The Viosne Valley around Us

Alternating between cultivated fields and forest edges, this hike follows the Viosne River. For a little over 2 km, the route follows the route of an ancient Roman road, the Chaussée Jules César.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.29 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 134 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 136 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 115 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 45 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Us station (Transilien line J, on the section between Paris-Saint-Lazare and Gisors). Take the only exit, Rue de la Gare, on the side of Track 2 (Gisors-Paris direction; if arriving in the opposite direction, Track 1, cross the tracks at the designated crossing, observing the traffic lights).

Yellow + red and white signage

(S/E) When you leave the station, turn left and follow Rue de la Gare to the end. Then turn left and cross the railway line at the level crossing. At the roundabout, follow Rue Jean Jaurès opposite, which goes up towards the church. At the end of the church, turn right onto Rue Henri Clément, walk along the church on your left and continue straight ahead.

Yellow markings

(1) At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue de la Libération (D66). At the next crossroads, take the second left, Rue de la Chaussée Jules César, which goes uphill. The tarmac quickly gives way to a shaded path. Cross a perpendicular path and you will come to a crossroads in more open terrain.

No markings

(2) Continue straight ahead on a good gravel path that starts along a fence on the left-hand side (ignore the yellow arrow inviting you to follow a very grassy path on the right). Note the cemetery some distance away on the left, then climb gently along a hedge. At the top of the hill, ignore a path on the left and continue straight ahead (south-west).

Yellow markings

(3) At the T-junction, turn left onto a wide path (an old Roman road called Chaussée Jules César). Cross a small road and continue straight ahead. Descend, walk along a wood on your left, then climb back up.

(4) Note a shelter on the right and continue along the path, which becomes grassy. Further on, along a wood on the left, the path narrows and makes a sharp turn to the left. Climb gently between two hedges and, once the terrain opens up again, continue along a wider path.

No markings

You are now back on theGR®1, but the terrain is unsuitable for markings.

At the three-way junction (elevation 102), turn left downhill (leaving thePR® trail going uphill to the right).

Yellow markings

(5) At the next crossroads (elevation 85), continue straight ahead on a slightly downhill track (you will find markings further on). Ignore a path coming from the left, pass under a power line, enter Ableiges via Rue du Dr. Scwheizer and pass a metal cross on your right. At the stop sign, continue straight ahead onto Rue du Maréchal Leclerc and cross the railway line at the level crossing. Then cross the two branches of the Viosne river.

(6) At the T-junction, follow the D92 to the right towards Cormeilles-en-Vexin. At the corner of No. 2, turn left onto Chemin de Cormeilles and climb up along the wall on the left-hand side. Continue along a very steep section of tarmac. You will come out onto a road (D190 on the map) and follow it to the left (take care, as the verge is very narrow).

(7) Shortly after a white two-sided sign, turn left onto a wide dirt track that quickly becomes grassy. After a left-hand bend in the track, note the view of the village of Us and its church. At the next intersection, turn sharply right and follow a gravel track lined with walnut and cherry trees on the left-hand side. At the gate on the right-hand side, continue straight ahead on a grassy path.

(8) Ignore a path on the right leading to a field and take a path at the edge of the woods. Follow this narrow path for a long time, flanked by dense vegetation. After the end of a hedge on the right-hand side, continue along the faint path at the edge of the field (on your right). At the corner of the field, continue for a few dozen metres through the undergrowth. Continue again along the edge of the field and go around the Bois de la Grande Brosse on the right.

(9) Find a decent path, although it is quite overgrown, and continue along the woods on your left. In open terrain, ignore a path on the left and head west between the fields (view of the turrets of the Château de Dampont). Cross an old tarmac road (chains) and continue straight on to the D28.

(10) Follow the road to the right, preferably on the left-hand side (take great care, as the road is busy and the verge is narrow; on a short section, you can walk behind the safety barrier). Walk slightly uphill, following a fenced wood on your left.

(11) At the crossroads (C3 road on the right), turn left onto a wide gravel path. Follow a hedge on your left. Then pass between two hedges and descend along the wall of the property on your left. At the bottom, pass through a forest gate and you will come out onto a small road.

Yellow + red and white markings

(12) Turn left and cross the hamlet of Dampont. Cross the Visone, cross the railway line at the level crossing and go uphill.

(13) At the stop sign, continue straight ahead on the road (good pavement on the left-hand side) and ignore the side streets on the left. At the next stop sign, continue straight ahead into the village of Us.

Yellow markings

(14) At the corner of No. 6, turn left towards the stadium. Cross the Viosne again (note the wash house and picnic table on the left).

(15) Continue straight ahead and cross the railway line one last time. Go uphill, passing a large farmhouse on your left (dovecote). At the crossroads, take the first right, Rue des Tilleuls, and follow it along a good path on the left-hand side, in the shade of the lime trees. Cross the Viosne river one last time. Just before the railway line, turn left and follow the street to the station (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 50 m - Gare de Us
  2. 1 : km 0.62 - alt. 60 m - Rue Henri Clément x Rue de la Libération
  3. 2 : km 1.01 - alt. 88 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.55 - alt. 114 m - Jules César Road
  5. 4 : km 3.51 - alt. 102 m - Shelter
  6. 5 : km 4.93 - alt. 86 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 6.23 - alt. 48 m - Ableiges - Route D92
  8. 7 : km 6.85 - alt. 88 m - Start of the trail
  9. 8 : km 7.99 - alt. 93 m - Trail starts at the edge of the woods
  10. 9 : km 8.94 - alt. 104 m - Path at the edge of the woods
  11. 10 : km 9.73 - alt. 88 m - Route D28 - Caution
  12. 11 : km 10.55 - alt. 107 m - Crossroads
  13. 12 : km 11.96 - alt. 63 m - Dampont
  14. 13 : km 12.5 - alt. 62 m - Les Closeaux
  15. 14 : km 13.38 - alt. 57 m - Crossroads
  16. 15 : km 13.58 - alt. 49 m - Wash house - Viosne (rivière) à finaliser
  17. S/E : km 14.29 - alt. 50 m - Gare de Us

Notes

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists: park in the station car park at the end of Rue de la Gare.

