Bois du Thuilay, Croix Gillet, Gros chêne

Walk through the Bois du Thuilay, alternating between open land and woods.

Details

17700
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.43 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 54 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 50 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 168 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 127 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the Mittainville school car park.

(S/E) Leave the car park on the right, heading towards the road leading to the countryside on the outskirts of town. Pass a road on the right and a little further on, take a path on the left. Continue along this path to the end.

(1) At the crossroads, turn left. At the end of this path, turn left. Continue straight on until you reach the D113 road and arrive at the Croix Gillet, a small iron cross at the crossroads of the road and the path.

(2) Continue straight ahead and reach the edge of the woods.

(3) Take the path that enters the woods. Walk for about 200 metres and take the path on the right towards Gros Chêne. Continue for 1.2 kilometres until you reach an open space on the right. You will arrive at Gros Chêne on the right. It is worth stopping here to admire this beautiful oak tree, which is over 400 years old.

(4) To leave, retrace your steps for about 250 metres until you reach a path on the left.

(5) Continue up the path until you reach a T-junction at the top.

(6) Turn right and follow this path to the end. When you leave the woods, you will come to the crossroads you passed on the way there.

(3) Turn left for a few metres, then turn right onto the path that descends to the plain. Go to the end, pass a ruin and turn left. A little further on, after a right-hand bend, continue straight ahead and to the left of the woods. A little further on, turn left towards the plain, then turn right.

(7) At the end of this path, take the D113 road towards Le Patis. At the crossroads, turn left until the next crossroads and turn left. When you reach a small pond, turn right and walk around it. When you reach the other side, you will be in front of the town hall and the car park where you started is opposite (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 127 m - Mittainville school car park
  2. 1 : km 0.69 - alt. 132 m - Crossroads, on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.02 - alt. 139 m - Croix Gillet, opposite
  4. 3 : km 3.18 - alt. 147 m - Edge of the woods, crossroads of the circular loops
  5. 4 : km 4.56 - alt. 135 m - Gros Chêne
  6. 5 : km 4.8 - alt. 136 m - Crossroads, on the left
  7. 6 : km 5.44 - alt. 166 m - T-junction, turn right.
  8. 7 : km 8.44 - alt. 134 m - Route D113, on the right
  9. S/E : km 9.43 - alt. 127 m - Mittainville school car park

Notes

No water source, no shelters, basic hiking equipment.

Worth a visit

La Boissière-École.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Igor le breton
Igor le breton

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, sufficiently varied and not monotonous.
The large oak tree, although damaged, is still impressive.

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chuberre didier
chuberre didier
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, dry and sandy except for a section in the woods leading to the large oak tree, which is impressive in terms of both size and age. We were lucky to have beautiful sunshine, and we walked with a group. Everyone loved the route and the surroundings.

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La Rando Crusiliaise
La Rando Crusiliaise

Hello Patrick78,
We just completed the circular route that passes through the Thuilay woods, near Mittainville. We saw what remains of the prestigious oak tree. We will have to come back in the spring to see the vegetation.
I have a related question: have you been hiking around La Hauteville, along the GR de Pays des Yvelines? Are there any interesting things to see there? Thank you.

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waiwaite
waiwaite

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, very rural walk.
The fields are still pleasant to walk through, thanks to the varied colours of the crops. The forest sections are very refreshing. But the sun will soon beat down on the open ground, especially when everything has been harvested.
The big oak tree is quite tired, but still impressive.

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ovil
ovil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike on a beautiful early autumn day.
The oak tree did not look its best to me; it seemed as though some large branches had dried out.
There was no one on the paths or in the forest, just a woman walking her dog near Les Patis.
There are two picnic tables by the Patis pond. It's a very pleasant spot for a picnic.

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jaimari
jaimari

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We only did the northern part (stages 1-2-3 then 6-5-4, 5-6-3-2-1) of this hike and it was great. The oak tree is magnificent and I kept it as a surprise for my friends who were with me. We did it in the morning so there weren't many people around (except for a motorcycle club that passed us).

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C4th28
C4th28

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful, peaceful walk. The oak tree is magnificent.
Thank you for this route.

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