Notre-Dame Forest and the Réveillon Valley, starting from Boissy-Saint-Léger

The suggested starting point is Boissy-Saint-Léger RER station, one of the terminus stations on the RER A line. For those travelling by car, the station is situated near the N19 and has a car park. You can also park on Boulevard de la Gare.

Note: The start of the route follows the red and white markings of^{the GR®14}, which heads towards Marne-la-Vallée.

(S/E) With your back to the station, turn left towards the N19. Cross the road at the traffic lights and head up Rue de Paris.

(1) Continue along Rue de Paris for about fifty metres.

(2) At the junction, turn left into Rue de l’Église. Walk past the church and, at a right-hand bend, leave the road on the left and follow Allée du Piple to the château.

(3) Turn right and head straight up Allée de la Pompadour. You’ll come out onto Route de Sucy; follow it to the left until you reach the roundabout.

(4) Cross the Route de Sucy and turn right onto a cycle path (south-west). Follow the fence of the Parc de Gros-Bois until you reach a school.

(5) Turn left into the woods and, after 50 m, turn right. Follow a path close to the Pelouse du Progrès and take the second path on the left towards Allée Élisabeth.

(6) Cross this avenue to take Allée du Clocher. At the end of it, turn left onto Allée des Bruyères, then onto Allée du Chevreuil, which leads back to Allée Élisabeth.

(7) Turn right past the forester’s lodge and leave the woods near a day camp.

(8) Pass under the high-voltage power lines and turn right onto Rue de Marolles. After the barrier, turn left onto Allée Royale until you reach a star-shaped junction.

(9) Then turn right at a right angle onto the continuation of the Allée des Merisiers. Further on, turn right onto the Route Neuve de Sucy and follow it to the equestrian centre and the junction at the Porte de Lésigny.

(10) Cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead for 150 m. Turn left twice to take the Chemin du Parc aux Bœufs until you reach a pond on the right.

(11) After the pond, turn right onto a path heading east. Take the^thirdpath on the left, which leads to a junction.

(12) Turn right onto the Chemin du Vieux Pavé de Paris. Continue straight on (eastwards) until you reach the edge of the Bois Notre-Dame.

(13) Continue along the road for about a hundred metres, then turn right and head towards the middle of the gap between the high-voltage power lines. Then take a farm track heading west, halfway between two housing estates. You’ll reach the edge of the forest opposite the Route du Morbras.
Note: ‘Depending on crop cultivation, if it is not possible to walk beneath the high-voltage power lines, cross the Orée de Lésigny housing estate until you reach a sports centre: cross its car park to join the Route de Morbras’

(14) Opposite the Route du Morbras, turn left (south-south-east) onto the forest track which crosses the Route de Monsieur and leads to the Route Sylvie (marker 96). Follow this road to the left.

(15) At the next junction, turn right onto Chemin de Grattepeau, which leads to the Domaine de Santeny housing estate after a final left-hand bend.

(16) Continue straight on (south-east) along the Allée de Villemenon. At the end of the housing estate, turn right (south). Join the CD51 and follow it straight on along the Route de Villemenon (take care, traffic) until you reach the bridge over the Réveillon.

(17) Cross the River Réveillon. At the roundabout, turn right onto Rue de la République in Servon. After the post office, turn right onto Chemin des Limières and follow it for 250 m.

(18) Turn left, cross Rue du Général Jeanningros and take Rue François Leduc southwards. Then turn left onto Rue de la Paix. At the end, turn right onto Avenue Pierre Guérin. You will reach the N19.
Note: in this area, you’ll be following the^GRP® Ceinture Verte d’Ile-de-France trail for a short while.

(19) Cross the N19 at the traffic lights (take care!). Continue straight ahead along Rue de Périgny and leave the business park heading south-west. The path then passes over the TGV line. At a place called La Redoute, the Chemin de Périgny runs alongside the Bois Saint-Leu.

(20) At the corner of the woodland, turn right (west). Take Rue de la Fosse Parrot and follow the boundary of the Domaine de Rosebrie. Near a pumping station, turn right to reach the platform of the old railway line from Boissy to Brie-Comte-Robert.

(21) Turn left onto this platform (Chemin des Roses). It curves widely to the right, heading north. It then curves to the left into the woodland. Cross the Réveillon again.

(22) Turn left after the bridge to head down the right bank of the stream. Reach the end of Rue de l’Arche and continue along the path that follows the Réveillon. At Rue du Réveillon, cross the stream. Immediately afterwards, cross the road and continue opposite along a path, still following the Réveillon.

(23) Cross the D253 and continue along the stream. At Rue de Cernay, turn right to cross the stream, then immediately left to follow it again. Cross the Chemin de Vaux coming from the other bank and continue for about a hundred metres.

(24) Then leave the Réveillon and take a wide bend to the right, heading up towards a path leading north: take the Chemin du Pont de Paris, which goes round a quarry and crosses Rue Paul Doumer. Continue along the Allée de la Place and head up into the Forêt des Camaldules as far as the Étoile de Bellevue.

(25) Head down the very wide Allée Royale opposite the Château de Gros-Bois. Turn left to follow the cycle path which runs along the embankment of the old railway line to the Route de la Grange (CD 260/941)

(26) Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing (take care!), then continue westwards along the embankment. After 300 metres, turn right. When the path you are following turns left, continue straight ahead to the right and, after 30 metres, join a footpath: follow this to the left. After heading north-west, the path veers to the right and continues north-north-east until it reaches the edge of the forest opposite the Lycée Guillaume Budé. Turn right onto the Voie Georges Pompidou until you reach the N19.

(27) Cross the road (take care!) and take the path running alongside the Gros Bois boundary wall towards the north-east. Turn left onto Rue de la Lune, then right onto Boulevard Léon Révillon. Walk past the town hall and you’ll reach the junction with Rue de Sucy.
Note: “If the roadworks prevent you from taking this route, head straight north along Boulevard Léon Révillon until you reach Rue de Paris.

(28) Walk down Rue de Paris and pass the post office.

(2) Continue straight on along Rue de Paris for about fifty metres.

(1) Look out for the entrance to the Sente des Pressoirs on your left, which runs between the buildings and leads down to the N19.

(29) Cross the road at the traffic lights (take care!) and continue along the Sente des Pressoirs on the opposite side. Reach Boulevard de la Gare and follow it to the right to get back to the station (S/E).

For such a long circular route within the Paris metropolitan area, it is inevitable that certain sections will take place in urban areas or cross major roads. These sections are limited to essential transitions between the vast natural areas visited and require great caution.

The route crosses the N19 four times, but each time at junctions equipped with traffic lights for safety: cross them with care, and if you are unsure about joining the traffic, you can always cross at the pedestrian crossings, leading your bike by hand.

Please note: Major roadworks are currently underway in Boissy-St-Léger to construct the N19 diversion between the foot and the summit of the Côte: sections in this area may be disrupted and require detours, for which you must have a 1:^{25,000 scale} map.

Whilst some of the areas you’ll pass through are remote or even wild, others are very popular with walkers and joggers (Parc de Gros Bois, Vallée du Réveillon, Allée Royale, etc.), particularly at weekends: you should therefore slow down to allow for the coexistence of different users.

This walk allows you to enjoy the vast wooded areas of this south-eastern part of the Paris metropolitan area (it is not uncommon to spot roe deer here) and to discover the pleasant Réveillon Valley, all too often surrounded by housing estates.

The walk takes you past several châteaux (some of which are open to visitors): Le Piple, Gros-Bois, Les Marmousets, Villemenon and La Grange (Maréchal de Saxe).