In the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Parking is available at the Croix de Noailles, at the junction of the D308, which connects Poissy and Maisons-Laffitte, and the N184, which connects St-Germain-en-Laye and Achères. There are two car parks on either side of the D308, on the Maisons-Laffitte side, one around a large oak tree near a restaurant, the other next to a stone bench.

There are many marked paths in the forest of St-Germain-en-Laye, in various colours. The proposed route is mostly unmarked. It follows some sections of the "Sentier des Oratoires" (Oratory Trail), marked with blue crosses, either painted directly on the trees or on white signs (passages indicated in the description). The forest plot numbers are marked on some trees, either painted in black on a white background or written in white on green signs.

(S/E) The route starts at the car park next to the stone bench on the south side of the D308 (if parking in the other car park, cross the road). Take the Sentier des Oratoires trail heading south-east (blue cross and orange markings), between two trees indicating forest plots 116 and 117 respectively.

At the first crossroads, leave the Sentier des Oratoires, which branches off to the left at an acute angle and another branch to the right. Take the second path on the left, which is not marked. Ignore two paths that branch off to the right and lead to the Étoile de la Patte-d'Oie. Then take the second path on the left, which is a wide bridle path.

(1) At the Croix de Berry, cross the road (be careful). Continue straight ahead along the bridle path. At the first crossroads, turn left onto a path under the trees (orange sign, yellow arrow). Ignore a path that branches off to the right and leads to the Carrefour du Tronchet.

(2) Take the Sentier des Oratoires again (blue cross), which is the second path on the right (don't be confused by the many signposts and crosses, which seem contradictory). Head north-northeast, cross a perpendicular path and you will come to a crossroads.

(3) At the crossroads, on the edge of plots 122 and 123, leave the Sentier des Oratoires, which starts more or less opposite, and take the path heading north-west (the second path on the left). At the next crossroads, on the edge of plots 122 and 85, continue straight ahead and rejoin the Sentier des Oratoires. Go down the gentle slope to reach the Croix Saint-Simon.

(4) Take the path heading west, roughly perpendicular to the paved road (relative to the path you arrived on, it is the second path on the left). Once on the path, note the unusual presence of a "stop ahead" road sign in the middle of the thicket on the right.

You will come out onto the N184, which you must cross: be extremely careful, as the road is very busy; do not hesitate to cross in two stages, using the central reservation. Continue along the small road opposite (there are several signs, including a green "SNCF" sign). After a few metres, turn left onto the path, which is blocked to vehicles by concrete blocks.

(5) At the fork (a few metres after the start of the path), turn left onto Route des Carrières (sign on a tree on the right-hand side). Follow this path south-west. Cross a large crossroads (Étoile du Grand Cormier), a junction with a poorly marked path and a small crossroads. You will come out onto a wide lane.

(6) Take the lane (Route de St-Hubert) on the left. Cross the D308 (take care). Shortly afterwards, follow the wide lane that curves to the right (south-west) and becomes the Route de la Charmeraie. Continue to the Étoile du Dos d'Âne.

(7) At this crossroads, at the edge of plots nos. 109, 110 and 163, the wide lane curves to the left and changes name again (it becomes Route des Ambassadeurs). Continue along Route de la Charmeraie, still heading south-west, but now on a smaller road, which branches off to the right just after a yellow sign with two sides. Cross a small road (take care) and continue straight ahead. Pass through a beautiful forest with ferns growing in the undergrowth, with a slight incline, a flat section and then a gentle descent to the Étoile de la Charmeraie (sign).

(8) Go straight ahead at this crossroads. Be careful: do not take the most obvious path "opposite" which heads south (this is the Route des Princesses). At the start of this path, turn right, going around a bramble bush behind which a tree bears the plot number 167, and head towards another tree bearing the plot number 181. This last tree is located at the tip of a fork: take the left path, which is the Route de la Charmeraie, continuing south-west. Pass two crossroads and you will come to the Route de la Mare aux Canes (sign, red and yellow marker).

