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(S/E) The walk starts at Place de Verdun in Précy-sur-Oise.
GR®® red and white markings
(S/E) Leave the square via Allée Henri Youf. Continue along this road and, once at the end, turn left into Rue du Docteur Charles Andrieu, then immediately afterwards turn right into Cavée du Dieu de Pitié. This is a cul-de-sac which leads into a sunken track climbing up onto the plateau.
(1) Once on the plateau, at the junction of several farm tracks, carry on straight ahead across vast fields.
As thePR®® markings are often missing due to a lack of signposts, be sure to follow the map and the directions in the itinerary.
Walk to the T-junction, about one kilometre further on, turn left, then, after one hundred and fifty metres, turn right onto a small unpaved track suitable for vehicles. Continue until you reach the start of a path on the right, two hundred metres past an old dilapidated shed.
(2) Take this track and follow it for one kilometre. It will take you to the village of Blaincourt-lès-Précy, onto a small street where you can see the signposting for a cycle route.
(3) Turn right and head to the junction with traffic lights to join the main road. Turn right and, about thirty metres further on, turn left onto Chemin du Souage. At the next junction, turn left onto Chemin des Eyrolles, which takes you onto Rue Leleu Robert, where you turn right. Carry on to the church, then turn right onto Rue des Sablons.
(4) At the next fork, leave Rue des Sablons – which turns left and ends in a dead end – and continue straight ahead, running alongside the Résidence des Sablons. On leaving the village, this road becomes Chemin du Rocron, which climbs up the hillside to a junction near a property.
(5) Turn right onto the forest track, which is closed off by a gate. After a fairly steep uphill section, this track runs along the edge of the woodland for about a kilometre and joins a wide track at a T-junction.
(6) Turn left onto the track that heads into the woods. It bends to the right about a hundred metres further on. Carry on straight ahead through the woods along this winding track, keeping a close eye on theGR®® markings at each junction (they are quite visible). The path winds its way up and down, passes a small, well-maintained hunting lodge and arrives at a junction where a signpost has been erected.
(7) Turn right towards Saint-Leu. You’ll come out of the woods after one kilometre and will need to walk a further two kilometres to reach a junction with a small road.
(8) At the crossroads, you’ll find a marker on your right bearing theGR®® symbol, which is set flush with the ground. Turn right, then, at the right-hand bend in the road 200 metres further on, take the grassy path on your left. In the middle of this path, you will see another marker at ground level, also bearing theGR®® symbol. This path joins a tarmac road (D12) at an angle; take this road to the right.
(9) At the next junction, turn left into Rue du Val, then immediately right into a passageway which continues as a footpath with steps and a handrail made of logs. You’ll arrive near an archery range and see the abbey church ahead of you.
Turn right into the passageway, which descends via a flight of steps to an increasingly narrow passage (less than a metre wide) between two houses, leading to Rue de l’Église. It is called “Ruelle François Villon” (the plaque is at its lower end).
(10) Before continuing the walk, you can turn left into Rue de l’Église and then right, climb up to the church forecourt and enter the abbey church garden. This is a terraced garden overlooking the town and the Oise valley. The view from here is superb. Retrace your steps.
(10) Continue down Rue de l’Église, then turn left onto Rue Jean Moulin and follow it to Rue de la République, which you cross to join Rue Pasteur, which turns left a little further on.
Cross the level crossing. TheGR®® route continues straight on. As for you, turn right onto Avenue de la Gare.
No signposting
(11) Walk past the station and continue along Rue de la Garenne. You’ll walk alongside a lake on your left, then pass the entrance to the Saint-Leu-d’Esserent Leisure Centre. Continue to the next level crossing.
(12) Turn right to cross the level crossing. Cross the D92, then follow Rue des Étangs straight ahead. At the junction with Rue de Saint-Leu, you will see a metal crucifix on a stone column to your left. Cross the junction and continue along Rue de l’Église to the Château de Villers-sous-Saint-Leu.
(13) Continue along Rue de l’Église, which ends at the junction with Rue de Boissy, where you’ll find a stone crucifix on a column on your left. Cross Rue de Boissy and continue straight ahead along Rue du Château d’Eau. You’ll be leaving the village. The road climbs up onto the plateau in a wide left-hand bend.
(14) A few metres before the water tower, turn left onto the farm track. Two hundred metres further on, at the junction, turn left. You’ll cross the cultivated plateau, with lovely views of the Oise valley to your left. After a kilometre, you’ll enter a wood where the track joins a small tarmac road. This takes you downhill to the first houses of Précy-sur-Oise, a few dozen metres after you leave the wood. Carry on to the junction of the D17 and D44.
(15) Cross the junction and carry on straight ahead along Rue de Blancourt (this is the D17) until you reach a roundabout with a small three-tiered flowerbed in the centre. Carry on straight ahead along Rue Louis Coeurderoy.
(16) At the T-junction, turn left into Rue du Château, which takes you back to Place de Verdun (S/E).
AONB
Easy 
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
