The Butte de Doue and the Forest of Choqueuse

Departure from the village hall in Saint-Germain-sous-Doue (car park).

No signposts

(S/E) Head east, leaving the school on your right.

Red and white markings

(1) At the crossroads (fountain on the right), turn left into Rue de l'Église and follow the^GR®®11. At the corner of the town hall (with the church on your right), turn left into Rue Saint-Pierre. At the next crossroads (wooden cross), turn right. At the end of the street, continue along a grassy path with fields on your left and meadows on your right. Join the D37a road, follow it to the left and enter Le Croupet (which has lost its article on the map).

No signposts

(2) Leave the^GR®® trail on your left (this will be our return route) and continue north-east along the main street. At the next crossroads, turn right into Rue des Ouches and cross a river.

(3) After No. 3 on the street, turn left onto a footpath. Cross the Ru de Fosse Rognon on a concrete footbridge, do not cross the second river that appears immediately, but turn right onto a lane with houses on the right. Opposite No. 31, turn right onto a grassy path that runs past the foot of a wooden-clad shed. At the end of the path, turn right, cross the Ru de Fosse Rognon again and follow the D37 for about 100 metres (busy road, caution advised).

(4) At the crossroads, turn left onto the C17 road towards Le Taillis (sign). Stay on this small road, passing a farm shed on your left and then some houses.

(5) At the T-junction, turn left: the Butte de Doue is clearly visible in the distance on the right.

(6) Just before the bridge over the Ru de Fosse Rognon, leave the road and turn left onto a path that runs along the wooded bank of the stream on your right. Shortly after the boundary between two cultivated plots (post), turn right and cross the stream (do not continue on the very grassy bank of the stream). Walk along a small wood on your left and continue north-northwest towards some houses. At the end of the path, continue along a narrow lane. At the T-junction, make a right-left turn to take Rue de la Croisette towards a rural lodge (sign).

Red and white markings

(7) At the next junction, rejoin the^GR®®11and turn right onto Rue de la Croisette. Between numbers 16 and 18, leave the street and follow a path between two walls on the right. The path turns twice at right angles, first to the right and then to the left, and leads to Rue du Général d'Harville (library opposite on the left). Turn right and you will arrive at the corner of Place de Verdun.

(8) Turn left onto Rue de la Butte. Ignore a small street on the right and, at the next intersection, turn left. Go through a chicane and, immediately at a fork, take the right-hand path. Walk along the football stadium on your left and climb between two hedges. Go through a second chicane and follow the small road that climbs to the right. Reach the hill opposite the church (on the left, information board).

No markings

(9) Walk around the church and cemetery to enjoy the different views. The route here is clockwise: turn left and pass in front of the cemetery gate; cross a large grassy esplanade on the right; pass a forest barrier and go around the back of the church and a reservoir; finally, turn right onto a small road.

(9) Go down the small road you took on the way up. Ignore the chicane on the left, continue down the road and go around the football stadium on the right. At the bottom, at the stop sign, turn right. A hundred metres further on, at the crossroads, take the second left towards Maisons Brulées (sign). At the next fork, turn left and pass a house with green shutters on your right. The street gives way to a tarmac path. At the next fork, turn left and cross a river. Head between the fields towards a small cluster of bushes.

(10) At the three-way junction (shrubs), turn right. Ignore a path immediately on your left and follow a dirt track towards an electricity pylon (north-north-west). At the next junction, continue straight ahead (north) and leave the pylon on your left.

(11) At the next junction, at the end of a long stretch of woodland some distance to the right, turn left (west) towards the forest. At the entrance to the forest, ignore a very grassy lane on the right and pass an information panel about wildlife on the right-hand side. Enter the Bois de Doue and reach a crossroads at the boundary between plots 102 and 103.

(12) Go through the forest gate (sign with map) and follow a wide forest path, the Route de la Petite Genette, due west.

(13) At the Pavillon de la Récompense (former forest house?), turn right at a right angle. Walk north for a kilometre until you reach the edge of the forest.

