Maule heritage and walk along the Mauldre

After exploring Maule and its heritage, you will climb through the woods and walk through the countryside to reach Aulnay-sur-Mauldre. From there, you will follow the Mauldre and its recent meanders back to the starting point.

Details

20608059
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.61 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 538 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 538 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 371 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 89 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Maule (78580)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.913161° / E 1.849832°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2114E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts from the Saint-Vincent car park at the end of Allée du Verger.

(S/E) Opposite the stadium, head right and then turn left to walk alongside the Mauldre on your right. Cross a small bridge which will take you to the cinema car park. Walk across it to the left to reach Chaussée Saint-Vincent. First turn left then right onto Allée des Carnousties, which runs behind the mini-market, then turns right and crosses the River Mauldre. Next, take the first alleyway on the left, Impasse des Billettes, and continue left onto Rue des Pressoirs. At the T-junction, turn left, then take the second right onto Rue Traversière.

(1) At Rue d’Orléans, turn right, then immediately left into Rue de Mareil. Then take the first right onto Boulevard Saint-Jacques until you reach a T-junction, where you’ll head up to the left. Enter the cemetery through the first gate and head up to the right towards the chapel. Exit through the gate opposite the chapel and continue to the left for a few metres.

(2) Turn sharply right onto a winding path. Ignore the side paths until you reach Route de Thoiry (D45), where you turn right. Continue along Rue d’Orléans and cross a junction.

(3) Turn left into Rue des Maréchaux. At a fork in the road, take the left-hand path into Rue du Buat, then cross Boulevard des Fossés. Further on, at the large junction with a central traffic island featuring trees and a memorial stone on your right, leave the road and take the first path on the right, which curves sharply.

(4) A few metres further on, take the path furthest to the right, which continues as a street. At the four-way junction, turn right into Rue du Clos Noyon, which runs alongside the school, then left for a few metres onto Boulevard des Fossés. Head right into Rue Saint-Nicolas, then, at the T-junction, turn left towards the church.

(5) Cross a roundabout to join Rue du Plat d’Étain. Continue to the left into Rue Saint-Vincent. Further on, pass under a portico on the left to take Sente au Loup. Then turn right onto Boulevard des Fossés, cross a junction and ignore a street on the right.

(6) Turn right onto Rue du Chemin Vert. At the T-junction, turn left and then left again onto Rue Émile Réaux. Cross a road and head up the PR®® opposite.

(7) At the fork in the road, continue to the right (yellow signpost) and, further on at the edge of the forest, turn right following the PR®®trail.

(8) At the next fork in the road, turn right along the edge of the forest and ignore all side paths, continuing to follow the yellow markings until you reach some houses.

(9) Head down to the right, then leave thePR®® and continue to the right along the Chemin de Mantes. Pass through a gate, ignore a turn-off to the right and, a little further on, you’ll come out onto Rue de Maule. Take the sharp left-hand bend in this street, then ignore the turn-offs to the right. At the end, turn right to reach the church in Aulnay.

(10) Head off to the right again, then ignore a dead end on the left. Just before the bridge, take a path on the right (marked with a ‘Parc Communal’ sign) which follows the River Mauldre. Further on, ignore a bridge on the left, pass close to a sewage treatment works, then turn right onto the path at a small bridge on your left. Take the first path on the left, the Sente de la Voirie.

