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Departure from Crespières church (parking spaces at the foot of the church or town hall). Access via the D307 between Saint-Nom-la Bretèche and Mareil-sur-Mauldre.
Yellow + orange markings
(S) Facing the church gate, turn left and go down Rue Saint-Martin. When the street turns left (sign for "Cabinet médical"), continue straight ahead on a gravel path. Pass a fountain on the left and go up alongside the wall of a property on your left.
(1) When you reach the D307 road, turn left and follow it for a few dozen metres on the left-hand pavement. At the entrance to the Parc du Château (sign), cross the road (be careful, this road is busy, don't hesitate to cross in two stages, stopping on the central reservation). Continue opposite along a grassy path with a hedge on your left. Go around an electricity pole on the left, follow a field and then go up into the woods.
(2) At the top of the hill, in open terrain, turn left behind a forest barrier onto a path that enters the woods again. After a left-hand bend, the path gives way to a wide lane which you follow north-west for about 500m.
(3) At the crossroads (tree opposite with plot number 16), turn left onto the wide track (do not continue straight ahead as suggested by the purple line on the IGN map, which is out of date; this section of forest is closed to the public for safety reasons). Further on, turn right onto a small road and follow a car park on your left. Then turn left to continue north-west along the wide forest lane.
(4) At the T-junction after a forest barrier, turn right. Walk north-east between fields and woods. Cross a small road (you can't miss the telecommunications centre on the left). Continue straight ahead on a gravel path which quickly gives way to a trail that winds along the edge of the woods (on your right) and fields or hedges on your left. After a little less than 1 km, turn right to enter the woods.
Yellow markings
(5) At the three-way junction that follows, take the path on the right (ignore the orange markings going left). Wind your way at the beginning, turn left and descend steeply. At a T-junction, zigzag left and right. Walk along the bottom of a small valley in pleasant fern undergrowth and note a parallel path on the right, which is falling into disuse because it is too wet. Continue north-east, ignoring a path that climbs up to the left, until you reach a triangular crossroads.
No signposts
The IGN map indicates that theGR®1follows the route below, but this is no longer the case.
(6) At the fork near the Étang d'Abbecourt, turn right, go through a gate and take the dyke with the pond on your right. Pass a car park on your left and go up the small road opposite.
(7) When you reach a large oak tree on the right with a "Chasse gardée" sign, turn left at an acute angle. Ignore a forest barrier on the left and continue on the main east-southeast path. Leave the woods and, after passing through the edge of the forest and then a meadow, you will find theGR®1coming from the left.
Red and white markings
(8) Continue east along the edge of the woods on your left. After leaving the woods, you will come to a small road which you follow to the right. After a green shed on the right and before the road turns left, turn left onto a path that runs between the fields. Continue straight ahead for about 1 km.
(9) At the T-junction, turn right (the arrow on the electricity pole is partially obscured). After about 800m, cross a small road (take care). Continue straight ahead, pass an EDF substation on your right, follow an orchard on your left and you will come to a group of old trees under which you will find the Croix Sainte-Geneviève.
No signposts
(10) Leave theGR®1trail on your left and continue straight ahead (south-west) between the fields. Pass a "No Entry" sign on your left and climb about 100 metres through the undergrowth with a fence on your left.
(11) At the top of the small hill (tree with an old yellow and green cross on the left), turn right into the woods. Head west-northwest and, after about 600 metres, turn right and pass the foot of a tree with a "private property" sign on the right-hand side. Head north-northeast towards a field that can be seen through the branches.
(12) Just before leaving the woods, turn left. Stay on a winding path (not shown on the IGN map) a few metres back from the edge of the woods. Head west-northwest through chestnut trees and come out at a crossroads in open ground.
Yellow + orange markings
(2) Turn left and continue down the path you took on the way there. At the bottom, cross the D307 road (take care) then turn left and follow it for a few dozen metres.
(1) Turn right and follow the path with the wall of a property on your right. When you reach Rue Saint-Martin, continue straight ahead and walk up to the church, which is the starting point.
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