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Starting point and access: Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche-Forêt de Marly station.
- Transilien - Line L, terminus of the section between Paris Saint-Lazare and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche.
Take the only exit, at the front of the train.
Red and white markings
(S) At the end of the platform, turn left to cross the railway line at the level crossing. Follow the road uphill, passing a small car park on the left. Take the bridge over another railway line. At the roundabout, turn immediately right and take a path that leads into the woods. Stay on the main path and ignore any vague offshoots to the sides. You’ll come to a junction, beyond which, a few dozen metres away, you can make out a large crossroads.
(1) Turn left here and you will soon reach another junction, the Étoile de la Maison Rouge: go straight on. Heading west-south-west, climb steadily up the path, which gradually widens. At each junction, go straight on. At the top of the hill, you will reach a crossroads, the Étoile de Dryade.
(2) Turn left here. Further on, cross a road and a cycle path and continue along the path opposite. At the next junction, go straight ahead again. Join a tarmac forest road and follow it for just a few metres.
(3) Immediately turn left onto a path and head downhill. The path gives way to a trail that climbs uphill.
(4) At the junction, turn left (take care to spot this turn-off). Head downhill, ignoring the side paths, then head back uphill. Pass two closely spaced junctions in succession (plot no. 123) and descend very steeply. Then alternate between ascents and descents and continue straight on until you reach the D161.
(5) Cross the road (be careful, visibility is limited on both sides) and continue along the path opposite, slightly to the left. Cross the Étoile Bizarre junction (signposted on the left). Continue on theGR®1, going straight on at every junction and alternating between descents and ascents.
(6) Cross a stream and turn left onto the signposted path.
(7) Turn right and, at the T-junction that appears immediately, turn right and head uphill. At a junction at the edge of a car park, turn left (north). Join the D7 and follow it to the left until you reach a pedestrian crossing. Cross the road, pass through a forest gate and continue along a small tarmac road.
(8) Go through a metal gate, enter Marly Park and immediately reach a fork. Go straight on and follow a wall on your left. At the next fork, turn right onto a shaded path.
(9) Take the second path on the right (south-southeast). At the end, first turn right then left to take a path. When you reach a road, turn left, go slightly downhill and ignore a path on the right. You’ll come out onto a tarmac road (dead end) and follow it to the right. Climb up to the highest point of the Tapis Vert (beautiful view of the park’s ponds).
(10) Facing the panorama, head right along theGR® which enters the woodland again (do not go down along the Tapis Vert). At the fork immediately ahead, take the left-hand path and go downhill. After a few dozen metres, at a junction, take a path on the right (be careful to spot this turn-off). At a crossroads, go straight on. Then cross a small tarmac road and continue along the path opposite.
(11) Join another small road (with no traffic) and follow it to the left. Pass through two gates framed by stone pillars in succession and emerge at the edge of the N186. Turn left and walk alongside this busy road, taking a path that runs parallel to it. Pass a bus stop and you will immediately reach a traffic light.
(12) Turn right and cross the road in two stages. On the other side, take Rue du Maréchal Joffre. At the first junction (entrance to the marshal’s former residence and a plaque in his honour), turn right. Follow the tarmac road straight ahead, ignoring the forest access points on the left.
(13) At a junction (large house with a mascaron on the right-hand side), turn left and enter the forest. Ignore a path on the left and, at the next junction, turn right. At the first T-junction, turn right and walk along the right-hand side of an orchard and some fenced-off allotments. Continue straight ahead and ignore the paths branching off to the left.
(14) At the next T-junction, turn left and walk down alongside a wall and then a metal fence. At the junction, continue straight on along the Grande Rue. Walk down and cross, on the left-hand side, the Avenue du Maréchal Joffre and then the Allée de la Pavillonne. At the next junction, turn left, still on the Grande Rue.
(15) At the next junction, there are two options:
- To shorten the walk, turn left and head towards Bougival station (line L).
- As shown on the map, continue straight ahead and go under the railway bridge. On the other side, turn left onto Avenue du Maréchal Lyautey. At the stop sign, turn right onto Avenue de l’Abreuvoir. When this turns left, continue straight on and downhill into Sente des Brangères. At the bottom, turn left and you will immediately reach a traffic light.
(16) Turn right to cross the avenue (D321) and continue along Avenue Gustave Mesureur. Head slightly uphill and walk alongside the buildings. At the traffic lights, cross at the pedestrian crossing on the right and take the path opposite that leads into the forest. At the fork that appears shortly afterwards, keep to the right and climb gently.
(17) At the next junction, turn right and walk on roughly level ground, ignoring a path branching off to the left. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead (south-southeast). At a junction, go straight ahead and ignore a path coming from the right. Climb up to reach an open area (on the right, the fenced-off Pavillon du Butard).
(18) Continue along a path, turn left and follow a fence on your right. At the T-junction, turn right. At a fork, keep left. You will come out onto the D173 and follow it to the right for about twenty metres until you reach a traffic light.
(19) Then turn left to cross the D173 and follow it to the left. Take the first right, the Sente du Bois des Dames. At the end, turn right into Rue des Fonds Huguenots. Turn left with the street and, at the junction, turn right to quickly reach Vaucresson station (E).
To get back home:
- Transilien - Line L, towards La Défense and Paris Saint-Lazare (direct access) or Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche-Forêt de Marly (use the underpass).
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Difficult 
Easy 