(11) At the end of the path, turn left to cross the Mauldre and immediately turn right onto the path that runs alongside the river and its recent meanders until you reach the Saint-Vincent car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 105 ft - Saint-Vincent car park / Allée du Verger
  2. 1 : mi 0.43 - alt. 115 ft - Access to the - Gare de Maule
  3. 2 : mi 0.74 - alt. 223 ft - Path on the right as you leave the cemetery
  4. 3 : mi 1.21 - alt. 144 ft - Rue des Maréchaux
  5. 4 : mi 1.68 - alt. 331 ft - The path furthest to the right
  6. 5 : mi 2.25 - alt. 141 ft - Place de la Mairie - Église Saint-Nicolas (Maule)
  7. 6 : mi 2.62 - alt. 154 ft - Rue du Chemin Vert
  8. 7 : mi 3.02 - alt. 262 ft - First fork in the road on the PR
  9. 8 : mi 3.67 - alt. 358 ft - Junction on the PR
  10. 9 : mi 4.55 - alt. 197 ft - Homes
  11. 10 : mi 5.12 - alt. 89 ft - Église Saint-Étienne (Aulnay-sur-Mauldre)
  12. 11 : mi 6.18 - alt. 102 ft - End of the Sente de la Voirie
  13. S/E : mi 6.61 - alt. 105 ft - Saint-Vincent car park - Mauldre (rivière)

Notes

The Suricate portal
You, as users of the trails and natural environments, can play an active part in this scheme from today by reporting any issues you encounter whilst out walking: Sentinelles sports de nature.

Signposting: a quick reminder.

Maule station, line N.
To get here by train: on leaving the station, turn right onto Boulevard Paul Barré. At the junction, turn left onto Rue du Ponceau and cross the two branches of the River Mauldre. Start the walk at point (1).

There are plenty of small shops and a variety of restaurants in the town centre.

Worth a visit

Saint-Nicolas Church: situated in the centre of the old town, its construction dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries.
Notre-Dame Priory: a 15th-century building with a 13th-century lower hall.
Saint-Jacques Chapel: situated in the cemetery (13th century).
Medieval gate: Rue du Pressoir.
16th-century turreted house: on the corner of Rue des Maréchaux and Rue du Buat.
Agnou Castle and its dovecote (16th century): near the starting point.
La Rolanderie Castle (late 18th century): Route de Thoiry.
Buat Castle (built in 1730): Rue du Buat.
Fountain: on the corner of Boulevard des Fossés and Rue d’Orléans.
Small brick and timber dovecote, currently owned by the Colas chocolate makers: near the station.

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

4.4 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 25936580

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

A rather uninteresting and disappointing route, in our view. Only the final stretch along the Mauldre is pleasant.

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User 25155476

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy route that isn’t particularly scenic but is very pleasant and suitable for most people.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

It's true that the sunshine draws us out onto the paths!

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Yannick Barbeau
Yannick Barbeau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

I passed through Maule several times during the Paris-Mantes race, but always at night, and I wanted to come back.
The train journey from Paris is a bit long, but the walk is definitely worth the trip.
The route is a bit challenging because it goes up and down quite a bit, but you can enjoy beautiful views of the town. To finish off, there's a relaxing walk along the banks of the Mauldre.
And to top it all off, it was an exceptional day for the season.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

It's always a pleasure to share your walks!

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jogue
jogue

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

No problems finding the route using GPS.
Very pleasant hike from the station in sunny weather.

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cdfalkoff
cdfalkoff

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A varied route combining town and forest. Maule is an interesting town... Refreshing return trip along the Mauldre river.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

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cdfalkoff
cdfalkoff

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A varied route combining town and forest. Maule is an interesting town... Refreshing return trip along the Mauldre river.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD


I regularly go back to walk around the area and I have seen nature reclaiming its rights over the new meandering route! (...from memory, the route was completed in early 2022).

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Marie-Christine78
Marie-Christine78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, varied route that lives up to its name.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

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Graby
Graby

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike to explore Maule and the surrounding countryside (which is slightly hilly).
The route described here takes three hours and takes you to various places and viewpoints in the charming town of Maule. If you have less time, there are many shortcuts you can take.

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COCHARDMOD
COCHARDMOD

Thank you!

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IDEGALARME
IDEGALARME

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2022
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. Autumn will give it a very special atmosphere. Beautiful trees along the Mauldre river and in the municipal park. Picnic table. Thank you to the hiker.

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