Cergy Ponds and Megaliths

The walk starts and ends in front of the Pavillon d’Amour in Neuville-sur-Oise. See access details in: Practical Information. The route follows sections of the^PR® Yellow and^GRP® Red and Yellow marked trails.

^PR® Yellow markings

(S/E) Facing the Oise, turn right and climb the stone steps to reach the Neuville-sur-Oise bridge. Cross the bridge keeping to the left: from the centre of the bridge you have a lovely view of the Pavillon d’Amour. Just after the bridge, go down the wooden steps.

No signposting

Facing the Oise, turn left to go under the bridge. Follow the Oise along the dirt track, which can be quite muddy after rain. After 500 m, turn left onto a path that runs alongside a stream. At the end of the path and before crossing the stream, take the grassy path on the right to reach the Vincourt wash house, one of the three wash houses in Jouy-le-Moutier, all built in the same architectural style. You will see an information board showing the level reached by the Oise during floods, as well as the flood markers. The entire lower part of Jouy-le-Moutier is in a flood zone.

Yellow^PR® markings

(1) Continue along Rue de la Fontaine Bénite. After passing a car park on your right, climb the steps between numbers 6 and 4 to reach Grande Rue. Take this street on your right and cross it as soon as possible.
You will pass the Church of Notre-Dame de la Nativité. Go round it on the left and climb the steps towards Parc Lapresté (if it is closed, continue for a few dozen metres and take the wide staircase on the right). Exit Parc Lapresté at the top. Turn right onto the street called Chemin des Miettes. Follow this road, which turns into a footpath. After about 500 m, you will see a gate in the distance. About 50 metres before the gate, take the path on the left that descends towards the road (marked^PR® Yellow).

Cross the road (Rue de la Vallée), take Rue des Pendants opposite, cross the street, continue along Sente des Pendants and, after number 3, turn left onto a path. As long as you are going uphill, do not take the path on the left but stay on the path on the right. Once you reach the flat section, at the Y-junction, you will join the GRP® markings^.

^GRP® red and yellow markings and^PR® yellow markings

Take the path on the right. Pay attention and, after about 200 m, take the third path on your left (at this point, the area is open on the left and there is an oak tree with horizontal branches).

No markings

After about fifty metres, after the path bends to the left, you will see the Grande Pierre de Jouy on the ground, the first megalith on our route.

(2) After this menhir, continue along the path that branches off to the right. You will come to a track which you take to the right (you will pass a stadium on your left). When you reach the houses, turn right onto the tarmac road and go through a gate.

^GRP® red and yellow and^PR® yellow markings

Look out for a turnstile on your left. Go through it and continue along the path. You’ll walk past houses on your left, then a large green space opens up on your right.

No markings

When you reach the junction with a cross-path, turn right and head towards the viewpoint. Take a moment to admire the view of the ponds. Go down the steps to the right of the viewpoint and continue along this path, which winds downwards. At the end of the winding path, you’ll come out onto a track. Take this track to the left.

^GRP® red and yellow and^PR® yellow signposting (not necessarily visible)

Continue along this path as it climbs and look out for the car park reserved for boules players.

No markings

Take the path that turns right just before the car park, then take the path that branches off to the left. When you reach an open area on the right, head down through the grass. You have arrived at the covered walkway known as the English Cemetery, access to which is restricted by rope barriers.

(3) Walk around the Cimetière des Anglais and climb the hill to reach a path which you take on the right. Pay attention and take the second path on the right (marked^GRP® Red and Yellow and^PR® Yellow__).

^GRP® Red and Yellow and^PR® Yellow markings

Continue along this path as it descends towards the village houses. Take advantage of the woodland cover for a short break. The path runs alongside a fence and then becomes a partly tarmac-surfaced road. You’ll come out onto a road; head down to the right along this road.

(4) At the junction with the Jules Bourgoin cul-de-sac, you have a lovely view of Vauréal church, and to your right is an old well; there are two other wells of the same design in Jouy-le-Moutier and Cergy.
Turn left onto Impasse Jules Bourgoin and, at the end of the cul-de-sac, take the path leading down to the right. You will come out onto a street. Turn left onto this street, cross the next road at the traffic lights and walk up this road for about twenty metres.

You’ll pass a flowerbed with a pseudo-dolmen in the centre, intended to evoke the coat of arms of Vauréal, which features one. After this pseudo-dolmen, turn right onto the path. You’re on the old railway line that linked Poissy to Pontoise. Continue straight on until you reach the junction with the Axe Majeur steps. Notice the rails on the ground, a reminder that you are on a former railway line.

(5) Continue straight on along this old railway line for about 500 m. Look out for a sports ground on your left and, just before you pass it, look for a path on the right that goes down some steps. At this point you are at a junction of the old railway line: this is the Gency halt.

No signposting

Just before the sports ground, go down the steps to take the path on the right; this is the Chemin de Gency à Osny. The path leads onto Rue de Courdimanche.

