Country:
City:
Start at Lognes station (RER A).
(S) Take the North exit, turn right, follow the street for a few dozen metres and take the footbridge on the right over the spillway of the Étang des Ibis. Follow the path that runs alongside the pond to its furthest point.
(1) Then turn right and continue to a road. Cross the road and follow it to the left until you reach Place de l’Union Européenne. Then turn right onto the path that runs along the north side of the Étang du Maubuée.
(2) After about 350 m, turn left just before the spillway to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. Walk along the Étang des Pêcheurs and pass under the A199. Walk along the Étang de Beauregard. At the end of the pond, continue along the main path which descends (west-north-west) to the Étang de l’Écluse. Keep the pond on your left.
(3) At the end, go under the Cours de l’Arche Guédon. At the tunnel exit, walk along the Étang de l’Arche. At the end, continue along the wide main path which begins to descend through the grassy area dotted with a few trees.
(4) On the descent, at the first path coming from the left, take thesecond path on the right which climbs very slightly. Follow it to Rue Jean Jaurès, which you cross at the pedestrian crossing. Continue along the path opposite. At the end of the residential area, leave the path that turns right between fences and the forest and take the path that continues downhill opposite, then veers to the right.
(5) At the T-junction, follow the path to the right which runs along the edge of the Bois de la Fosse aux Loups. At the crossroads of paths, at the lowest point, near the road, turn left to reach the road and cross it. Continue straight ahead, then take the footbridge opposite which leads to the path running through the developed wetland. At the end, take a footbridge and leave the protected area.
(6) As you leave the footbridge, turn left onto the main path, which leads to the Marne. Walk past the canoe and kayak centre and continue to the bridge crossing the river.
(7) Go under the bridge, then turn immediately right up the vehicle access road. Then cut right again onto the embankment to join the bridge and cross the Marne. After the bridge, head down to the right to reach the right bank of the Marne, which you follow upstream to the Vaires Lock.
(8) Before the lock, turn left onto the towpath and follow the Canal de Chelles on your right. Just before reaching the bridge, take the path on the right which descends to the canal bank and curves in an S-shape to pass under the bridge. About 100 m after the bridge, take the path on the left which leads back to the road. Cross it heading south just before the roundabout. Then take the access road to the Olympic water sports centre.
N.B. The Olympic centre is usually open. In the rare event that it is closed, follow the road to the left which goes round the entire centre outside the fence, and thus reach the exit
(9) Enter the aquatic stadium but do not go straight ahead: take the path diagonally to the left which climbs the embankment, then turn left (onto the terraces of the technical buildings overlooking the lake) and enjoy the view from this elevated position. At the southern end, turn left, go down the stairs, then turn right to reach the exit gate of the complex.
(10) At the exit, take the path straight ahead which starts as a sort of wide concrete slab and continues as a track running more or less close to the lake.
(11) Once you reach the end of a small bay, leave the main path and take the path on the right which, at first, follows the lake’s shore, before turning left along the fence of the protected nature area. You then rejoin the lakeside, which you follow to its western end.
(12) You’ll reach the leisure centre’s facilities (tables and benches available from May to December; there’s a shortcut to Noisiel Park via the floating footbridge). Continue westwards and walk along the left bank of a branch of the Marne that surrounds the Iles de Chelles Nature Reserve. You will reach the Passerelle du Moulin (better known as the Passerelle de Champs).
''Here, you can take a shortcut by turning left onto the footbridge over the Marne and heading eastwards up to Noisiel Park.
(13) Turn right at the end of the footbridge, cross the road and enter the Parc du Vieux Moulin opposite. Walk through the park and exit to the north-east opposite the Pont de Belle-Île bridge over the canal.
(14) Turn left (do not take the bridge) and follow the canal on your right, along its left bank, on a good path. When you reach the bridge, cross Rue de Gournay and continue along the left bank of the canal. Opposite, on the other bank: a concrete and building materials plant. A little further on, the path turns into a track. You then come to some small blocks of flats and the track climbs up a small hill where you reach the dead end of a tarmac road. Go past the road and head back down the hill.
(15) Go under the footbridge (Pont du Chetivet) and, at the bottom, turn left onto the path through the wooded area, heading towards the Marne. Follow it downstream (west-south-west). You’ll reach the entrance to the Parc de la Haute-Île. Continue straight on until you reach a crossroads with a picnic area and shelters.
