From Trilport to Lizy-sur-Ourcq via the Chemin de Saint-Jean

Starting point and access: Trilport station.
- Transilien - Line P, on the sections between Paris-Est and Château-Thierry and between Meaux and La Ferté-Milon.
Take the Chemin d'Armentières exit on the side of track 1, which runs from Paris to Château-Thierry (if arriving in the opposite direction, track 2, take the underground passage).

Red and white + yellow markings (rare at the beginning)

(S) Follow the street to the right, go straight ahead and ignore a small street on the left. Go through a metal gate and continue on the^GR®11on a path with garden fences on the left and a field on the right. Continue along a wood and pass under a high-voltage power line. Enter a wood and, at the fork that immediately appears (not shown on the map), choose either of the two paths, which join further on. Continue along the edge of the wood with the railway line below on the right.

(1) At a clearly marked intersection, turn left and enter the Montceaux National Forest on a wide path. After about 300 m, turn right onto a narrower path. At the end, follow a wide path to the left for about 200 m. At the boundary between forest plots 15 and 16, turn right at an acute angle. Ignore a path on the left and come out onto a wide path.

No markings

(2) Turn right (ignore the signpost on the left). After about 50 metres, turn left onto a path marked by small wooden posts. Wind your way through the undergrowth until you reach a wide, stable path.

Red and white + yellow markings

(3) Turn right and continue straight ahead (south-east). Cross two bridges over railway tracks.

(4) At the crossroads (plot no. 56; bench), turn left and climb slightly. At the next crossroads (plots nos. 56 and 57), turn right. Continue straight ahead (south-east) at each intersection.

(5) At the T-junction (plots nos. 59 and 60), turn left. Pass the sign for the Montceaux State Forest, cross a path and continue on a trail that becomes a sunken lane (wet passage). Climb gently, winding your way, and at a crossroads, go straight ahead.

No markings

(6) At the end of the path, turn right (ignore the signpost on the left). Stay on the edge of the woods on your right and, on your left, walk along a hedge and then a field. Go down a short steep slope that leads to a road.
The road has virtually no shoulder, so take care on the descent and check for traffic coming from the left.

N.B. On the next two sections, there are multiple paths and they are not shown on the map: follow the description and/or the route on your smartphone.

(7) Cross the road carefully and descend a few stone steps opposite, slightly to the right. You will see two signs, one indicating the^GR®11(where you have just come from) and the other marked "Isles-les-Meldeuses par le Chemin de Saint-Jean": follow this second sign, straight ahead and downhill. Ignore a trail on the left (red dots) and one on the right.

(8) At a crossroads (wooden steps going up to the left), continue straight ahead downhill on the best-marked path. Pass twice under a fallen tree trunk (situation in November 2019). Turn right with the path and wind your way through the undergrowth. Come out onto a path and follow it to the right. At the T-junction that appears immediately, turn left and you will come to a track on the banks of the Marne (railway bridge on the right).

(9) Follow the track to the left (this is the Chemin de Saint-Jean) and walk along the river on your right. After about 600 m, pass a metal barrier on your left. At the fork that immediately appears, continue left on the track (the path that branches off to the right on the map leads to a dead end). At the end of the track, turn left. At the next three-way junction, ignore Rue de l'Abreuvoir on the right and turn left. At the end of the street, turn left and pass Ferme Saint-Jean on your left.

(10) At the foot of a road sign announcing a series of bends, turn right onto a slightly uphill path. Walk north between a wood on your left and field or garden fences on your right. At the end, take the stony track on the right. You will soon come out onto the D17E and follow it to the left for about 700 m.

(11) At the corner of a copse, turn left onto a path that leads between the fields. When you reach a row of fenced poplar trees, turn right. At the end of the path, turn right again and pass between two clumps of trees. Continue north and descend gently towards Isles-les-Meldeuses, whose roofs are now visible. Continue along the tarmac road (you are still on the Chemin de Saint-Jean).

Red and white markings

Cross Chemin des Bruyères on the left-hand side. At the stop sign, turn left and head towards Isles-Armentières-Congis station.

(12) Cross the railway line at the level crossing, pass the post office and the town hall. At the end, turn left onto the D17 towards Trilport.

No markings

Take the^first right, the D121E towards Congis-sur-Thérouanne. At the church, turn left and pass the war memorial on your right.

Red and white + yellow markings

(13) At the corner, turn right, walk past the front of the church and take a grassy path downhill. At the tarmac road, take the^second left, the D121E, preferably on the right-hand side. Take the bridge over the Marne via the only pedestrian path available, on the right-hand side. Then take the^first right towards Villers-les-Rigault. Cross the Grande Ruelle on the left and you will soon reach the entrance to the pumping station. Turn left onto a grassy path lined with plane trees. Walk gently uphill and cross two successive streets. You will come out at the edge of the Ourcq Canal, next to a small building.

(14) Follow the^GR®11on the right and walk along the canal on your left.

Yellow markings

After about 1 km, leave the^GR® trail on your right and continue along the canal for another 700 m or so.

No markings

At the entrance to a left-hand bend, stay along the canal (ignore a path that the^PR® takes on the right).

(15) Shortly before the end of the bend, leave the canal and take a wide path that descends to the right. Join a path coming from the right and walk alongside a small pumping station on the right-hand side. At the corner of the station, turn sharply right. Walk along a field on your right and, on your left, a hedge behind which you can soon see the Ourcq (the river). Take a footbridge over the Ourcq and now walk along a field on your left. This will take you to the confluence of the Marne and the Ourcq.

(16) Then turn left at the hairpin bend and walk along the Marne on your right.

Yellow markings

At the foot of the Mary-sur-Marne railway bridge, return to the tarmac road and turn left. At the stop sign immediately ahead, continue straight ahead. Climb steadily and follow the railway line below on your right. At the next stop sign (bridge on the right), continue straight ahead, still with the railway line on your right.

No markings

(17) At the next intersection, after No. 27, continue straight ahead (ignore the signposting to the left). Pass the sign for Lizy-sur-Ourcq and continue straight ahead. At the "give way" sign, turn right and you will immediately reach Lizy-sur-Ourcq station (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line P, towards La Ferté Milon (direct access) or Meaux and Paris-Est (use the underground passage).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Both stations are located on the same section of line P: leave your vehicle in the car park of one of the two stations and make the return journey by train.
N.B. The car park at Lizy-sur-Ourcq station is located on the side of track 1 (where you arrive), while Trilport station has car parks on both sides.

Hiking boots are required. There are wet sections in the Montecaux Forest, between (5) and (6), and along the Marne, between (9) and (10).

No water sources identified along the route. Bar-restaurant opposite Lizy-sur-Ourcq station (E).

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

Warnings:
- Take care on the steep slope leading to the D17E (7), when crossing this road and on the steep descent that follows.
- Hikers should be aware that, depending on the flight paths taken, they may hear aircraft heading for or taking off from Roissy airport.

Hike completed by the author on 19 November 2019.

- Pleasant walk in the Montceaux Forest.
- Banks of the Marne
- Pumping station in Villers-les-Rigault (visits possible, enquire for details).
- Banks of the Ourcq Canal.

In Mary-sur-Marne (17), the neighbourhood near the Marne and the railway line is called Port Courage in tribute to the dedication of its inhabitants who, in September 1914, saved dozens of wounded soldiers from drowning when their train was mistakenly diverted to the bridge over the Marne, which had been destroyed.