The Vétheuil Dome

A walk between the Seine Valley and the Bois du Chesnay to discover the Vétheuil Dome, the only remaining vestige of a German airfield from theSecond World War.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.15 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 133 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 129 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 151 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 43 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in Saint-Martin-la-Garenne in the car park of the community hall opposite No. 9 Chemin de la Corne de Cerf.

(S/E) Leave the car park by turning left into Rue de la Corne de Cerf and continue straight on to the church square; be careful, the pavement is narrow. Let the Route de Vétheuil branch off to the left and continue straight on along Chemin de la Désirée. At the wash house, continue straight ahead and you will reach a fork at No. 281.

(1) Take the path on the left and follow it to a small road. Continue through fields, woodland and past a few houses until you reach the sign marking the entrance to Vétheuil. On a downhill stretch between two walls, you’ll come to a crossroads with a path coming from the right in front of No. 3 Chemin des Noues.

(2) Go up this path to the right; this is theGR®2, marked in white and red. Enter the Bois de Notre-Dame and arrive at Notre-Dame de la Désirée, a small statue of the Virgin Mary in a rock to the left of the path. Continue on, passing below a large estate and then past the entrance to the same property. Continue for about a hundred metres until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Turn sharply left onto the path that climbs into the forest. Continue straight on until you reach the Champ des Loups crossroads, where there is a barrier on the path coming from the left.

(4) Turn right and follow a flat, straight path through the undergrowth until you reach the Vétheuil dome on the left-hand side of the path. After the dome, continue until you reach another crossroads with four perpendicular paths.

(5) Turn right and walk along another completely straight section; keep to the right at the
first bend. You will soon come to a crossroads of paths.

(6) Continue straight ahead on a slight incline. Pass a crossroads (private track to the right). At the end of the track, turn right then left down a steep descent. On leaving the forest, join a wide track; this is theGR®2.

(7) Turn right onto it and head down towards Saint-Martin-la-Garenne, joining the Chemin de la Désirée. Turn left in front of the wash house and follow the same path as on the way out, but in the opposite direction, to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 54 m - Car park at the village hall in Saint-Martin
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 69 m - Junction at No. 281
  3. 2 : km 2.55 - alt. 43 m - Chemin des Noues No. 3 on the edge of the - Seine [la]
  4. 3 : km 4.1 - alt. 125 m - GR2 junction
  5. 4 : km 5.18 - alt. 149 m - Champ aux Loups crossroads
  6. 5 : km 6.38 - alt. 145 m - Dôme crossroads
  7. 6 : km 7.36 - alt. 125 m - Crossroads at the bottom of the descent
  8. 7 : km 9.34 - alt. 113 m - GR2
  9. S/E : km 10.15 - alt. 54 m - Car park at the village hall in Saint-Martin

Notes

(S/E) Mini-market in Saint-Martin-la-Garenne in front of the church.

Worth a visit

(S/E) Church of Saint-Martin-la-Garenne.
Between (1) and (2) enjoy the view of the Mousseaux pond, the Haute Isle cliffs and the church at Vétheuil
Between (2) and (3) Views of the Seine Valley, Vétheuil, La Roche-Guyon and the banks of the Seine.
Between (2) and (3) Notre Dame de le Désirée: this small statue is said to be the remnant of a chapel and a village built at the request of Charles V and destroyed during the Revolution.
Before (5) Dôme de Vétheuil, this strange structure in the middle of the forest is the remnant of a German airfield from the Second World War. The area was cleared of trees at the time and the site was used for flight training.
(S/E) The wash house at Saint-Martin-la-Garenne.

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
hoetcoudray
hoetcoudray

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with views of the circular Seine route and the Moisson leisure centre. Not difficult at all, I recommend it.

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TiboLapi
TiboLapi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

At the start of this lovely walk, I invite you to visit the chapel located just behind the church, which was once frequented by William the Conqueror.

The remains of its paintings are exceptional.

The sections through the forest don’t really offer any views (except towards the end of the route), but you can see some magnificent houses.

The dome is a real curiosity, even if the state of the site doesn’t exactly encourage you to stop for a picnic.

Thanks to the author for sharing.

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Maxime768
Maxime768

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An excellent route from start to finish, offering a variety of scenery and hardly any road sections. We did it on a Sunday in August in 26-degree heat. Suitable for everyone, and the forest near the Dôme de Vetheuil is relatively clean, easily accessible and spacious. I highly recommend this route

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randolim78
randolim78

A pleasant walk with excellent signposting and some lovely views – I’d recommend it; no difficulties.

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Greaud
Greaud

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

Hello
Just to clarify:
The dome was a target for German pilots’ training. They dropped concrete bombs on it.
Nearby (to the north of the dome) is a mock-up ship.
A travelling exhibition and talk series entitled ‘The Battle of the Vexin’ is currently on display and will be visiting towns in the Vexin and Mantois regions.
Kind regards

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waiwaite
waiwaite

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk.
Just the right amount of elevation gain and distance, with varied scenery. The views over the Seine and the forest sections are both lovely.
Well-marked paths, making for an easy walk. The few sections that are still muddy are easy to bypass.
The Dome is spectacular despite its rather modest size and the rubbish littering it; with a bit of imagination, you could imagine yourself in a science fiction film .
And there are still hyacinths, anemones and even a few lily of the valley.

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