(14) Then turn left (west-northwest) onto a wide path (Route des Goins) and enter the Choqueuse National Forest. After about 750 metres, at a crossroads (elevation 152), continue straight ahead. After 400 metres, you will reach a large forest crossroads.

(15) Take the first road on the left, Route du Batardeau. Head south-east for a good kilometre and pass through the Bois de Doue forest again.

(16) At the crossroads, turn left (due east) onto Route de la Petite Genette.

(13) At the Pavillon de la Récompense, continue straight ahead until you reach the forest barrier.

(12) Turn right (south) onto a grassy path. Leave the woods, stay on the edge for about 100 metres, then continue south-southeast between the fields (the Butte de Doue is clearly visible in the distance on the left). Ignore a path on the left and pass under the power line, leaving a pole on your right.

(17) A few metres after the electricity pole, ignore another path on the left. Turn right (south-south-west) onto the main path. After about 200 metres, leave this path and take a path perpendicular to the left (east-south-east).

Red and white markings (rare at the beginning due to lack of support)

(18) At the T-junction, turn right and follow the^GR®®11again. Cross the D19 road (take care) and continue on the right path opposite. Ignore a vague path on the left and walk along a property wall on your left. At the corner of the wall, turn left into a tarmac lane (Rue de Croupet).

(2) At the end of the street, turn right and take the route you took on the way there in the opposite direction (don't miss the path that veers right after the Le Croupet exit).

No markings

(1) At the crossroads with the fountain, turn right towards the village hall (sign) and you will soon reach the car park where you started (S/E).

Hiking boots are required. Most of the paths between the fields are very grassy (situation in June 2016): avoid wet weather. In the Bois de Doue and the Forêt de Choqueuse (circular starting from (13)), the paths are in good condition. The roads used are not very busy, except for the short stretch along the D37 before (4).

Most of the hike takes place in open terrain: in summer, avoid days and times of high heat and bring appropriate sun protection.

There are no water sources along the route, so bring your own supplies. There are several places to stop for a picnic, including the Butte de Doue itself and in the forest.

The Bois de Doue is a sensitive natural area. Please respect the regulations indicated on the signs. In particular, dogs must be kept on a leash.

Most of the route is unmarked: a 1:25,000 map is essential (at least the one accompanying this description). A compass doesn't weigh much and can come in handy...

Shortcut options:
- If you wish to avoid walking along the D37, at (3), continue straight ahead along Rue des Ouches and rejoin the route at the junction with the D37 (4).
At (6), you can cross the stream and continue straight ahead on the tarmac road. At the crossroads, make a left-right zigzag to rejoin the main route at Place de Verdun (8).
The circular through the forest can of course be omitted, reducing the distance by around 4km. At the crossroads (12), however, it would be a shame not to make the round trip to the Pavillon de la Récompense.
- If you wish to limit yourself to climbing the hill and avoid the forest section and part of the cultivated plain, turn left at the three-way junction (10) and rejoin the main route at (18). This significantly shortened version is around 10 km long.

Hike completed by the author on 9 June 2016.

Butte de Doue (6) (viewpoint)
- Saint-Martin Church (13th-14th century) (9). The church is open on Sundays from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm, from Easter to All Saints' Day, except in August.
- In September 1914, during the Battle of Petit Morin (one of the episodes of the Battle of the Marne in which British troops were engaged), the Butte de Doue was a sought-after observation post. The cemetery contains several graves of British soldiers who fell during these battles (as well as the grave of a Prussian soldier who died during the 1870-1871 war).

- Saint-Germain Church in Saint-Germain-sous-Doue.
- Pavillon de la Récompense in the forest (13): former hunting lodge, former forest house?

- From the Butte de Doue (9) to the Bois de Doue (12), there are a few information panels about the environment: flora, fauna, agriculture, etc.
- In Doue, here and there, you will find information signs made by schoolchildren (be careful, these signs are small and discreet).