The Promenade de l'Yvette

Starting point and access: Lozère station.
- RER - Line B, on the section between Paris and Saint-Rémy-Lès-Chevreuse.
Take exit 3 Rue Charles Péguy, on the side of the track going from Paris to Saint-Rémy (if arriving in the opposite direction, take the underpass or footbridge).

Red and white markings

(S) When leaving the station, follow Rue Charles Péguy to the left. At the fork, take Rue Marceau on the left. Pass in front of the small church of Lozère, then turn right down Rue du Chemin Vert. At the traffic lights, rejoin Rue Charles Péguy and follow it to the left. Take the^first right, Rue de Fourcherolles.

Red and white + yellow markings

At the fork, turn left. Ignore the dead end on the right. At the stop sign, turn right. At the Palaiseau exit sign, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing, then continue to the right and cross the Yvette.

(1) At the crossroads, turn left at an acute angle, go through a forest gate and take the Promenade de l'Yvette, a wide gravel path. Walk along the river on your left and a fence on your right. Ignore a footbridge on the left, continue straight ahead and walk along a playground on your right.

No signposts

(2) At the intersection, continue straight ahead, as close as possible to the river (ignore the arrow pointing to the right). Then turn right.

Red and white + yellow markings

Take the footbridge on the left to cross a stream, find the markings and follow the Yvette river on your left.

(3) Cross Rue du Moulin de la Planche and turn into Rue du Bas de la Ferme opposite. At the corner of a playground, turn left onto Chemin des Foulons. At the next fork, go left to stay as close as possible to the Yvette. At the footbridge, turn right and rejoin the tarmac road.

(4) At the crossroads, take the^first lane on the left. At the end, turn left onto a path and follow the Yvette river again.

Yellow + red and yellow markings

(5) After passing a few houses on your right and before reaching a bench, leave the^GR® trail on your right and continue along the river.

Yellow markings

Take a small tunnel under a road (ignore the red and yellow markings on the right). Immediately after, at a small dam, the river splits into two: turn right to follow the secondary branch, known as La Boële. Walk between the river on your left and a housing estate on your right (ignore a footbridge on the left).

(6) Enter the large tunnel that passes under the A10 motorway and the Atlantic TGV line (admire the quality and diversity of the graffiti). At the tunnel exit, continue along the river, which is now on your right. Cross La Boële via a footbridge, immediately turn left and continue along the river (again on your left). Pass under the high-voltage power lines and emerge onto the D59 road near a shopping centre.

(7) Make a first turn left then right to cross the river and then the D59 (, a very busy road). Continue along the path opposite (information sign) and follow the river on your right. Enter the undergrowth and pass under a road bridge. Further on, move slightly away from the Boële and cross the Yvette (the two branches meet here). Turn right at the end of the footbridge. Cross the Route de Champlan (Roger Gyger stadium on the left).

Yellow + Blue and Yellow markings

(8) Leave the Bassin de Saulx car park on your left and follow a wide gravel path. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead. At the fork, turn right and cross a branch of the river. Continue along the wide gravel path with the Bassin de Saulx on your left and the Yvette on your right.

Yellow markings

At the Pont de la Planche aux Vaches bridge (marker post, litter bin), turn left onto the wide path. At the next fork, continue straight ahead (ignore the path on the right). Walk along one arm of the basin some distance below on the left.

(9) At the foot of a litter bin, turn right downhill. Cross the Yvette river via a bridge and continue along a fence on the left-hand side. At the end of the path, turn left and walk along the left-hand pavement of an avenue. At the bakery, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left. Walk along the roundabout on your left and pass under the N20 bridge. At the roundabout that immediately follows, continue straight ahead. At the next roundabout, turn left onto Rue du Canal towards the town centre.

(10) Take the^first right, Rue du Capitaine Alfred Dreyfus. After about 20 metres, opposite No. 4, take a small gate on the left. Pass a playground on your left and you will see the Yvette river on your left. Cross the river and immediately turn right.

Yellow + red and yellow markings

Cross the street at the pedestrian crossing, first turn right then left, go through a chicane and follow the Yvette River on your right on Allée de la Corderie. Go under a porch and continue straight ahead on Allée de la Corderie. At the end, cross the street and turn right to cross the Yvette. At the corner of a building, turn left, enter Nelson Mandela Park and follow a gravel path. Come out onto a street, follow it to the left and pass in front of Longjumeau Town Hall. At the crossroads, go straight ahead onto Rue Léontine Sohier. At the traffic lights, continue straight ahead.

