The Parc des Coteaux d'Avron and the Lamarque Trail

Starting point and access: Le Raincy-Villemomble-Montfermeil station.
- RER - Line E, on the section between Paris and Chelles-Gournay.
Take the main exit on the Villemomble side.

Yellow markings

(S) When leaving the station, turn right. At the roundabout, take the^first left onto Avenue Outrebon. Cross Boulevard du Générale de Gaulle on the left-hand side, then turn left onto Avenue de la République.

No markings

At the next roundabout, continue along Avenue de la République, roughly opposite. At the end, cross Square de Verdun (or go around it if it is closed) and you will arrive at the foot of the tall bell tower of Saint-Louis Church.

(1) Go around the church on the left. At the corner of the building, cross Rue d'Alsace-Lorraine and follow Rue Jeanne d'Arc. Cross Rue Pottier and continue straight ahead. Then cross Rue de la Montagne Savard and continue straight ahead on Avenue de la Bourdonnais. At the roundabout, turn right onto Avenue de Girardot. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead.

Cross Grande Rue (caution, busy road) and continue straight ahead onto Avenue d'Osseville. Pass in front of the Villemomble greenhouses and, at the crossroads, take the^second left onto Avenue Chanzy. Then turn right onto the^{first street}, Avenue des Roses. Go straight ahead, cross Avenue Vauban and pass between the buildings of the Saint-Exupéry school complex.

(2) At the end, first turn left then right and go uphill onto Rue Nicolas Becker. Cross a railway line, ignore a street on the right and turn into the^first left (not signposted). At the end, turn right and go uphill onto Avenue Edmond Hurtret.

Cross Chemin des Processions on the left, continue straight ahead uphill and enter Neuilly-Plaisance. Take the^first left, Passage du Puits, and at the end, turn right and go uphill onto the street of the same name (signposted further on).

(3) At the end, first turn right then left and follow Avenue du Raincy. At the roundabout, take the^second right (not signposted) and pass at the foot of a water tower on the right-hand side. At the end, first turn left then right and take the street (not signposted) that starts at the corner of a pink-plastered house (blue cross). Walk along a small triangular square.

Yellow markings

Then turn left onto a tarmac road, called Avenue Cornelis locally but Chemin des Pelouses d'Avron on the map. After a left-hand bend, you will immediately see the entrance to Parc des Coteaux d'Avron on your right.

Red and white + yellow markings

(4) Enter the park via the^GR®14Aand^PR®25and immediately turn left. Follow a gravel path, Allée des Fresnes, which quickly splits into two: take the right-hand path, which is reserved for pedestrians (the left-hand path is reserved for cyclists). Wind your way past the picnic tables and you will soon find the cycle path on the left.

The two paths are now side by side, separated only by a wooden barrier. They make a sharp turn to the right and descend gently. After a left turn, you will come to a crossroads, the Croisée des Carrières. Take the^second path on the right, which is wide and flat. Stay on the main path and, at the Croisée de la Treille, turn right.

(5) At a left-hand bend, leave the path and climb up the Traverse des Carrières on the right. Ignore a vague path on the left leading to picnic tables and, at the top, turn left to pass between a playground on the left and toilets on the right. Follow the markings and descend slightly. At the T-junction, turn left.

(6) At the Croisée du Gypse, turn right onto a grassy path and immediately ignore a staircase on the left. Make a hairpin turn to the left under two medium-voltage power lines, note a Franco-American memorial stone and descend a gravel path.

Ignore a path on the right, climb a flight of steps and immediately descend another. Walk along a playground on your left, exit the park and cross the street at the pedestrian crossing.

Red and white + yellow + blue markings

(7) Continue straight ahead on Voie Lamarque, a tarmac path in the middle of a relatively narrow wooded area flanked by house walls and garden fences.

You will come out at Square du Souvenir Français (Croix de Lorraine memorial). Go around it, pass a bus stop on the other side and follow Voie Lamarque again, continuing along the previous section.

Cross the street at the traffic lights and continue along Voie Lamarque. Pass through a gate, note the railway tracks above, continue straight ahead and you will soon find the entrance to Neuilly-Plaisance station on your right (E).

To return home:
- RER - Line A, towards Paris or Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy.

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

Good trainers are sufficient for this route, which is entirely on asphalt, cement or gravel paths.

Water fountain and toilets in the Parc des Coteaux d'Avron, shortly after (5). Bars, restaurants and shops near the departure station and the Square du Souvenir Français.

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

Opening hours of public parks:
Square de Verdun:
- Opening: 9.30 a.m.
- Closing time: 6:00 p.m. from November to April; 8:00 p.m. from May to October.
Parc des Coteaux d'Avron:
- Opening: 9:00 a.m.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.
Voie Lamarque:
- Opening: 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. depending on the season.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.

Hike completed by the author on 26 January 2019.

From Le Raincy-Villemomble-Montfermeil station (S) to Parc des Coteaux d'Avron (4):
- Saint-Louis Church (early 20th century), with a 56-metre-high bell tower topped by 28 concrete statues.
- Residential areas.

Parc des Coteaux d'Avron, from (4) to (7):
- The park is located on the former site of gypsum quarries that have been partially filled in and reforested. It was opened on 31 December 1999 and at the entrance (4) you can see the footprints of the schoolchildren who took part in the inauguration at the time.
- The Avron plateau was an important site in the defence of Paris during the siege of 1870-1871. A memorial stone at the edge of the park commemorates this: at the entrance (4), continue for about 100 metres along the tarmac path.

Voie Lamarque, from (7) to (E):
A completely pedestrianised road in a narrow green corridor.