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Departure from Épinay-sur-Orge town hall (car park).
N.B. For those arriving by RER or parking nearby, at the north exit of the station (on the Paris-Étampes platform side), walk up Rue de la Gare and continue left along Rue Pierre Brossolette until you reach Rue de l'Église. Walk up this street until you reach the town hall.
(S/E) From the forecourt, opposite the entrance, turn left and 5 metres after the corner of the building, note the presence of the First Republic's road marker no. 11, which features a medallion of a Phrygian cap and is also known as the "Borne de l'an II" (Year II marker). Cross the park, continuing along the tarmac path. When you reach the park exit, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and, at the corner of Rue des Roulles, go down a few steps to use the Gatinelle passage, which leads to the church. Turn right, walk past the church porch and continue down Rue de la Fontaine Bridel.
(1) When the street turns left, turn right onto Sentier des Ruelles on the grassy median. Continue straight ahead and, further on, cross Impasse des Laurentes on your left. Continue along Rue des Ruelles and go straight ahead until you reach the traffic lights at the entrance to Le Breuil (on a wall on the left, there is a plaque indicating the former department of Seine-et-Oise).
(2) Cross the D186 with caution, turn left and then immediately turn right onto Rue de Chevreuse. Go all the way down this street and then turn left onto Rue de Rivoli. At the intersection, turn right onto Rue de Villemoisson.
(3) When you reach the boundary between Villemoisson-sur-Orge and Épinay-sur-Orge, turn right onto the path that crosses the Orge river via a footbridge. Enter Parc du Breuil and turn right. Then, leave the Bassin de Breuil on your right and walk along the Boële (a secondary branch of the Orge) on your left. Continue straight ahead along the river. Pass under a small bridge and continue to the end of the park, marked by a wall running alongside the road from Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois/Villiers-sur-Orge. Take the pedestrian crossing to reach the Perray nature reserve.
(4) At the car park, turn left then right to follow the Boële again. Continue straight ahead. After an old building in poor condition (water point and toilet), ignore a footbridge on the left and continue to the next one.
(5) Then take a path on stilts on the right that cuts the park in two and passes through the park's reed bed. At the end, ignore the footbridge opposite, turn left and walk along the Orge on your right. Follow theGR®655and stay in the park, going upstream until you reach the end of the Perray nature reserve. Then take a footbridge over the Orge on the right.
(6) Turn left and cross at the pedestrian crossing to access the Lormoy park area. Continue straight ahead along the riverbank. Through a gap in the woods, the Basilica of Longpont is visible on the right. As you pass, note a group of remarkable trees, plane trees known as "en cépée". At the crossroads, turn right with theGR® towards the basilica. Walk slightly uphill to the basilica car park and turn right to reach the façade.
(7) On the square, take thesecond left, the D25 (Rue de Paris) towards Montlhéry. Pass in front of the basilica's parish house. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets on the right.
(8) At the crossroads, turn right onto Chemin de la Croix Rouge Fer (no entry road with cycle path). At the fork, leave the road and take the left-hand track with ruts, Chemin des Gaudrons. Cross Rue de la Tourelle and continue straight ahead. At the end, turn left, pass a bus stop and follow Rue de Longpont.
(9) At the T-junction, near Villa Delpher, go down to the right and pass in front of a wash house. At a building with a small turret, turn left onto Rue du Lavoir. Stay on the right-hand pavement and, at two blue barriers, turn right onto Sentier des Marcousssets, which runs alongside a large wall. The path turns right and then crosses Le Mort stream. Continue along the wall.
(10) Join theGR®655East and follow it straight ahead to a road near the entrance to Villebousin. Turn left and, about ten metres after the Villebouzin sign, turn right onto the path that runs alongside a fence of tall thuja trees. Continue straight ahead for over a kilometre through large cultivated plots.
(11) At the end of the path, turn right onto a cycle path that descends towards Villiers-sur-Orge (leave theGR®). Go around the roundabout, staying on the cycle path, and continue straight ahead on the D35. At the high-voltage power line, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. Continue right along the road for about 50 metres.
(12) Take thefirst path on the left. The path passes between cultivated plots. When you reach a bend in the road, turn left to stay on a path above the fields. You will arrive at the Porte des Jonquilles roundabout.
(13) Follow the D186 to the right. After about 150 metres, cross the road (
unprotected crossing) to take Chemin de la Grange du Breuil. Continue straight ahead and note the model aeroplane club on your right. Go through a red barrier that limits access. The path curves to the left, go over a small bridge that crosses the Rouillon. Immediately after, turn right through the undergrowth. Ignore a path on the left and cross the Rouillon again. Then turn left to quickly reach the Pont des Templiers.
(14) Continue straight ahead through the woods. At the end of the woods, when you reach a barrier, turn right onto the path that goes uphill. Ignore a turn-off on the right and leave the woods. When you reach the first houses, go up Rue des Templiers opposite (south-east). Between numbers 111 and 109, turn right into Parc des Templiers. Go up a flight of steps and turn left. Walk alongside the Petit Train d'Épinay-sur-Orge station (open free of charge a few days a year). Then first turn left then right, cross a car park and leave the park.
(15) At the park exit, cross the street, turn left and walk past the cemetery entrance. Immediately turn right onto Rue des Cèdres. At the roundabout, turn left onto Rue de la Division Leclerc. At the next crossroads, turn right onto Rue du Petit Parc. At the crossroads, turn right to reach Épinay Town Hall (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
Association / Club / Walk leader