(6) As you walk up a few metres, look out for a cross on the right, as well as an old well with the same architecture as the one you saw in Vauréal. Walk down Rue de Courdimanche and stop at the Stop sign.
To see the Pierre Fouret menhir (or Palet de Gargantua), you must cross the street and turn right for about fifty metres. You will see a low wall from which you can look into the property (this is the EPAHD le Menhir). The menhir is located in the small courtyard behind the wall.

(7) Retrace your steps and take the first right-hand path leading downhill (Rue du Pont de Gency).

^__GRP® red and yellow markings

As you go downhill, you will first pass the grounds of Gency Castle on your left, then, after passing Chemin du Bac de Gency on your right, you will walk past Gérard Philipe’s house.

(8) Continue straight on until you reach the banks of the Oise, take the path on the right and walk along the fence of the Gérard Philipe House park (beautiful wrought ironwork).

No signposting

Continue along the path beside the Oise and cross a wooded area.

(9) Just before you reach the Axe Majeur basin, you’ll notice a fountain on the banks of the Oise. A small flight of steps leads down to it. Once you reach the Axe Majeur basin, head right towards the red footbridge to cross it. Take whichever path you prefer to climb the slope. The red footbridge overlooks the amphitheatre and the stage. Take the red footbridge to cross the Oise.
At this point on the route, you have three options for continuing; the aim is to turn left after the footbridge to go round the pond:
1) stay on the wide central path, for a route that is less muddy if it has rained (recommended route).
2) Follow the Oise: take the path branching off to the left and follow the Oise on your left. After about a kilometre, at the end of the reforested section, a grassy area opens up and you will see the ponds on your right. Take a path on your right to rejoin the middle path (do not go all the way to the bridge).
3) Follow the pond: go down the hill to reach the edge of the pond (this route can be very muddy and slippery if it has rained) and continue along this path which joins the middle path before the water sports centre.
Whichever route you choose, you will have reached the middle path. Once you reach the water sports centre, you will join the^PR® route^.

^PR® Yellow Markings

Look out for the yellow markings and follow them.

(10) At the water sports centre, there is an area with tables, toilets and a water point. Continue along the marked path. A little further on, the yellow markings lead down towards the lake. “A viewing point on your right offers a lovely view of the lake.
In season, the refreshment area a little further on is open; about fifty metres to the right, the building houses toilets which may be open if those at the water sports centre are closed.”
Continue along the marked path. After passing the X-trem Aventure building (tree-top adventure course), look out for the sign on your left pointing towards the rolling tubby toboggan.

No signposting

Turn left towards the rolling-tubby-luge activity (this involves hurtling down a slope whilst enclosed in a large bubble). Climb the first hillock; after the wooded area, you’ll reach a meadow and climb the large hillock on your right. (If the slope is too steep for you, head towards the rolling-tubby-luge activity stand; then, once on the hill, head right to reach the circle of trees.)
Once you reach the hill, you’ll come out onto a lovely clearing with a circle of trees, rocks to sit on and a beautiful view.

(11) Walk down the hill after the start of the zip line crossing. (If the slope is too steep for you, walk down in a zigzag pattern.) Cross the road and take the path that runs alongside the Oise (on your right). You will come across the yellow^PR® markings^again.

Yellow^PR® markings

After passing under the bridge, turn left to return to your starting point (S/E).

This route is rated as difficult as it involves a climb of around 100 metres along a gullied path; if you find walking poles helpful on ascents and descents, be sure to bring them, especially if the ground is damp. In wet weather, there may be a bit of mud on a few short sections of the route, but these patches of mud are easily bypassed.

You can drive to the starting point; there is a car park right next to the Pavillon d’Amour in Neuville-sur-Oise on Rue du Pont: parking is free for four hours, which is plenty of time to complete this hike (parking disc to be used between 9am and 6pm).

You can reach the starting point by public transport either from Neuville-Université (RER A and line L) or Cergy-le-Haut (RER A and line L) via bus 34, or from Cergy-Préfecture (RER A and line L) via bus 48 (A, B or C): get off at the “Le Pont” stop.

Other car parks:

- Rue de la Fontaine Bénite in Jouy-le-Moutier (after the Vincourt wash house), you can join the route at this point (3).

- Rue Pierre Vogler in Cergy: follow the yellow^PR® markings to cross the Oise; you will join the route at the water sports centre.

- Le Base de Loisirs car park: this car park is subject to a charge during the season.

If you are travelling by public transport (RER A and line L), you can start the walk from Cergy-Saint-Christophe station: in this case, walk under the giant clock, then head for the Axe Majeur steps; you will start the walk at the junction of the Axe Majeur and the old railway line, which can be identified by the railway sleepers on the ground.

Grande Pierre de Jouy.

Palet de Gargantua.

Vauréal covered walkway.

Gérard Philipe’s house
Formerly used for market gardening in the 18th century, it was converted into a private estate in the second half of the 19th century: the ‘Mesnil Gency’. A stately home built of cut stone was then constructed, and a 5-hectare wooded park was created on the site of the former vegetable plots. The house was purchased by Gérard Philipe, an icon of post-war French theatre and cinema, and his partner Anne in 1954.