From Saint-Mard to Meaux via the Goële hillocks

Starting point and access: Dammartin-Juilly-Saint-Mard station.
- Transilien - Line K, between Paris-Nord and Crépy-en-Valois.
- TER - Line between Paris-Nord and Laon.
Take the only exit, on the side of track 1 (direction Paris to Crépy). If arriving in the opposite direction, track 2, take the underground passage.

Red and white + yellow markings
For the most part, the route follows the^GR®1.

(S) When leaving the station, head straight ahead, leaving the bus station on your right. Immediately turn right onto the D41E towards Rouvres, and follow it, preferably on the left-hand pavement (there is no pavement on the right further on).

(1) After No. 35bis, take the bridge on the right over the railway line and follow a farm track. Ignore a path on the right (yellow sign with two sides). At the end of a left-hand bend (clump of bushes), turn onto the next path on the right and pass under a medium-voltage power line.

Red and white markings

(2) Cross the Ru de la Maquerelle and continue straight ahead along the edge of the forest on your left. Enter the forest while staying close to a field on your right; go around wet patches or ruts on the left (good track). At the end of the field, continue through the forest; go around a few obstructed passages or ruts on the right (good track here too). Return briefly to the edge of the field on your right.

(3) At the corner of the field, turn right and, depending on the condition of the main path, stay at the edge of the field on your right or take a good side track further into the forest. At the end, turn left and stay at the edge on a good grassy path, then walk along a pasture on your left. At the T-junction, turn left and enter the forest again.

(4) After a few dozen metres, turn right and walk along the horse pastures on your left. Continue through the forest and, at an intersection (small building on the left), continue straight ahead towards the low wall of a property. Continue along a narrow lane with a slight incline. At the stop sign, make a zigzag turn and you will reach the foot of the church in Montgé-en-Goële.

(5) Leave the church on your left and, at the fork (town hall on the right), go up to the left into Rue Neuve. After about 50 metres, turn left into Rue de Sépulcre (dead end). At the end, the tarmac gives way to a path that climbs through the undergrowth. When you reach a forest barrier, turn sharply right and walk alongside a reservoir on your left. At the next three-way junction (entrance to the cemetery on the right), turn left. Walk past the foot of a radio tower on your left and turn right.

(6) At the crossroads (forest barrier on the left), continue straight ahead along a narrow path. Turn left immediately onto the path and follow it through the undergrowth, ignoring any vague paths branching off to the sides. When a path comes from the right, continue to the left. When another path comes from the left, continue to the right and, at the fork that immediately appears, take the wider path on the left. Descend and you will come to a large roundabout.

(7) Then follow a wide forest track uphill to the right (south-east). Ignore a discreet path on the right and, a few metres further on, just before a ditch crosses the track, turn right onto a path (be careful to spot this turn-off). At the fork that appears shortly afterwards, turn left and follow the markings. At the end of the path, rejoin the forest track.
N.B. If you miss the fork to the right of the track, don't worry, you will rejoin the main route at the next crossing point.

(8) Follow the track to the right. Go through a forest barrier, cross the D9 road (take care), continue on the path opposite and go through another forest barrier. Stay on the main path, which winds through the undergrowth, and ignore all the side paths. At a clearly marked fork, turn right. Begin a descent down a sunken path.

(9) At^{the first} crossroads on the descent, turn right onto a fairly flat path. Then descend and leave the woods. Turn right and stay on the edge of the path with a field on your left. You will come to a T-junction: on the left, you can see the route to follow, on the Monthyon hill and, further on, the Montassis hill and the Bois de Penchard.

(10) Follow the wide agricultural track to the left. Ignore a path on the right and walk along the edge of the woods on your left. At the corner of the woods, turn right and head towards Monthyon. Ignore a path on the right (metal post with markers stuck in the ground) and you will come to a crossroads (lake on the right).

(11) Continue straight ahead on a small paved road uphill. At the stop sign, continue straight ahead, still uphill. At the next stop sign, turn slightly right onto Rue Thiers. Note the castle below on the right and then the large farmhouse on the left. Pass the church and town hall on your left and cross Place Carruel. Then turn right onto Rue Gambetta and go downhill.

