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Starting point and access: Saint-Germain-en-Laye station.
- RER - Line A, terminus of a section coming from Paris.
Take exit 3 Château.
In the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, there are many marked trails. In the following description, the markings are only indicated when necessary.
(S/E) At the top of the escalator, turn left into the Parterres du Château. Walk along the right-hand side of the château and follow a very wide path to a balustrade. Then turn left. You will reach a large rotunda; turn right to reach the viewpoint and its orientation table.
(1) Continue along the wide path beside the balustrade, heading north-north-east. After about 500 metres, walk around a rotunda on your left. At the end of the roundabout, turn left, go through a gate and enter the forest via the Route des Mare. After about 100 metres, make a short detour to the right to reach the foot of a shrine high up in a tree. Continue along the Route des Mares, cross a tarmac road and you will reach a crossroads about 50 metres further on.
(2) Take thefirst right, a dirt track with a fitness trail with exercise equipment at intervals. Further on, cross a tarmac road and, immediately after (elevation 76), leave the fitness trail and turn left onto Route du Petit Parc. Continue straight ahead, cross a small car park and then the D157 (watch out for traffic).
(3) At Étoile du Petit Parc, take thesecond path on the right (due north; Blue Cross). Pass Étoile Caroline, continue straight ahead on Route de Notre-Dame du Bon Secours and walk alongside a plot of land undergoing regeneration.
(4) At Étoile d'Actéon, take thethird path on the right (Salamandre signpost; be careful to spot this discreet path). The path initially runs roughly parallel to the previous path, then curves to the right and winds through the undergrowth. Pass an information sign and you will soon reach a crossroads. Take thesecond path on the left (north-east) and head for the Étoile de la Porte Verte.
(5) Then take thesecond path on the left (north-west; red and yellow markings), the Route de la Grille Royale. At the next crossroads (with the Route de Lamarck and the Route de Vaux), continue straight ahead. Shortly before the next crossroads, turn right onto a narrow path (red and yellow arrow). Wind your way through the undergrowth.
(6) Cross a wider path and continue straight ahead, following the red and yellow markings. After about 100 metres, turn left. Wind your way along the path, which is more or less well marked, and follow the red and yellow markings. At a crossroads, go straight ahead. At the next intersection, turn left (north). Then cross two perpendicular paths in succession.
(7) At the junction with a well-marked path, leave theGRP® and head straight ahead, diagonally to the right (north-east), onto a path that starts at the foot of a tree bearing a red and yellow cross. Further on, at a three-way junction, turn left (north). Ignore a path coming from the left and you will soon come to the Étoile du Chêne Corbeau.
(8) Then take thefirst path on the left (west-northwest). At the Étoile de la three-way junction, take thesecond path on the left.
(9) At the next crossroads, turn left (south) onto Route du Maître Particulier. Cross Route de Bourbon and continue south. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead (south-southwest) and walk along the right-hand side of a beautiful, sparse forest.
(10) At Étoile du Maître Particulier, take thesecond road on the right, Route de Mornay, a shaded path between two plots of coppice. At the next crossroads, turn left (due south) onto Route de Notre-Dame du Bon Secours. This will take you to the crossroads of the same name (oratory).
(11) Take thesecond path on the right, Route de la Vierge. At thefirst crossroads, go straight ahead. At the next crossroads, about 150 m further on, turn left onto Route de Conflans. Pass a footbridge on the left and continue straight ahead to Mare aux Canes.
(12) Leave the pond via a path heading south-east, which starts at the foot of an information board. There are two options for this:
- Go around the pond on the left and then take thefirst path on the left.
- Go around the pond on the right (as shown on the map) and walk almost all the way around it until you reach the information board, where you then turn right.
Follow the red and yellow marked path, cross a footbridge and wind your way through the undergrowth. You will come out onto a tarmac path, which you should follow to the right. At Étoile Royale, continue straight ahead (south-south-west). At the next crossroads, take thesecond path on the left at a 90° angle.
(3) At the Étoile du Petit Parc (taken on the way there), head south and takethe second right, the Route de Notre-Dame du Bon Secours. Cross the D157 (watch out for traffic) and then the Route des Mares, and continue south.
(13) Cross the Étoile des Neuf Routes and continue straight ahead on a narrow path (do not take the path further to the right that runs parallel to the swimming pool car park). You will come to a tarmac road; follow it to the right, go through a metal barrier and walk alongside a car park. At the end, turn left. At the roundabout, continue straight ahead. Take thefirst left and cross the bus station. At the end, turn right and you will soon reach Saint-Germain-en-Laye station (S/E).
To return home:
- RER - Line A, towards La Défense and Paris.
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