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 on site they are not always indicated on a sign.

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 (one-way street) towards the south-south-west. At the bottom, go round the roundabout on the right (pedestrian crossings) and continue straight ahead on 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 into Grande Rue. Pass Rue des Vieilles Tanneries and come to Rue de la Pie coming 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 porch; the alleyway becomes a narrow path. At the end, turn left onto Rue des Fossés (no sign). After a right-hand bend in the street, you will emerge onto Rue de l'Enclos. Then turn left towards the church, whose façade is very close by. Walk round the church in a clockwise direction, passing in front of the Town Hall.

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 path (Rue du Château). After a right-hand bend, you’ll come out onto a small square: turn left (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 into Rue de la Tour. Ignore Rue des Fossés on the left and note the old Boldoflorine factory on the left (a very large ochre-coloured building). At the next junction, turn right down 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 pointing left and continue 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 (chicane, 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 fifty metres, turn right up Rue de la Tour. Then take the first left (unnamed on the map and on the ground, likely still Rue des Fossés).

At the far end of a car park, turn right onto a flight of steps leading there. 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 dental practice 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 dental practice on the left).

At the T-junction, turn left onto Rue de l’Enclos. Then take the first right, Rue des Fossés, which soon turns right. After about fifty metres, turn left onto the narrow path you took on the way there. Be careful, as there are no signs or house numbers here. The discreet start point is just past a street lamp flanked by two green doors in the wall on the left. The path 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 a 30km/h speed limit, turn right into Sente Tivoli (mistakenly marked as “Place” on the map). Turn right then left opposite a green gate. Pass under a small stone archway and follow Rue des Fleurs to the left.

At the next junction, continue straight ahead into Rue du Parc, leaving 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 T-junction that follows (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 will 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 in Houdan.

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

Access:
- For train access, check the Transilien timetables.
- To get there by car (Houdan is located 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 pay-and-display 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 14km and 4 hours’ walking.

Walk completed by the author on 4 June 2016.

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