Cross this road and continue on the Route de la Charmeraie, which has turned slightly to the right. At the next junction (you will see two trees with an old blue marker), take the path that heads south to the left of the tree marked with the plot number 176 (it is the second path on the left). At the end of this path, you will reach the Croix Pucelle.

(9) With your back to the cross, continue along the wide path on the right (ignore the path on the left). After a few dozen metres, turn left and follow the Sentier des Oratoires to the north-east (blue cross). Pass a crossroads and continue straight ahead until you reach the Étoile Sainte-Anne.

(10) Then take the^third path on the right, marked in red and yellow, which starts just to the left of the Sainte-Anne oratory. At the first crossroads, take the^second path on the left at a right angle (the^third path on the left is blocked by concrete blocks). Walk north-northeast to the Etoile Saint-Jospeh.

(11) Cross the road (take care) and continue straight ahead (look for the blue crosses marking the Sentier des Oratoires). Pass the foot of the Saint-Joseph oratory and continue on the road of the same name, heading northeast. Pass a crossroads, continue straight ahead through a beech forest and, after a short descent flanked by two rows of fir trees, you will reach the Étoile du Grand Veneur.

(12) Go back up opposite, still heading northeast, and reach the Croix de Noailles. Turn left and follow the N184 to the traffic lights. Cross the N184 safely and return to the starting point (S/E).

This hike can be started from several other car parks: the Croix de Berry (1) (not marked on the map); near the golf course and the Route de la Mare aux Boeufs, south-west of the Croix Pucelle (9) (join the route via the cycle path or the Route de Montchevreuil); Etoile Saint-Jospeh (11).
N.B. Parking is only permitted in these car parks on Sundays and public holidays. Only the two car parks at the Croix de Noailles are open for parking every day of the week.

With its network of numerous paths and lanes, the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is ideal for a variety of routes of varying lengths. This hike can therefore be varied in many ways, provided you have a 1:25,000 map, at least the one that can be downloaded from the website. Please note, however, that apart from the Croix de Noailles crossroads, which has traffic lights, crossing the N184 is quite difficult.

There is a variation that avoids the northern part of the circuit and crossing the N184 near Achères station (between (4) and (5)). Position yourself on the south side of the D308. Cross the N184 at the traffic lights, then turn left and follow this road. On the right, find the start of Route Saint-Joseph (barrier, blue cross). Take this road south-west to Etoile du Grand Veneur (12). Then take the second road on the right, which goes off at a right angle. At the next crossroads, turn left onto the main road (Route de la Charmeraie) until you reach the Etoile du Dos d'Ane. Then follow the route from (7) to (12) and continue to the Croix de Noailles. This will take approximately 5 km and 1 hour less.

During hunting season (November-February), avoid Tuesdays, when battues are organised.

This hike has been completed four times by the author, with various variations, the first on 15 January 2012 and the last on 26 December 2014.

Mixed woodland with fern undergrowth... It is not uncommon to see a deer or roe deer on the trail...

Cross:
- Croix de Noailles (S/E), built in 1751 by the Duke of the same name, destroyed in 1793 and restored in 1953.
- the Berry Cross (1), built by Henry II and replaced by a discreet cast iron replica.
- Croix Saint-Simon (4), erected in 1635 by the Duke of Saint-Simon (the historian's father), destroyed in 1793 and restored in 1836.
- Pucelle Cross (9), dated 1456 (the year Joan of Arc was rehabilitated), knocked down in 1793 and erected again in 1848.

Oratories (niches containing a statuette and fixed high up on a tree trunk):
- Oratory of Saint Anne (10), a "Quimper" style earthenware statuette.
- Saint Joseph's Oratory (11), wooden statuette.

The stone bench near one of the car parks at the Croix de Noailles is dedicated to the memory of Pierre Giffard (1853-1920), a journalist, keen cyclist (he is said to have coined the expression "la petite reine" or "the little queen") and creator of numerous sporting events: Paris-Brest and back by bicycle (1891), Paris-Belfort on foot (1892), Marly-le-Roy Marathon (1893), etc.