(16) Continue straight on for about a hundred metres and, at a fork, turn left onto the Chemin des Clairières.
(17) After about 500 m, turn left onto a path that quickly leads to a viewpoint. Retrace your steps.
(17) Continue along the Chemin des Clairières (south-west). Pass a picnic area and then the entrance to the Archéodrome to reach a junction.
(18) Turn left onto the Chemin de la Marne. Follow the river until you reach the picnic area you passed earlier (there are several birdwatching hides along the way). Then take thesecond right, a road that climbs up the embankment, then turns left to cross the canal via a bridge.
(19) Just after the bridge, head down the fairly steep embankment on the left to reach the path along the canal. Head upstream along the left bank of the canal. Further on, head back up the bank immediately after passing under the footbridge. Take the footbridge (Pont du Chetivet) and cross the canal again.
(15) Continue along the footbridge and cross the Marne. On the other side, turn left. Take the path along the Marne and follow it on your left. Pass under the Pont de Gournay. Further on, go past the Passerelle de Champs (opposite point (13)) and continue to the entrance to the Parc de Noisiel.
(20) A few metres past the entrance (marked by a wooden gate), turn right at the first fork and continue along this wide path which crosses the forest, then runs alongside the meadow, before veering right to head back into the forest. At the first junction, turn left onto the wide path which descends towards the lawn to admire the remarkable twisted plane tree.
(21) Leave the plane tree and follow the path along the edge of the forest heading south-east. Cross the wetland on the wooden footbridges, continuing towards the Marne until you reach the bridge over a small pond. Cross the bridge, then head up to the right along the pond. At the first fork, keep right onto the path that follows the contour line. Then leave the path that heads back down to the right towards the wetland.
(22) A little further on, take the first path on the left. You will soon reach the main path which climbs into the forest heading south. Continue in the same direction until you reach the edge of a meadow. A little further on, pass a trio of fine plane trees, then turn left at a crossroads marked by a magnificent plane tree. After 150 m, at a fork in the road, turn left and you will soon come to a main path.
(23) Follow this path to the left across a meadow. Note a remarkable sequoia at the edge of the forest, just opposite a children’s playground. Then head down into the forest and turn right at the first junction. Keep right at the fork and continue along the almost level path. The exit from the forest is marked by three fine trees: a pine, a plane tree and a sequoia. Continue along the path which passes between two cattle pens and, at the crossroads, head down the path on the left which runs alongside the fence. Just before reaching the Marne, don’t miss a visit to the famous layering chestnut tree on the left. Take the path on the right which leads to the park’s exit gate.
(24) Then turn left and take the floating footbridge over the canal at the chocolate factory mill. Turn left a little further on and walk between the Marne on your left and the buildings on your right. Pass the Noisiel dam. Then take a footbridge over the canal entrance. At the exit, turn left and continue along the Marne upstream. After about 250 m, take a gap in the hedge and fence on the right to enter the chocolate factory’s large car park.
If the gate opposite is not open (only open on Sundays), cross the car park diagonally to the right to go through the usual car park entrance and return via the main access to the gate. Then turn right to the roundabout and cross the road.
(25) Head straight south onto the Promenade de la Chocolaterie, which runs first alongside two buildings, then a stream, which it crosses further on. Pass under the Cours de l’Arche Guédon and walk alongside a pond.
(26) Leave the cemetery on your left and continue along the promenade. First pass under the motorway, then under the Cours du Buisson bridge. Further on, pass under athird bridge. Then pass between a stadium (on the left) and a small wooded park. Walk alongside some tennis courts.
(27) Just before the railway bridge, leave the Promenade de la Chocolaterie and turn right onto the Allée Buissonnière, which runs alongside the car park, with the tennis court fence on your right. When you reach the brick wall (at the rear of the Ferme du Buisson), turn left then right, following the wall.
(28) Walk round the farm to its main entrance and visit the inner courtyard of this beautiful building, listed by Bâtiments de France. Exit, turn left, go past the roundabout and continue along the Cours du Buisson. At the next roundabout, turn left to go over the railway line. Turn right immediately, walk past a car park and you will soon reach Noisiel station (E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Difficult 
