From Noisiel to Saint-Maur via the Bois Saint-Martin

Starting point and access: Noisiel station.
- RER - Line A, on the section between Paris and Marne-la-Vallée. Take exit 1 Grande Allée des Bois.
- Bus - Lines 211, 213, 220.

Red and white markings

(S) When you leave the station, walk a few dozen metres along the esplanade and then turn right. Go through a chicane and take one of the two branches of Allée des Grands Bois (the sign is on the right-hand branch). At the end, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead between a secondary school on the left and an RATP centre, then a stadium on the right. Go through a wooden barrier and between two monumental water towers.

No signposts

(1) Just after and before a metal barrier, turn right then left to pass a chicane made of small rocks. Follow a path that is sometimes poorly marked, heading generally west-southwest. At a crossroads, go straight ahead onto a wide path.

At the next junction, continue straight ahead. Pass a tiny pond on the left and, at the three-way junction that follows, keep right and follow a sort of canal on your left. Immediately ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead (wet passage). As you approach houses, ignore a path on the right and, just before a road, reach an intersection with a footbridge without a railing on the left.

N.B. For the most part, the section between (2) and (4) is on a poorly marked path and requires a good sense of direction. At the end, there is (unfortunately!) some fly-tipping. If you wish to avoid this section, see the practical information for an alternative route.

(2) Take the footbridge to cross a stream and then cross a wetland. At the intersection that appears shortly after, turn left and then right (green arrow and letter "SA" painted on trees). In a lighter wooded area, ignore a vague trail on the right and then one on the left (follow the letters "SA").

(3) At a fork not shown on the map, turn left. There are no more "SA" signs and, a little further on, the path turns left. Facing a broken tree across the path (in February 2022), turn right through the vegetation and quickly rejoin the path. Leave the woods and cross a small ditch to come out onto the D51.

Red and yellow markings

(4) Follow a paved path on the left that runs parallel to the road and is well protected by a parapet (be careful of other users, cyclists and scooters). Cross the A4 motorway. At the traffic lights, go straight ahead and follow Rue de l'Ancien Monastère, preferably on the right-hand pavement. Go straight ahead and ignore the side streets and dead ends.

At the traffic lights, turn right towards the town hall. Cross Rue du Château on your left. Then take the^second left after the bus stop, Chemin du Berdourou. When the street turns right, continue straight ahead and enter the Bois de Footel. At the fork that appears immediately (gate), turn right.

No signposts

(5) At the crossroads (which may be wet), go straight ahead (information signs and map of the Bois Saint-Martin). At the T-junction, turn right and pass a pond on your right. At the next intersection, turn left. Continue straight ahead along Allée de Malnoue, which is soon bordered on the left by a fenced-off plot "for the rest and relaxation of flora and fauna". Further on, cross a railway line and go downhill until you reach a junction. Turn right. After a left-hand bend, you will come to an avenue at the edge of the woods (access to the Yvris station, RER E, on the right).

(6) Follow the avenue on the left (Avenue du Bois Saint-Martin) and walk along the fenced woods on your left. At the next intersection, turn left, still on Avenue du Bois Saint-Martin. Turn right with the avenue and walk along a fenced pond on your left. At the three-way junction, turn left onto Avenue Stanislas Liedet. Go straight ahead at each stop sign (four in total).

(7) At the end (Château des Tourelles opposite), turn right. Take the^first left, Avenue du Domino Noir. Go straight ahead at the two successive crossroads. Then go around the Rond-Point du Val Roger on the right and take the^second exit, Avenue de la Sirène. At the intersection, go straight ahead. At the end, cross the avenue carefully and follow it to the right along the Jardins de Sparte. Turn left at the corner of the green space and you will immediately come to an intersection.

(8) Turn right onto Ancien Chemin de Villiers. Cross Avenue Célina on the left and, at the next intersection, continue straight ahead on Ancien Chemin de Villiers. After a left turn, you will come to Rue Fortier; follow it to the left. Take the^first road on the right, Chemin des Lyonnes. Ignore a street on the right and, immediately after, turn left onto Avenue de Beauregard. At the crossroads that appears immediately, continue straight ahead onto Avenue de Beauregard. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets on either side and a few yellow road markings.

