From Meaux to Jouarre

(S) From the esplanade in front of Meaux Cathedral, walk past the cathedral on your left, then turn right onto Rue de la Cordonnerie. Next, take the^second left onto Rue Darnetal. At the end of the street, turn right and cross the Marne via the Pont du Marché.

(1) Turn left straight away, walk alongside the Marne on the^GR®14A, which joins the^GR®1(red and white markings), and pass under the Pont Neuf, then under the Pont Foch. Turn right onto Quai Charles Deboeuf and head up onto the D360 road at the Cornillon lock.

(2) Turn left to cross the canal and head straight back down the left-hand side. On the banks of the Marne, turn right onto Quai du Maréchal Mortier. Turn right again and walk alongside lock no. 12. Return to the D360 and follow it to the left to cross the lock.

(3) Head down to the left onto the Chemin Bas. Immediately turn left to reach the Marne. Turn right and rejoin the Chemin Bas. Then turn left and follow the Marne.

(4) At the junction, rejoin the tarmac road and turn right onto Rue de Marne. At the next junction, turn left onto Chemin du Vieux Noix. At the Fork in the road, turn right onto Rue de la Lampe.

(5) At the end of the street, leave the church on your left and head up to the right towards the shops. When you reach the town hall, turn left onto Rue Gambetta. Take the^first alleyway on the left, which leads onto a path (Sentier de la Petite Arche). Ignore a turn-off on the right and cross a stream.

(6) You’ll come out onto Rue Gallieni; follow it to the left. Take the^first left onto Rue Raymond Marchand. At the next junction, go straight on, then turn right as the road bends.

(7) Take Rue du Petit Val on the left. At the junction, take the^second left onto Chemin du Petit Val.

(8) At the start of a left-hand bend, head down the track to the right, following the^GR®14A(red and white markings). Cross the Ru des Cygnes and head back up the other side. At the junction, turn right and follow the Ru des Cygnes.

(9) Cross the small bridge and continue to Boutigny via Rue Henri Adolphe Joly.

(10) Turn left just after the first junction to follow the Dhyus to Saint-Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners, who founded an episcopal monastery on land donated by Faron, Bishop of Meaux.

(11) At the junction in Saint-Fiacre, you can walk up Rue de Meaux towards the church and the priory. Continue along the Dhuys towards Montceaux-les-Meaux.

(12) Let’s carry on along the Dhuys aqueduct. Cross a small road then turn right (east-north-east) to stay on the aqueduct embankment. Cross another road and continue along the aqueduct to Montceaux-les-Meaux.

(13) At the entrance to Montceaux-les-Meaux, let the aqueduct continue straight ahead and turn right up Rue du Vieux Pavé. At the roundabout, head diagonally left into Rue du Château.

(14) At the junction, turn left onto Rue de Lizy (D19). As you approach a left-hand bend, leave the road and take a path on the right, walking alongside the Montceaux cemetery. Continue along the edge of the Bois Verdelot, still following the GR^®.

(15) At the edge of the wood, turn right and head south-west between the fields. At the next T-junction, turn left and, at the following Fork in the road, head diagonally to the right.

(16) At the crossroads, turn right and follow the Dhuys aqueduct along the^GR® 11 and 14A. Cross a small road, enter a woodland and then cross another road. After crossing a third road, you’ll come out onto a fourth road at the entrance to Arpentigny.

(17) Leave the^GR® routes for the time being, cross the road and follow the aqueduct, initially keeping parallel to a road.

(18) When we reach the siphon (a rounded structure made of Meulière stone), we turn off to the left towards the motorway, which we follow on our left alongside the wire fence until we reach a small tunnel that allows us to pass underneath it. At the exit, walk on for about fifty metres, then turn left, following the aqueduct. Ignore a path branching off to the right and continue along the aqueduct’s embankment.

(19) Cross a road, continue straight ahead alongside the aqueduct and rejoin the^{GR® paths.} Follow them to the village of Signy-Signets.