No signposts

(11) At Jean Mermoz nursery school, turn left into Parc des Sports Frédéric Langrenay. Cross the Yvette backwater. At the roundabout immediately ahead, take the^first tarmac path on the right and walk alongside a football stadium on your left. At the corner of the municipal swimming pool, turn right and walk alongside the pool on your right. At the end, leave a tennis wall on your right and join the Yvette backwater. At the roundabout, go straight ahead and walk along a rollerblading track on your right. At the end of the tarmac, turn right onto a gravel path and walk along a rugby stadium on your left. At the corner of the stadium, turn left.

(12) Go through a metal gate and continue straight ahead. At the crossroads (Prairie de Balzy), go straight ahead (ignore the bridge on the right). At the fork that appears immediately, take the path on the right and stay as close as possible to the Yvette backwater. Ignore a bridge on the right and, at the next intersection, turn right, still staying as close as possible to the backwater. On a wide gravel path, walk along the Bassin de Balzy on your left. Just after the weir, turn right and cross the backwater to come out onto a street.

Red and yellow markings (rare)

(13) Turn left and walk along the car park of Gravigny-Balzy station. Cross the railway line at the level crossing and follow Rue Nicolas Copernic for about 20 metres. Then turn right onto a downhill path. When you reach the edge of the field, turn left and head towards the banks of the Yvette (note the campsite on the opposite bank). Walk along the river on your left and enter a wood. Further on, the path turns right then left at a forest barrier and runs alongside the railway line on the right-hand side. At a fork, continue straight ahead on the wider path. At the end, continue on the tarmac road (Chemin du Pont Rubeau).

No markings

At the end, turn right and you will immediately reach Petit Vaux station (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Juvisy and Paris (immediate access) or Massy-Palaiseau and Versailles-Chantiers (access after the level crossing).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
The car parks at both stations have limited capacity, so it is best to restrict your walk to the Promenade de l'Yvette itself, between points (1) and (8).
With a single vehicle - Park in the large car park at Bassin de Saulx (8) and follow the Promenade de l'Yvette in the opposite direction to this hike until you reach point (1). (See description below). Retrace your steps by following this description. Allow around 9km for the round trip.
With at least two vehicles - Park one vehicle at (8) and one vehicle in the small car park near (1) or in the adjacent streets. Walk one way (4.5 km) in either direction.

Good trainers or low-cut hiking boots are sufficient for this route, which follows well-maintained paths and tarmac roads.

There are a few water points along the way, marked on the OSM map. Tobacconist-bookshop-newsagent at Lozère station (S). Bakery between (9) and (10). Shops in Longjumeau between (10) and (11).

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Warning:
Hikers should be aware that although most of the route described here runs alongside a river, it is located in an urban area. Major roads are not far away, you will pass under a motorway and a high-speed rail line, and you will hear the noise of aircraft approaching Orly Airport.

The author has completed this hike twice, the first time on 11 November 2015 and the second on 24 October 2019.

Route from the Saulx Basin to Villebon

(8) Take the path that starts to the left of the stadium (information sign). Immediately cross the Yvette on a footbridge and reach the left bank of the Boële (the right branch of the Yvette at this point). Walk through the woods with the river on your left. Go under a bridge. When the woods thin out, you will see a horse farm on the opposite bank and a shopping centre in the background. Come out onto the D59 road and cross it carefully. Turn left and cross the Yvette.

(7) Immediately turn right and walk along the river on your right. Pass under the high-voltage power lines. Further on, cross the river and continue walking along it on your left. Enter the large tunnel that passes successively under the TGV Atlantique line and the A10 motorway (admire the quality and diversity of the graffiti).

(6) After the tunnel, walk between the river (now on your right) and a housing estate (on your left). At the end of the housing estate, continue along the river and pass a small dam (where the two branches of the river separate). Take a small tunnel under a road and continue along the river (note one or two red and yellow markers).

(5) Join the^GR®655coming from the left and continue along the Yvette (on your right). Turn left to move away from the riverbank, then follow a small lane on the right (ochre/pink plastered wall on your left).

(4) At the crossroads, take the first lane on the right. At the footbridge, turn left and follow the Yvette again. Join a lane coming from the left and continue straight ahead on Chemin des Foulons. At the next crossroads, turn right into Rue du Bas de la Ferme.

(3) Cross Rue du Moulin de la Planche and continue with the Yvette on your right. Cross a stream via a footbridge. Immediately turn right (ignoring the markings for the moment). Turn left and follow the river.

(2) At the intersection, go straight ahead and rejoin the red and white markings. Ignore a bridge on the right and follow the Yvette on your right. You will reach the end of the Promenade de l'Yvette, Avenue du Général de Gaulle (1).

A pleasant walk along the Yvette and Boële rivers.
Saulx basin.