(9) At the end, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue des Loisirs. At the end, follow Rue des Hauts Montguichets to the left. Further on, cross Place Parmentier and turn left onto Rue de Sévigné. Turn right with the street. Continue straight ahead, cross Place de Coeuilly, follow Rue de l'Abreuvoir opposite and pass the old Château de Coeuilly.

At the end of the street, turn right. Go around the roundabout on the right and continue along Rue de l'Abreuvoir, leaving the post office on your right. At the end, turn right and, after a few dozen metres, turn left to cross the avenue at^{the first} pedestrian crossing.

(10) Turn into Rue des Platanes, roughly opposite. Take the^second right, Rue de Nieuport. At the end, cross Rue Molière and follow it to the left. Take the^second right, Chemin des Mogatons (chicane). Go through a^second chicane and continue straight ahead into a street at the foot of a large building on the right.

At the end of the tarmac, continue along a path and follow the lawn on your right. Pass a small memorial on your left, then a hedge on your right and turn right. At the start of a road, turn left and cross the car park of a supermarket. Climb a flight of steps and follow the road to the left to reach a roundabout at the foot of a radio tower. Go around the crossroads on the right, follow the D4 towards Champigny-centre, pass a bus stop and turn right into Rue du Monument.

Yellow signposts

(11) Take the^first left, Rue de Dunkerque, then the^first right, Rue Jules Péan. At the end, follow Rue Armand Trousseau to the left. The street soon turns right and becomes Rue Jean Villemin. At the end, turn left and, at the stop sign immediately ahead, go straight ahead onto Sentier des Tartres. Go downhill and finish with a few steps. At the bottom, cross Avenue Marx Dormoy at the traffic lights.

No signposts

Follow the avenue to the left and immediately turn right onto Sentier de la Mocane. After just a few metres, at the corner of No. 151, go down a path interspersed with steps on the right. Go through a chicane and you will come to a junction with an alleyway.

Yellow signposts

(12) Follow the alley on the right. Go past a traffic light and immediately go down a staircase on the left. Then go down a path interspersed with steps and equipped with a wooden railing. Take the footbridge over the railway line. On the other side, turn right and follow a fairly flat gravel path. Then go down a staircase and continue along a slightly downhill lane.

No signposts

At No. 29, turn left and go down a paved path with steps and a metal railing. At the bottom, cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left. At the traffic lights, continue straight ahead. At No. 103, turn right onto Chemin de Pissevinaigre. Continue straight ahead, at the foot of a building, until you reach the Marne.

Yellow + red and white signs

(13) Follow the tarmac path on the right between the river (on your left) and small buildings (on your right). Further on, the tarmac gives way to small cement slabs. Continue along the river until you reach a bridge, which you should not cross.

Yellow markings

(14) Climb the stairs that lead up to the bridge. At the top, turn left and cross the Marne. On the other bank, cross the Quai de Champignol, follow the Boulevard de Champigny (D130) towards Saint-Maur and continue straight ahead. At the traffic lights, continue in the same direction, pass the bus station and you will immediately see the Champigny station on your left (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line A, towards Boissy-Saint-Léger or Paris.

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

The crossing of the Bois de la Grange and the Bois Saint-Martin includes wet sections for which hiking boots are recommended.

Bars, restaurants and shops near the stations (S), (6) and (E).

Conditions of access to the Bois Saint-Martin:
- The woods are a protected natural area and dogs are not allowed, even on a leash.
- Some areas are fenced off and closed to the public (clearly signposted).
- Exits further south, near (7), for example, will be announced at a later date (in February 2022, they were closed).

Alternative route ( red and yellow signs, rare and old):
At the point (2), continue straight ahead. You will come to an avenue; follow it to the left. At a small roundabout, go straight ahead. At the large roundabout that follows, turn immediately left and follow the paved path parallel to the D51 (Rue de Malnoue). Return to the main route at (4).

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description). In the Bois de la Grange, between (1) and (4), we recommend following the route using the Visorando app. To do this, we advise downloading the OSM map (the one used for the PDF) and the IGN map, as they complement each other well.

Hike completed by the author on 3 February 2022.

- Water towers (1), 35 m high and with a volume of 2,000^m3 each. They were built in the early 1970s and one of the two was covered with a mosaic in 1974.
- Wooded area between (1) and (4) and between (5) and (6).
- Château des Tourelles (7).
- National Resistance Museum, shortly before (12).
- Paths between (12) and (13).
- Banks of the Marne between (13) and (14).