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Depart from the car park at the foot of the Gravelle kiosk, near the Vincennes racecourse. Plateau de Gravelle bus stop.
(S/E) Head east, at the far end of the car park, towards the kiosk. Continue straight ahead (east) on the path and ignore the turnings on the left. Leave Lac de Gravelle on your left.
(1) At the crossroads to the right of a beautiful tree (small white rocks), take the path on the left and continue straight ahead for about 150 metres.
(2) At the next junction, go straight ahead. On your left, you will see the car park and, beyond it, the stands of the Vincennes racecourse. At the end, cross a tarmac road (open to traffic) and enter the Arboretum.
(3) Once inside, immediately turn right onto Route de la Gerbe to begin your tour of the arboretum in an anti-clockwise direction. At the fork, turn right. Cross a stream and, at the fork that appears immediately, turn right again. At the next fork, turn left. Cross a path and you will come to some small ponds. Then turn left to return to the entrance.
(3) Leave the arboretum, cross the road again and walk along the racecourse car park on your right.
(2) At the crossroads, turn right. Then walk along Lac de la Gravelle on your left. At the end, turn right to walk along Ruisseau de Gravelle on your left. At the end of the path, cross Route du Pesage and follow Route de la Tourelle for about 20 metres.
(4) Leave the tarmac road, take thefirst path on the right and cross the Ruisseau de la Gravelle via a small bridge. Immediately after, at the crossroads, take the path on the right.
For your enjoyment, go around the Carrefour de la three-way junction on the right and ignore the Route de Bourbon and Route de Dauphine. Take the very small path that leaves between the Route Dauphine and the Route de la Demi Lune (to the right of the water point). Go straight ahead (north-west) and ignore the paths on the right. Cross Avenue des Tribunes and then Route de Belle Étoile (watch out for cyclists at each crossing). You will come to a crossroads that is not easy to spot (if you arrive at Route Saint-Hubert, turn back).
(5) Then turn left onto Allée des Quatre Carrefours. After about 75 metres, turn right. At the next crossroads, turn left and climb the Butte aux Canons (panoramic view of the Bois de Vincennes and Vincennes in the distance). Be careful if the ground is wet, as the slope can be very slippery.
(6) Descend via the path immediately to the left of the one you took on the way up (on the left as you descend). The descent can be slippery in wet weather. At the bottom, take the wide Route Saint-Hubert on the left until you reach the huge roundabout.
Turn right and take thesecond lane, Allée Royale, towards the Château de Vincennes. At the end of the lane, take a path on the left towards Nogent-sur-Marne. Cross Avenue du Polygone and then Route de la Tourelle (be careful of traffic).
(7) Turn left just before a small bridge and follow the stream on your right. At the end of the path (covered with wood chips), turn right and cross the stream over a small bridge.
At the end of the bridge, turn left to follow the stream on your left. Cross a tarmac path, ignore a path on your right and you will come to another small bridge.
(8) Cross the stream again and then cross Route de la Tourelle. Continue straight ahead (south-east) along a wide, leafy lane.
Go around the large roundabout on the right that you saw on the way there and take thesecond exit towards Joinville-le-Pont. Cross Avenue des Tribunes and continue straight ahead.
(9) At the junction just before a tarmac road, turn left to rejoin the stream. Follow it on your right and ignore the first bridge further on. Continue along the stream and cross it at the next bridge.
At the end of the bridge, turn immediately left and follow the stream on your left. Cross a tarmac road (watch out for cyclists). Cross another small bridge over the stream. At the next junction, turn right and cross the stream again, using the same bridge you used on the way there
(4). Cross Route de la Tourelle and follow the path opposite. Join Route du Pesage (watch out for cars) and follow it to the left. After about 50 metres, turn left to reach the Gravelle kiosk car park (S/E).
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