GR®1turns left.

No markings

(8) Continue straight ahead (south-east). Turn left at the first junction, located about 300 metres further on (the first junction shown on the map no longer exists). You will soon see two curious intertwined trees on your right. Retrace your steps to the Carrefour de Luzarches.

Yellow + Yellow and Blue "Compostelle" markings

(8) Turn left (south). Go through a forest gate and walk along a fence on your right. Continue along the edge of the forest, still following the fence. At the corner of the fence, continue straight ahead (south) on a slight incline between the fields. Pass by the foot of the Sainte-Élisabeth Cross and continue south for about 100 metres.

(9) At the first intersection after the cross, take the path on the right. After about 100 metres, turn left onto the path, which becomes grassy. Head south-west and, at the crossroads, continue straight ahead. The path begins to descend and becomes steep-sided. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, walk alongside a small wood on your left and head towards the houses.

Red and white + yellow + yellow and blue "Compostela" markings

(10) At the crossroads, turn right and leave the houses on your right. At the three-way junction, turn left and go down a tarmac lane, ignoring the turnings on the right. At the stop sign, turn right, still going downhill (note an old dovecote on the left-hand side - incorrectly labelled "mill" on the map). At the corner of the town hall, follow Rue des Sablons to the left and walk along a pond on your left. Take the Pont de l'An 2000 bridge and continue straight ahead, still on Rue des Sablons. At a small triangular square, turn left.

Yellow markings (clearly visible) + red and yellow markings (rare)

(11) At the next intersection, continue straight on Rue de la Source, also referred to as "Allée" locally (ignore the^GR® trail on the right). Just before a crossroads, note the spring on the right-hand side and continue straight ahead along a path that is closed to motorised vehicles. After walking alongside a wood, walk alongside a field on your left.

(12) At a fork, take either the path on the right that enters the undergrowth (marked on the map) or the path on the left, which is not marked on the map and is not very visible on the ground, which runs alongside the woods (as indicated by a yellow marker). When these two paths meet, turn south-east. Ignore a path coming from the right, pass two yellow signs on your left and walk along the Remise du Grand Atelier woods on your right. Continue uphill on a paved path, then descend slightly. Walk along a wood on your left.

No markings

(13) Shortly after the corner of the woods, when the path returns to the fields, turn sharply left. Walk between the woods on your left and a field on your right: above all, do not tread on the crops (if in a group, walk in single file). Turn once to the right and then once to the left (hunting tower). Continue straight ahead; the menhir is located at the next corner.

(14) Return the way you came, taking the same precautions as on the way there.

Markings: Yellow (well marked) + Red and Yellow (rare)

(13) Continue along the grassy path on the left (straight ahead if you did not make the detour to the menhir) and climb slightly until you reach a crossroads.

(15) Then follow the grassy path on the left (north-northeast) to the edge of the Bois Forest. Then turn right for a few metres.

(16) Leave the wide path, which enters the woods, and turn right onto a narrow path (be careful not to miss this turn). Stay on the right-hand side of the field. After about 200 metres, leave the field and descend into the woods onto the path, which has become wider. At the bottom, at a T-junction, follow the tarmac road to the left.

(17) At the traffic lights, turn right, cross the D922 at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the right, leaving Saint-Étienne Church on your left. Cross Allée des Potiers on the left and continue along the road.

(18) After a bus stop, turn left onto Chemin des Noyers, ignoring a dead end on the left. The tarmac gives way to a path. Go through a metal gate and, at the fork immediately ahead, take the left-hand path and walk alongside a field on your right. Walk north-east, alternating between hedges and fences.

(19) At the T-junction, turn right onto a farm track. Walk alongside the football pitches on your right and ignore a path on your left. Pass a car park on your right, walk alongside a fence on your right and go around a school on your left. Pass at the foot of a water tower on the right-hand side and arrive at a Stop sign: look for the pedestrian crossing at the end of the small road you have been following, on the left-hand side.

(20) Cross the main road at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left on a parallel concrete path. Follow this path, ignoring all the side streets on the right. Go around the roundabout on the right, cross the D922 and follow it to the right towards Luzarches. After about 50 metres, turn left to reach Survilliers-Fosses station (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line D, towards Paris-Nord (platform 2, take the underground passage), or Orry-la-Ville and Creil (platform 1, direct access).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Arrange to have at least two vehicles, one in the car park of each of the two stations, which are on different lines. In Luzarches, instead of the station car park (S), you can leave a vehicle in the church car park (2): this will save you a 1.1km walk. If you only have one vehicle, you will need to make a connection at Paris-Nord station for either the outward or return journey.

Hiking boots are required.

No water sources identified along the route. Bars, restaurants and shops in Luzarches, between (S) and (1), and near Surilliers-Fosses station (E).

During the season (September-February), avoid Mondays, which are hunting days in the Cloye Forest.

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

Hike completed by the author on 14 March 2018.

- Old market hall in Luzarches (1740), listed as a historic monument in 1928 (1).
- Saint-Côme-Saint-Damien Church (11th-19th century) (2).
- Intertwined trees in the Forest of Coye, near (8). Two trees have grown side by side to such an extent that their trunks are joined together and appear to have "fused" in places (this is probably only an appearance). The phenomenon is all the more curious given that these two trees, a beech and an oak, belong to two significantly different species.
- Bellefontaine dovecote (16th-17th century), between (10) and (11).
- Bellefontaine spring, shortly after (11).
- Menhir of La Pierre Longue.
- Saint-Étienne Church (12th-13th century) in Fosses (17).