(12) At the bottom, cross the D97 road and follow Chemin de Penchard opposite. Walk alongside a large building on your right and continue along a farm track. Pass under a high-voltage power line and ignore a path leading off to the left. Pass under the TGV line and cross a stream. Pass a white metal cross on your left and climb between two rows of trees. Pass through a forest gate and enter the Bois de Penchard.

(13) At the^first intersection (sign with a silhouette of a Moroccan soldier from 1914), take the widest path on the right. At the next sign, ignore the path that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead.

No markings

(14) Shortly before an information sign about biodiversity, leave the^GR® and turn left onto a path (not shown on the map) that climbs towards the Bois du Télégraphe (signpost). Climb and wind your way through the undergrowth. After a sharp left turn, descend slightly. Then turn sharply right and climb up to a geodesic chimney (information panel). Continue in the same direction (to the left when reading the panel) and turn immediately left. At the end of the path, turn right and descend for about 200 metres.

Red and white markings

(15) At the next intersection (another sign), continue straight ahead for about 100 metres. At the corner of a fence on the left, turn left onto a steep path and follow the fence on your left. At the end of the fence, continue straight ahead and follow another fence on your right. At the end of the path, take a small lane on the right and go downhill. Walk along the cemetery on your right, then the church of Penchard.

(16) At the stop sign, make a zigzag turn first left then right and follow Rue Lucien Duquesne.

No markings

At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead into the cul-de-sac (leave the^GR® trail on the left along Rue de l'Arpent Noir). Cross a residential area and, at the end of the tarmac road, continue along a grassy path and walk alongside a tennis court on your left.

Red and white markings

(17) At the T-junction, turn right. At the edge of the N330 road, turn left and, after about 50 metres, take the tunnel under the road on the right. At the end of the tunnel, turn right and then left. Pass under a medium-voltage power line.

(18) Cross the road and continue along the path opposite (concrete blocks). Cross the street and continue along Rue Yves Montand. At the "give way" sign (bus stop), turn left. At the next intersection, go straight towards the town hall and the church. At the roundabout, turn right onto the street closed to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Go down and take the bridge over the Canal de l'Ourcq.

No signposts

(19) At the end of the bridge, turn right and take the towpath. Leave the^GR® trail on the left for a parallel path below, and follow the canal on your right. Note the view of Meaux Cathedral on the left.

Red and white markings

(20) Pass under the road bridge and continue along the towpath. Near the buildings, the towpath becomes paved. Pass under a small bridge. When you reach a sign for "Sortie de Meaux" on the opposite bank of the canal, turn left and cross a paved courtyard. Cross Avenue Gallieni at the pedestrian crossing and enter the underpass leading to the platforms of Meaux station (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line P, towards Paris-Est, Château-Thierry or La Ferté Milon.

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. With only one vehicle, travelling there or back by train would require a connection between two stations in central Paris.

Hiking boots are required. Wet sections in the forest between (2) and (4).

No water sources identified along the route. Bars and restaurants opposite Dammartin-Juilly-Saint-Mard station (S), in Monthyon town centre, to the left of the route between (11) and (12), and in Penchard (16).

Hikers should be aware that, depending on the flight paths taken, aircraft approaching or departing from Roissy Airport can be clearly heard.

Markings are clearly visible in the forest but rare on the plains due to a lack of support. A 1:25,000 map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 23 February 2018.

- Mainly forest paths between (2) and (10) and between (13) and (16).
- Path mainly through cultivated plains between (10) and (13).
- The area between (10) and (16) was the scene of the Battle of Ourcq on 5 September 1914, a prelude to the Battle of the Marne. In the Penchard woods, between (13) and (15), you will come across several signs for the Sentier de la Brigade Marocaine, a short hike described on Visorando.
- Geodetic chimney, between (14) and (15). It was erected at the beginning of the 20th century at the highest point of the Butte de Montassis, in order to enable the creation of geographical maps by triangulation (explanations on site).
- Pleasant walk along the Canal de l'Ourcq, between (19) and (E).