(20) Cross a road and carry on straight ahead. Cross a stream at the culvert.
N.B. If there is too much water in the stream, turn back, follow the road to the right to enter the village, then turn right onto Rue Hoche Minot to reach the Dhuys.

(21) Cross Rue Robert Soulat and carry on along the aqueduct embankment. At the next junction, go straight on.

(22) Cross the D21 very carefully, then carry on straight ahead along the Dhuys. At a crossroads, go straight on. Turn left along the aqueduct and cross the previous path again.

(23) Cross the road leading to the hamlet of Signy and continue north-east along the aqueduct. Ignore a turn-off on the left and stay on the Dhuys.

(24) The two^GR® routes split: follow the^GR®11straight on, towards Jouarre, staying on the dirt track the whole way. Cross a wide track and carry on straight ahead.

(25) Cross the Ru de Péreuse by fording (or using a makeshift footbridge). Head up to the D114p road.
N.B. After rain, the Ru de Péreuse may be difficult to cross at the ford ( see alternative route under ‘Practical Information’).

(26) Cross the road and continue north-north-east into a woodland.

(27) At the junction, continue alongside the aqueduct, heading south-east then east. Cross the Bois de Foy, passing the aqueduct and the D21a road along the way.

(28) At the junction, turn right onto a small road (the Chemin du Pas du Roi) and follow the yellow-marked^{PR® trail} (let the^GR® continue straight ahead). Climb up to the Château de Venteuil (viewpoint).

(29) Carry on along the small road. At the T-junction, first turn right then left to follow the Allée de Ventueil (yellow markings). At the next junction, continue along the D402. Cross the Rue de Comporte on the left-hand side and carry on straight ahead along the Rue du Petit Huet.

(30) When the street bends to the left, carry on straight ahead. Then turn right to reach the Donjon de Jouarre (E).

(25) Alternative route: in this case, at point (24), turn left onto the^GR®14A. After about a hundred metres, follow the D114p to the right. Rejoin the route at (26).''

The towns of Meaux, Nanteuil-les-Meaux and Jouarre have local shops where you can stock up on supplies.
Lodges and guesthouses can be booked along the route. Enquire at the town hall or at the tourist information centres.
Meaux: http://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.fr; contact: 01 64 33 02 26;
Coulommiers: Tourist Office; 7 rue du Général de Gaulle 77120; contact: 01 64 03 88 09
http://www.coulommiers.fr
Pays Fertois Tourist Office; 5 Grande Place, 77640 Jouarre; tel: 01 60 22 64 54

https://www.chambres-hotes.fr/; https://www.cybevasion.fr/; https://www.gites-de-france.com/fr https://www.airbnb.fr; https://www.campingfrance.com; https://www.camping.fr

In Jouarre (E), there are shops, accommodation and heritage sites to visit.

The monk Columbanus is one of the most distinguished pioneers of Western civilisation in the 6th century.
The number of monasteries founded under his influence and the depth of his religious legacy mean he is regarded as one of the patron saints of Europe.
This stop reveals a heritage rich in history and tradition;
From the Episcopal City of Meaux, with its cathedral and the Maison du Brie in Jouarre – where the Abbey of Notre-Dame was built by Adon, who was baptised by Columbanus – to its crypts and museum, via the Church of Saint-Authaire in Ussy-sur-Marne.
The Royal Abbey of Jouarre, founded by Adon – who was baptised by Columbanus – with its crypts, jewels of Merovingian art, the Museum of Brie Civilisations, and the monastery tower.
The River Dhuys, along which we walk, has its own history and reveals the technological feats involved in supplying Paris with fresh water.
Napoleon’s bench, with its view over the Marne Valley; the Château de Venteuil, which once belonged to the Jussieu family.
The church at Ussy-sur-Marne has a stained-glass window depicting Colomban blessing Authaire’s children. It was they who built the monasteries at Rebais, Reuil-en-Brie and Jouarre, of which only the latter remains.