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Starting point and access: Gennevilliers station.
- RER - Line C, on the section between Paris and Pontoise. At the (only) exit, turn left twice.
- Tram - Line T1. Head towards the railway bridge.
In Parc des Chanteraines, there are numbered markers (with an emergency telephone number) at various points: these are referred to as B1, etc.
Yellow markings
(S/E) Go under the railway bridge and follow the tram tracks on your right. After a few metres, turn left into Parc des Chanteraines. Pass a sign with a map on your left and you will immediately come to a crossroads (signpost).
Then turn right onto the concrete path that leads to Les Telliers station. Continue straight ahead, following the tourist railway line on your right and, soon, a lake on your left. Shortly after the B17, take a left turn to pass by a bird observation post. Return to the main path between the lake and the railway line and pass by a second observation post.
(1) At a crossroads near the park exit on the right-hand side, ignore the first path on the left which leads to a third observation point, and take the concrete path which curves to the left and passes a watering hole.
At a fork (B9), turn left and pass a watchtower on your left. At the next crossroads (water source), continue straight ahead. You will come to a railway line on your right; cross it (B3). You will arrive at the Carrefour des Hautes Bornes crossroads.
No markings
(2) Turn left, cross a railway line and follow a concrete path. Shortly before it crosses the railway line again, turn left onto the small concrete path towards the Belvédère. Climb the winding path to reach the viewpoint over the lake.
With your back to the orientation table, turn right onto a path and descend between two fences. N.B. This path is quite steep and slippery in wet weather, so an alternative is to retrace your steps along the winding concrete path. At the bottom, follow the concrete path to the right to Carrefour des Hautes Bornes.
Yellow markings
(2) Turn left and cross the A86 motorway (underground here). At the intersection (B17), turn right. After a few metres, take a path on the right that runs parallel to the concrete path and is slightly lower down. Rejoin the concrete path further on and follow the railway line on your right. Cross a railway line coming from the left, continue straight ahead and follow the fishing lake on your left.
At the B15, turn left at a right angle (leaving a forest barrier on your right). Then take the first path on the left and follow the wooden pontoons along the edge of the pond. You will arrive at the foot of some stairs.
Yellow + green markings
(3) Climb the stairs on the right. At the top, cross a railway line and go around a playground on the right. Then take the bridge over the D9. At the end of the bridge, turn left, go down between two fences and you will come to a crossroads at the bottom.
No markings
(4) Enter the Jardin Ombre et Lumière on the left. Explore this enclosed garden at your leisure (indicative route on the map).
Yellow markings
(4) Turn left at the hairpin bend while crossing the railway line. Pass a playground on your left and turn right. Pass a staircase on your left and then toilets on your right.
After a wide right-hand bend, at a three-way junction, turn left. Cross the railway line again and, at the T-junction that follows, turn left to leave the park via entrance no. 1.
Yellow + Blue markings
(5) Follow the Promenade Bleue to the left and walk along a branch of the Seine on your right, with the Ile Saint-Denis on the opposite bank. Continue straight ahead for about 1.5km, alternating between gravel and tarmac paths. At the Les Mariniers tourist train station, continue straight ahead and pass under the Pont d'Épinay bridge.
Yellow markings
(6) Turn right immediately and climb the stairs to the bridge. At the top, turn left and cross the first branch of the Seine. Then cross the Ile Saint-Denis and the second branch of the Seine. Finally, cross Rue du Port.
(7) Take the first left, Rue des Alliés. Cross Rue de Verdun on the right-hand side. Further on, turn right with the street. Then cross Rue Grandel on the right-hand side and turn left to find the Épinay-sur-Seine station (E).
To return home:
- RER - Line C, towards Paris or Pontoise.
- Tram - Line T11, towards Le Bourget.
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