Four villages in the heart of the French Vexin

A circular starting from Hédouville takes you through Hodan, Messelan and Frouville.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.30 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 151 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 151 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 123 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 45 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park on Rue de l'Abreuvoir, walk up towards the church on Grande-Rue towards Hodan, then take Rue Edmond-Masse (formerly Rue de Hodan), which continues along a path.

(1) At the crossroads on the plateau, turn left.

(2) At La Maladrerie, turn right. The path continues and passes close to the ruins of the Grainval farm on the right.

(3) At the crossroads, take the road on the left for 1200m.

(4) Turn right onto the path.

(5) Go down to the right, along a sunken lane, towards Messelan, continue along the D151 and, at the bend, go straight ahead.

(6) Come out onto the road and, at the corner of the stud farm, turn left onto Rue Boudoche.

(7) Turn right again onto Rue du Pont de Messelan, which continues along a path, and continue along this path.

(8) At the crossroads, take the path on the left and continue straight ahead on the grassy path that crosses a large field. Pass an old fountain on your right and continue straight ahead (note that 500 metres further on, the path curves to the left).

(9) At the edge of the woods, turn right (woods on your left) and you will come out onto the road that leads to the entrance to Frouville.

(10) At the entrance to Frouville, before crossing the bridge (wash house on your left), turn right.

(11) At the next crossroads, turn left. You will come out onto Rue de Groslay (car park), cross the street. Go up the road, turn right into Grande Rue and cross Place de l'Église.

(12) Take the first road up on your left, Côte aux Poulets, then at the top, go down the road on the right which will lead to Hédouville. At the top of the hill, go down to the right, come out onto the road and head towards the village centre and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 57 m - Car park on Rue de l'Abreuvoir
  2. 1 : km 1.37 - alt. 122 m - La Pièce de Hodan
  3. 2 : km 2.04 - alt. 109 m - La Maladrerie
  4. 3 : km 3.27 - alt. 81 m - Grainval
  5. 4 : km 4.34 - alt. 92 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.56 - alt. 88 m - Path on the right towards the D151
  7. 6 : km 4.99 - alt. 66 m - Messelan stud farm
  8. 7 : km 5.25 - alt. 65 m - Rue Pont de Messelan
  9. 8 : km 6.11 - alt. 98 m - Path on the left
  10. 9 : km 7.94 - alt. 98 m - Grands Bois
  11. 10 : km 8.94 - alt. 45 m - Frouville wash house
  12. 11 : km 9.3 - alt. 57 m - Turn left at the crossroads
  13. 12 : km 9.99 - alt. 57 m - La Côte aux Poulets
  14. S/E : km 11.3 - alt. 57 m - Car park on Rue de l'Abreuvoir

Notes

The car park, which can be used without restriction, is located on Rue de l'Abreuvoir below the church on the left when arriving from Nesles-la-Vallée.
Please note: the car park at the town hall and school cannot be used (no stopping sign).

Worth a visit

Hydraulic heritage: wells, wash houses, mills, fountains

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
ozogiminy
ozogiminy

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

All in all, a rather monotonous hike, but hey, everyone has their own tastes and preferences...

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Christien H
Christien H

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with little road travel.
A good mix of fields, small woods and villages. This hike is a good sample of the landscapes of the Vexin region
It took us 2½ hours to complete

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User 3899133

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I use Visorando regularly, and I particularly appreciate the little directional arrow, which prevents mistakes in direction, and the audible alarm, which is very handy for absent-minded people like me.

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Walker2
Walker2

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, very varied.

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Chloe95
Chloe95

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. Reliable route on the map.

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Lepontdav
Lepontdav

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Uninteresting hike. Many inaccuracies in the hike description. For example, we did not see the leprosarium, the ruins of the Grainval farm (point 2) or the old fountain (point 8). Frouville Castle is almost invisible from the road. An automatic barrier has been installed at point 3. This barrier can be easily bypassed by going around the sides, but it is still surprising in the forest landscape....

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Manou59700
Manou59700

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 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 pleasant, even surprising trail, just a stone's throw from Paris, we feel like we're in another world.
The countryside is lovely, and along the way we come across old wash houses and peaceful little villages.
I highly recommend this hike to anyone who has preconceived notions about the Paris suburbs.

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Juliwano
Juliwano

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike through the woods and across fields of wheat, beetroot and... Shuttle bus?!
Beautiful views of the Vexin region.

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bruno serret
bruno serret

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a pleasant walk despite the numerous showers. Frouville is a really pretty village. We loved the wash houses along the route, each with its own name, including one with a small chimney.

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habanera
habanera

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk on a spring day

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JLT95
JLT95

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant

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B.R.
B.R.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike, great diversity of landscapes, and pretty villages along the way.
The route marked on the map is reliable.

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bjoubin
bjoubin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and varied parish-specific to Brittany hike, alternating between fields and woodland trails.
The villages you pass through are charming
The GPS track is reliable

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Lénou95
Lénou95

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on a very sunny day. Many shaded sections. Very rural route. Frouville is a beautiful village.

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JaïpineX
JaïpineX

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely little hike offering some nice views. The ruins of Grainval and Frouville are two stops that are definitely worth seeing!
The GPX track is accurate....

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