Crossing Gagny

Starting point and access: Gagny station.
- RER - Line E, on the section between Paris and Chelles-Gournay. Take the exit on the Gagny side.
- Bus - RATP lines 121, 221, 303; TRA lines 604, 623.

No markings

(S) When you leave the station, cross Place de Verdun straight ahead. At the traffic lights, cross the N302 and follow it to the left towards the town centre. Continue straight ahead, crossing Rue Flobert on the right-hand side. Take the next right, Sentier des Petits Clos (street not signposted here). The street soon curves to the left and passes by the Marcel Cerdan Gymnasium. At the end, continue along Sentier des Petits Clos, which becomes a path between walls and garden fences. Shortly after a right turn in the path, you will reach an intersection at No. 11.

Turn left into an alleyway (Rue Leroux on the map). At the end, turn left onto Rue Aristide Briand. At the traffic lights, cross Avenue Parmentier (D902 on site, N302 on the map) and continue straight ahead onto Rue Aristide Briand (D970 on site, N370 on the map). At the next set of traffic lights, turn left, cross at the pedestrian crossing and follow Rue Laugier Villars. Cross Rue du 8 mai 1945 and you will arrive at the town hall square. Turn left, walk past the church and the war memorial and you will see an old Marne taxi in its glass shelter.

(1) Then turn left towards the church to cross at^{the first} pedestrian crossing on the right and enter Rue Henri Maillard (also signposted Rue Brodelet). You will come to a small triangular square with three palm trees. Turn right, cross Rue Contant and follow Avenue Henri Barbusse. After about 250 metres, turn right onto Avenue du Coteau. Continue straight ahead and climb gently.

(2) At the end, enter Parc Gustave Courbet and you will immediately come to a rotunda with a statue in the centre. Turn left. Then take the^first path on the right and walk past a small half-timbered house (toilets). Turn right along the path. At the crossroads, first turn left then right and leave a playground on your left. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead and walk along a fence on your right. This will take you to the park exit.

Cross the street (no protected crossing here) and take the Sentier des Diardes opposite. At the end of the street, continue along a narrow path that passes between numbers 19 and 24. At the end, turn left and go uphill. Cross the Sente de la Cure on the left-hand side.

Red and white markings

(3) At the corner of No. 62, take a grassy path on the right, the Allée de l'Aqueduc Saint-Fiacre (signposted further on; the path is the embankment of the underground aqueduct). The path becomes gravel further on and, at the intersection with a street on the left, go straight ahead. Go through a chicane and you will find yourself back on tarmac. Ignore two alleys on the right and continue along Allée de l'Aqueduc Saint-Fiacre, which becomes grassy again. Cross Allée de Guise (tarmac) and continue along the grassy path. At the next junction (stairs on the right), go straight ahead.

(4) Come out onto a street and follow it to the left, going uphill. Cross Rue de Bellevue on the left and continue straight ahead.

No markings

At the stop sign, continue straight ahead on Rue de Maison Rouge (leave the^GR® trail on your left). At the traffic lights, turn right to cross at the pedestrian crossing, then turn left.

Yellow markings (rare and faded)

(5) Immediately turn right onto Avenue des Dahlias. At the fork that appears immediately, continue straight ahead on Avenue des Dahlias and go downhill. Ignore the access to the Multi-accueil Saint-Fiacre on the right and go back uphill. At the three-way junction, turn right onto Avenue des Orchidées. Cross Avenue des Myosotis on the left-hand side and then turn left onto Avenue des Marguerites.

At the stop sign, turn right onto Rue de Franceville. Leave Montfermeil, continue straight ahead towards the arboretum and pass at the foot of an antenna. Walk along the left side of Collège Pablo Neruda and then Gymnase Camille Muffat. At No. 19, when the street turns right, turn left onto a paved path (chicane). At the end (chicane), turn left and you will immediately reach a car park.

No signposts

(6) Turn left again, cross the car park and enter the Bois de l'Étoile Arboretum. Follow a gravel path straight ahead for about 100 metres.

When the path turns right, those who wish to do so can climb a staircase made of wooden sleepers to reach a viewpoint (otherwise, continue straight ahead). Go back down the stairs and, at the bottom, continue to the right along the gravel path.

At the fork that soon appears (Arboretum stele), turn right. Pass a chicane made of small rocks and follow a winding tarmac path.

(7) At the crossroads (bench), continue straight ahead and cross two paths in succession (another Arboretum signpost). You will come to a lawn where three metal sculptures representing dinosaurs have been erected: from left to right, a diplodocus, a tyrannosaurus and a stegosaurus. Retrace your steps.

Yellow markings (rare and faded)

(7) Follow a tarmac path on the right that is not shown on the OSM map. Go straight ahead and leave the park by taking a chicane to the right of a metal gate. Come out onto a street and follow it to the right and downhill, ignoring all the turnings on the left. Cross Rue Édouard Manet on the left and take the next left, Rue Pablo Picasso. Go around an electricity pylon and continue along the street.

(8) At the end, turn right into a cul-de-sac and go downhill. Go through a chicane and continue straight ahead at the foot of the buildings. Go through a^second chicane, cross a small square and make a left-right turn. Go down a staircase and cross at the pedestrian crossing. Then turn right and then left to follow Chemin des Vignes between two buildings. Go through a metal gate, cross at the pedestrian crossing and walk alongside a mini-market on your left. At the corner, turn left to reach Le Chénay-Gagny station (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line E, towards Chelles-Gournay or Paris.
- Bus - Lines 214, 221, 643.

In dry weather, good trainers are sufficient for this route, which mainly follows streets or paved paths entirely within the urban area. In wet weather, the Allée de l'Aqueduc Saint-Fiacre, between (3) and (4), may be muddy in places.

Bars, restaurants and shops are located along the route, mainly near the departure (S) and arrival (E) stations and the Gagny town hall. Public toilets are available in Gustave Courbet Park.

Opening hours of public parks:
Gustave Courbet Park
- October to March: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; April to September: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Annual closure in early October, a few days before and after the Fête des Vendanges (grape harvest festival).
Arboretum du Bois de l'Étoile: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
N.B. Dogs are not allowed in either park, even on a leash.

A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 29 January 2022.

- Old Taxi de la Marne on display in front of the town hall (1), which in September 1914 was one of the gathering places for taxis that had transported soldiers from Paris.
- Saint-Germain Church (19th century) (1).
- Gustave Courbet Park (2).
- Allée de l'Aqueduc Saint-Fiacre, which winds between houses and gardens, between (3) and (4).
- Arboretum du Bois de l'Étoile, viewpoint (6).
- Metal dinosaur sculptures, starting from (7).