Medieval walk through Houdan

Start from Houdan station (Transilien line N, on the section between Paris-Montparnasse and Dreux). For access by car, see the practical information.

N.B. In the description below, the names of the paths are given, but they are not always indicated on signs in the area.

Red and yellow markings

(S/E) Take the ‘Place de la Gare’ exit, located on the platform heading towards Dreux (if arriving from the opposite direction, use the underpass). Walk down Boulevard de la Gare opposite (south-south-west; one-way street). At the bottom, go round the roundabout on the right (pedestrian crossings) and continue straight on along the D61 towards the town centre (signposted).

(1) Cross the Vesgre and continue south along Rue de Paris. Pass Rue des Remparts, then Rue des Jeux de Billes. Note the half-timbered houses along the street. At the next Fork in the road, turn left onto Grande Rue. Pass Rue des Vieilles Tanneries and join Rue de la Pie, which joins from the left.

No signposting

You may occasionally come across a^GRP®® signpost; please ignore these.

(2) Just after Rue de la Pie, at the corner by a bakery on the right-hand side, turn right into a cobbled alleyway. Pass under a portico; the alleyway becomes a narrow path. At the end, turn left onto Rue des Fossés (no sign). After the street bends to the right, you’ll emerge onto Rue de l’Enclos. Then turn left towards the church, whose façade is very close by. Walk round the church clockwise, passing the Town Hall as you go.

Back at the church façade, follow Rue de l’Enclos in the opposite direction to the way you came. Pass Rue des Fossés and, after a few metres, at number 35, turn left onto a narrow path (Rue du Château). After a right-hand bend, you’ll come out onto a small square: turn left here (leaving No. 7 on your right) and take the Passage de la Baldo to reach the keep.

Red and yellow markings

(3) Go round the keep on the left and turn left onto Rue de la Tour. Ignore Rue des Fossés on the left and note the former Boldoflorine factory on the left (a very large ochre-coloured building). At the next junction, turn right down the Sente de la Cavée (contrary to what is shown on the OSM map, Rue du Mont Rôti ends to the left of the junction).

No signposting

At the bottom of the descent, ignore the arrow indicating a left turn and carry on straight ahead along a cobbled path. After crossing the Opton via a footbridge, pass a green gate on your right and turn right onto a gravel path reserved for pedestrians (zigzag, sign). Follow the Opton on your right.

(4) At the end of the path, turn right to cross the river via the Pont Saint-Jean. After about 50 metres, turn right up Rue de la Tour. Then take the first left (unnamed both on the map and on the ground; probably still Rue des Fossés).

At the far end of a car park, turn right onto a flight of steps leading into it. Pass a doctor’s surgery on your left and stay on the left-hand side of the car park, under the trees. Just past the signs for a dentist’s surgery behind a gate on the left, turn left under a porch. Climb a flight of steps and follow Rue de la Vignette to the left (signs for the same dentist’s surgery on the left-hand side).

At the T-junction, turn left into Rue de l’Enclos. Then take the first right, Rue des Fossés, which soon bends to the right. After about fifty metres, turn left onto the narrow path you took on the way there. Be careful – there are no signs or house numbers here. The unobtrusive start is just past a lamppost flanked by two green doors in the wall on the left. The footpath gives way to a cobbled street and, at the junction, follow Grande Rue to the left for just a few metres.

(2) Turn right into Rue de la Pie, which bends sharply to the right. Pass a small square on your right and take the first left (Rue des Jeux de Billes, not signposted locally; ‘no entry’ sign). Walk past the village hall. Just before the sign indicating the 30 km/h speed limit, turn right into Sente Tivoli (mistakenly marked as “Place” on the map). Turn right, then left when you come to a green gate. Pass under a small stone archway and follow Rue des Fleurs to the left.

At the next junction, continue straight ahead along Rue du Parc, passing the post office on your left. Cross a branch of the Vesgre (not shown on the OSM map) and, at the next Fork in the road, turn left. At the next T-junction (with a bend to the right), turn left and walk alongside another branch of the Vesgre on your right. Cross the river via a footbridge, then follow it (westwards) on your left. Climb the steps leading to Rue de Paris.

Red and yellow markings

(1) Turn right and go round the roundabout on the left. Walk up the opposite side of Boulevard de la Gare and you’ll soon reach the station (S/E), on the platform side heading towards Dreux (to return to Paris, use the underpass).

Trainers are sufficient for this urban route. Shops, bars and restaurants can be found in Houdan.

Useful map (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Access:
- To travel by train, check the Transilien timetables.
- To get there by car (Houdan is situated just north of the N12), park in the car park to the south of the station (car park P3) along Boulevard de la Gare. The car park is chargeable on weekdays but free on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

This walk can be combined with the“La Plaine de Houdan and the Roman Villa at La Pièce du Fient” walk, which also starts from the station. Allow for a total of around 14 km and 4 hours’ walking.

Walk completed by the author on 4 June 2016.

- Half-timbered houses (15th–16th centuries), particularly on Rue de Paris and Grande Rue.
- Keep (12th century). Open on Saturdays from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm; admission fee applies (€4 per person in June 2016).
- Church of Saint-Jacques and Saint-Christophe (15th–17th centuries).
- Former Boldoflorine factory (1830).