Between Maurecourt and Jouy-le-Moutier, between the Oise and the Hautil

Start at the Maison des Arts in Maurecourt, 2 Chemin de la Ville de Paris, 78780 Maurecourt. Parking available with a parking disc (limited to 4 hours).

(S/E) Walk down the street towards the Oise, go past the stadium and take the path that curves to the left to avoid a wetland area. Join the towpath and follow it to the left for 1.8 km to the Pont de Neuville.

(1) Just before the bridge, turn left into Rue du Bac. Cross the road (take care – it’s a busy road), walk round the roundabout via Rue de Vincourt and take the path opposite, which runs alongside Rue du Boile; after 50 m, take the path on the left.

(2) Turn right onto Rue des Vignes. Head up into the small woodland, then along the fields, passing residential areas, a school and then an industrial estate. Once in the fields, you’ll reach a junction and the GRP® path beneath the high-voltage power lines.

(3) Follow this GRP® ‘Ceinture Verte de l’Ile-de-France’ signposted route to the left, marked in red and yellow (until the finish). Turn left towards Bellefontaine Farm. After the farm, the path veers slightly to the left, then to the right. Cross the road (Chemin de Maurecourt à l’Hautil) and take the path opposite, running alongside fields and then through woodland. The path occasionally emerges from the woodland to avoid obstructed sections. Continue to the crossroads.

(4) Please note: make sure you follow the route described here; the other paths on the left (Chemin du Tartaleau and Chemin des Groux) pass through a signposted hazardous area (risk of quarry collapse) and end at a locked gate. These are not shown on maps.

So, carry on to the left, still on the GRP®, passing in front of the Château du Fay, then cross through the stables of the equestrian centre. As you leave the equestrian centre, the path veers slightly to the left. Walk straight down this path, then you’ll come to some houses and walk alongside them.

(5) Continue along this path until you reach the steps. There, turn left onto the Sente du Haut des Buis; at the end, turn left onto Rue Alexandre Deneufchatel, then right, and head down the Chemin du Tartaleau. At the end, turn left onto Rue de l’Hautil, then right onto the path that climbs between the houses; reach a small tarmac-surfaced area by continuing along the path opposite, which then turns to the right.

(6) Walk straight down, staying on the GRP®, whilst admiring the reproductions of works by Berthe Morisot. Continue straight on until you reach the Maison des Arts (S/E).

Parking at the start point in the blue zone marked on the ground (4 hours with a parking disc).

Maurecourt SNCF station (Line J: Paris St Lazare – Mantes-la-Jolie) or Conflans Fin d’Oise (Line L: Paris St Lazare – Cergy-le-Haut or RER A), 1.9 km away (25–30 mins)