Hiking boots required.

No drinking water or shops along the route. Shelter at (4). At (15), a good place to stop for a break or a picnic, near the wash house or by the river.

A 1:25,000 map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

N.B. This hike has two tricky sections:
- A narrow path through dense vegetation (brambles, nettles, etc.) between (8) and (9).
- A section along the D28, a busy road with a narrow shoulder, between (10) and (11).
For these two reasons, I do not recommend undertaking this hike with children.

Additional information:
This hike can be combined with the La Vallée de la Viosne hike around Santeuil.
- At point (12) of this hike, turn right and follow the second hike from its point (4).
- The second hike passes twice through its point (1): when you reach this point at the end of the description, return to the beginning of the description at the same point.
- At point (3) of the second hike, resume the description of this hike at point (13).
The total distance is approximately 24.5 km (difficult).

Hike completed by the author on 3 June 2018.

Worth a visit

- Notre-Dame de la Nativité Church (12th-16th and then 19th century), in Us, shortly before (1).
- The Chaussée Jules César - From (3) to (5), for 2.3 km, the hike follows the route of a Roman road that linked Lutetia to Harfleur and crossed the Vexin in a straight line. Construction work began in the last quarter of the first century BC, some thirty or forty years after the death of Julius Caesar (who died in 44 BC). There are no concrete traces of the Roman road along the route, but excavations at Courcelles-sur-Viosne have clearly revealed its structures. Source: French Vexin Regional Nature Park.
- Viewpoints over the Viosne Valley.
- Wash house (15).
- Dovecote, shortly afterwards (15).

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
ozogiminy
ozogiminy

This has already been pointed out several times, read the previous reviews!

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello JPScherer, thank you for your feedback.

Why is the path between (8) and (9) impassable? In your opinion, is this temporary or permanent? Thank you in advance for your opinion on these questions.

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JPScherer
JPScherer

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Relatively easy hike despite a few points: From 8 to 9, the trail is impassable. Follow the edge of the field and the woods to reach point 9,
from 10 to 11, keep left on the busy road. Some very nice views of Us.

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yaya95
yaya95

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hike done in the rain and wind – not very muddy given the rain over the last few days.
The start is on flat ground – OK, we cross the Jules César road – but not very interesting. Then the hike becomes more interesting.
The section on the D28 is really dangerous between 10 and 11. Before reaching 10, you can turn right onto a rough track to join another track at the end and head towards 11.

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Gilles490
Gilles490
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route but two drawbacks:
Marker No. 8: the path through the forest is impassable because it is not maintained and is covered with brambles and nettles. Solution: follow the forest along the field that borders it to the northernmost point of the woods, where you will find the grassy path described in the document
Marker No. 10: the road is extremely dangerous with many vehicles whose drivers think they are at Montlhéry! Solution: looking at the map at marker No. 9, there appears to be a path leading north-east towards point 110 near a small wood, which would allow you (again, according to the map, but this needs to be checked) to reach marker No. 11 by turning left at the small wood and following the path that leads to point 107.
However, the estimated time of 4 hours and 25 minutes seems excessive to us: we did it without rushing, stopping to eat, in much less time

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imagineformargo
imagineformargo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

8: ..... "follow this narrow path for a long time, flanked by dense vegetation" No, impossible, it's covered in brambles and nettles, the path is impassable. Forced to walk across the cultivated field to its corner. Another route must be found.
10: Crossing the D28, dangerous.

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ozogiminy
ozogiminy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I confirm that the passage between points 8 and 9 is increasingly impassable, even dangerous. I fell flat on my face after tripping over brambles, so I decided to walk along the field instead. I find it hard to understand why a hiking route has been laid out in this location

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Alain95
Alain95
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk, few vehicles this Sunday, 14/07/2024.
However, on this day, sections 8 and 9 along the edge of the forest could do with a thorough clean-up: lots of brambles across the path, tall grass, we had to walk along the wheat field.
A beautiful, easy hike, highly recommended.
Lovely encounter at the end of the walk: a doe with her fawn.

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CléAne
CléAne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A hike with little elevation gain and unobstructed views of fields. However, there was a section that seemed quite long to us on a busy country road (which is clearly indicated in the description), so I have mixed feelings about the appeal of this walk. There is a pretty church in Us, but otherwise there is not much of particular interest to mention.

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jean luc burquier
jean luc burquier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For those who love endless fields of wheat, like me, a Savoyard overwhelmed by our mountains, this hike is completely relaxing and enjoyable. Very beautiful church in US
The app's map tracking is perfect: it's impossible to get lost.
The description is completely accurate.
However, on this particular day, section 9, at the edge of the forest, could do with a thorough clean-up: there were lots of brambles across the path and tall grass
And section 10 on the road is quite stressful due to the many fast vehicles, even on a Sunday afternoon.
Overall, a beautiful, easy hike, highly recommended.

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Djossie
Djossie

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

This hike is really disappointing because there is a lot of walking through fields.

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Reg Val
Reg Val

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for the clear explanations, it's impossible to go wrong ;-)

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Pingpong
Pingpong

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Dangerous crossing between 10 and 11 (very busy road). We turned left at the end of the castle grounds.

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alain keller
alain keller

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy and pleasant route, the only problem being the section on the D28 road

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lagniax
lagniax

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant, varied route with lovely views. Perfect description. Thank you for this route

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