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Starting point and access: Saint-Maur - Créteil station.
- RER - Line A, on the section between Paris and Boissy-Saint-Léger.
Take exit 1 Rue Leroux (on the left after the turnstiles).
No signposts
(S) When leaving the station, turn left. After a few dozen metres, turn left again and go under the railway bridge. Immediately turn right onto Chemin latéral de Saint-Maur. Continue straight ahead along this path, following a fence with the railway line on your right, and ignore two small streets on your left.
(1) At the next crossroads, turn right and go under the railway bridge. At the traffic lights, continue straight ahead along Rue Bourguignon. Walk along a small triangular square and, at the traffic lights, cross Avenue Victor Hugo, then turn left onto Rue Louis Braille. At the square, turn right onto Rue Dussault. At the next intersection, go straight ahead and walk along a square (market).
At the end of the street (Place du 14 Juillet), take thesecond right onto Rue du Chemin Vert, then thefirst left onto Rue du Bureau. At the end, cross Boulevard de Créteil at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the right for about 30 metres. Then turn left into Passage Giamarchi Bican. At the end, first turn left then right to follow Passage de l'Armistice. Cross Rue des Alouettes on the left and then turn right into Rue des Pêcheurs. Immediately turn left along this street and you will arrive at the banks of the Marne.
(2) Follow Quai du Port au Fouarre to the right and pass in front of the Créteil lock. Before the road bridge, cross Boulevard de Créteil to the right using the cycle path (take care). Go up an access ramp towards a clearly visible statue and, just before it, turn left to reach the Pont de Créteil. Cross the Marne on the pedestrian path of the bridge, which is well separated from the vehicle lane. Enter Créteil, continue straight ahead for about 150 metres and cross a small branch of the Marne.
Red and white + yellow markings
(3) Immediately descend the steps on the left and follow the cement towpath. Follow the river on your left until you reach Rue de la Prairie (old watering place, information board). Then turn left into the street. Shortly afterwards, turn left onto the GR®14 to take a footbridge over the river. Follow Allée des Coucous and cross a smaller river (the Guyère).
At the T-junction, turn right and walk alongside the Piscine Sainte-Catherine. Wind your way through a residential neighbourhood and cross the Guyère again (information panel). At the crossroads, ignore the yellow arrow indicating a left turn and continue straight ahead along Avenue de la Ferme. At the next crossroads, turn right, follow the yellow markings and take an uphill footbridge to cross the Marne river again.
(4) At the end of the footbridge, turn sharply left and go down the steps to Chemin du Bras du Chapitre. Follow this road to the right, with the river on your left. Further on, go under a bridge and note the 1910 flood level (!) marked on one of the pillars at the exit.
Red and white markings
Ignore the yellow arrow that invites you to climb a staircase on the right and continue straight ahead along the river. You will come to a crossroads (information board; signpost for a sailing centre).
No markings
(5) Take the flat street opposite, which is a no-entry road. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead on Chemin du Morbras, which becomes grassy and paved. Further on, you will rejoin the tarmac road and continue opposite on Rue de Reims. At a three-way junction, turn right and go uphill on Rue de la Pomme. Cross Rue de Bellevue on the right-hand side and continue uphill.
At the end of the street, first turn left then right to cross Avenue du Général Leclerc at the pedestrian crossing (traffic lights). Then head towards Mont-Mesly and follow Rue Paul Casalis. At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Brie and continue straight ahead, still on Rue Paul Casalis.
(6) At the next traffic lights, turn left onto Rue Albert Doyen. At the end, cross Rue Henri Doucet, go around a small square building on the right and cross Place de l'Abbaye. Climb a flight of steps, then turn right, leaving a sculpture on your left. Turn right again and cross Rue Henri Doucet once more. At the crossroads immediately ahead, continue straight on along Rue René Arcos, passing in front of the entrance to Saint-Michel Church.
(7) At the corner of the church, turn left onto a tarmac path. Pass at the foot of a large cross and turn right to join Rue Juliette Savar. Follow this street to the left, cross Avenue Georges Duhamel and walk slightly uphill. Take thefirst right, Rue David d'Angers. Then take thesecond left, Rue Vincent d'Indy, between the buildings.
At the end, turn right. Continue straight ahead and downhill on Avenue de la Habette until you reach the end. At the bottom, cross Rue du Jeu de Paume and follow it to the left for about 30 metres. Then climb the stairs on the right and take the footbridge over the four-lane road and the metro line. Cross the street at the traffic lights and leave the Maison du Quartier du Port on your right. Continue straight ahead along Mail de Salzgitter until you reach the end. Cross the street, go down the stairs, pass under a porch and you will come to a pond with a fountain.
(8) Go around the pond on the right, keeping some distance from the water. Stay on high ground and take the footbridge on the left (yellow marker) to reach a kiosk in the middle of the water. From there, take the floating bridge that crosses the pond.
At the end of the bridge, turn left. Then turn right to walk along the lake on your right. Stay as close to the water as possible and pass between an artificial waterfall and water jets. At a left-hand bend at the end of the lake (a sort of porch that you must not pass under), climb the steps on the left. At the top, turn right, pass a small car park on your left and cross Rue du Lac.
(9) Follow the signs for Église Saint-Pierre du Lac and walk along a small canal (sometimes dry) on your right. At the end, cross a boulevard and continue straight ahead on a slight incline onto the esplanade that runs alongside Avenue François Mitterrand. After passing the statue of the former President and at the stone monument, take the footbridge on the right. At the exit, turn left and head for Créteil Pointe du Lac metro station (E).
To return home:
- Metro - Line 8.
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