A circular walk from the Château de la Reine Blanche to the Butte aux Gens d’Armes

Start from the small car park at the Château de la Reine Blanche. For access by train, see the practical information.

(S/E) The^GR®1, marked in red and white, crosses the car park entrance. Head down to the right towards the Château de la Reine Blanche. Take the steps, walk past the castle entrance and follow the Étang de la Loge. Follow the road which crosses the dyke of the Étang de la Loge and turns right, then take the path along the edge of the pond.

(1) At the crossroads, head straight ahead to walk alongside the second pond, the Étang Neuf. Then carry on straight ahead along the Étang Chaperon. At the crossroads, take the botanical trail straight ahead on the bank of the last pond. Ignore the paths on the left until you reach the junction.

(2) Head straight ahead, then ignore the paths on the left. Take the road on the left, then quickly turn right towards Mongrésin. Continue to the end of Route Manon, ignoring Rue du Moulin and then Impasse de la Thève.

(3) Cross Route de la Forêt (at the pedestrian crossing) and take Chemin des Vignettes straight ahead. At the junction, turn left along a meadow. Go straight on at the next junction, cross Route de Pontarmé, then further on, at another junction, take the path opposite.

(4) Turn right onto the Route du Ministre. At the junction after a building, go straight on. At the Carrefour des Tilleuls, take the third right.

(5) In front of Pontarmé Castle, turn left and ignore the path on the left. Cross the D 1017 at the pedestrian crossing and turn left. Turn right before the cross and follow the wall, then the River Thève, ignoring the paths on the left.

(6) At the junction in front of the bridge over the Thève, follow the path that runs alongside the river. Ignore another bridge and stay on the Chemin Rural de la Red Cross at the edge of the forest. Pass the Rue du Pont Chantrel on your right.

(7) After the water tower, take the Chemin du Plâtre on the left. At the first Fork in the road, turn left and at the second, turn right. At the crossroads, carry straight on.

(8) After the paths on the right leading to the Trou de Sable, turn left at the Fork in the road. Cross the Route de Charlepont and, at the next crossroads, take the third road on the right, the Route Vieille. At the top, head left up the Butte aux Gens d’Armes.

(9) Whilst the^GR®1turns right in front of the summit marked by a concrete marker, head down the Route Mesureur to the left. Carry straight on at the junction. At the end, turn right, then quickly turn left twice. Then head down the Route Vieille to the right.

(10) At the Carrefour du Bu, take the second left. At the next junction, turn right.

(11) Then take the Chemin des Grès on the right, with a fence on your right-hand side. At the Carrefour des Charmes, go straight on.

(12) Take the Layon Franclieu on the left. At the Fork in the road, turn right, then at the junction, turn right until you reach the D 1017.

(13) Cross the road carefully and head straight ahead. Go straight on at both junctions.

(14) At the Poteau des Vignettes, follow the third path on the left (counting from the first, which is closed off by a fence), the Layon des Trois Poteaux. Continue straight on until you reach the Poteau Saint-Hubert.

(15) Take the Première Route Ronde straight ahead. At the Carrefour de Mongrésin, cross Rue de Chantilly carefully and take the path on the left. Let a track branch off to the left, then keep to the right at the Fork in the road. Cross a track and then a road in turn, and head down the path opposite.

(2) Cross the^GR®1and, after the wooden bridge, turn left. Carry straight on at the junction. Keep left at the Fork in the road. Continue in the same direction until you reach Route Manon.

(16) Cross the road and continue along the path opposite. You’ll cross the Route de la Corne Pineval. Follow the Route de la Croix du Lude to the right.

(17) Turn left along Route Manon.

(18) Carefully cross the D 118 and head towards the Orry signpost. Keep to the right towards the railway line. Follow the fence on your left. Enter the car park.

(19) Walk past the station to reach the D 118 and go under the railway line. Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing, then first turn right then left to walk alongside the railway line on your right-hand side until you reach the tunnel.

(20) Go under the railway line. Walk along the railway line on your left and ignore Route Saint-Ladre. At the Fork in the road, keep right to reach the signpost at Carrefour de Viarmes. At this point, turn right to go downhill past the barrier and take the red-and-white-marked path on the left. The path leads to the car park entrance (S/E) .

Access to the walk:
- By car: park in the car park at the Château de la Reine Blanche. Please note that this car park has very limited capacity; if it is full, look for a parking space in the adjacent streets.
- By train: Orry-la-Ville Coye-la-Forêt station: RER D line (Paris-Nord station network). For timetables, visit the Transilien website. Start the walk in front of the station at point (19).

N.B. We recommend arriving early in the morning as the Étangs de Comelles are very busy during the day, particularly at weekends.

(S/E) Bar and crêperie.

(S/E) In the musical *Funny Face*, Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire dance by the banks of the Thève in the gardens of the Château de la Reine Blanche.
The walk: The circular route from Luzarches to the Château de la Reine Blanche follows the^GR®1from Luzarches to this point.

(5) Château de Pontarmé

(9) The circular walk from the Ermenonville signpost to the Butte aux Gens d’Armes follows the^GR®1from the Ermenonville signpost to this point.