Woods and countryside around Villeneuve-sur-Bellot

Parking in the car park of the village hall in Villeneuve-sur-Bellot. In the centre of Villeneuve, take the D6 towards Bellot, cross the bridge over the Petit Morin and then take the first left, Rue des Aunes, towards the village hall (signposted). For access by public transport, see practical information.

No markings (except for a few isolated markers)

(S/E) Take Rue des Aunes towards the town centre and the D6 road (west). Note the old Villeneuve-sur-Bellot railway station on the left-hand side. At the stop sign, take the D6 towards Verdelot (signposted) and cross the Petit Morin. Go around the back of the church on the right and immediately turn left into the small car park on the church square.

(1) Instead, turn right, cross the D31 road and take Rue de Monflageol opposite towards Fontaine-Robert (sign). When the street makes a left turn (fire station), there is a convenient path parallel to the road on the left. When the street makes a right turn at the end of the cemetery, leave it and take the path opposite (west). This leads to a street; continue in the same direction.

(2) At the "Le Champ Charron" crossroads (sign), continue straight ahead into the cul-de-sac. Continue along a path and you will come out onto a road again. Continue in the same direction (west). At the last houses, before the road bends to the right, take a small path on the left that goes downhill. After a few metres, before a horse training ground, turn right onto a path through the woods with a fence on your left. At a T-junction, turn left. You will come out onto a lane and reach the D31 road.

Yellow markings

(3) Cross the road and head towards Bellot (sign). Pass in front of the Château de Villeneuve (beautiful buildings on your right) and cross the Petit Morin. Enter Bellot and pass a junction with a path coming from the left.

Red and white + yellow markings (not very dense)

(4) Take the street on the right and then follow Rue du Pont du Ru on the left, with Rue du Fourcheret coming from the right and the church clearly visible. Cross the street and reach the church square. Turn right onto the square and walk along the church.

(5) At the end of the square, continue along the D6 road for a few metres. Turn immediately left into Cours des Forêts (be careful, the markings are incomplete here). In the middle of a small group of houses, turn left towards No. 4. Then turn left onto a path that winds its way between the gardens. At the corner of a vegetable garden, turn right along a wall on your right (do not go straight ahead towards a wooden door). You will come out onto a narrow street (Rue de Bretagne) and follow it to the left.

(6) At the junction with a larger road, cross diagonally to the right and take the small road towards the swimming pool (sign). Pass the tennis courts and the swimming pool, and continue along a path that enters a wood. Cross the Ru de Bellot via a small bridge. At the fork immediately after, take the left-hand path uphill. Walk through the woods for about 1 km until you come out into open ground. Turn right onto the grassy path that runs alongside a cultivated field on your left. Then cross a small wood.

No markings

(7) At the end of the woods, at a T-junction, leave the^GR®®14and^PR®® and turn left, along the edge of the woods on your left. At the next junction, turn left onto a wide path. Pass a wind pump on your right and you will come to another junction.

Red and white + yellow markings (not very dense)

(8) Turn right (markings on a tree) and continue through the undergrowth on a wide path. Ignore a path coming from the right and, at the next junction (isolated house), turn right. Pass a horse farm (beautiful old houses) and continue straight ahead on a grassy path between two meadows (no markings here). Continue east, first through the woods, then along the edge of the woods and finally between cultivated fields (beautiful view of a fortified farm in the distance on the right). At a T-junction in the middle of the fields, make a zigzag to re-enter the undergrowth on a wide path. As you approach the houses, turn left. Cross the hamlet of Le Geai until you reach a small road.

(9) Take the road on the left towards Verdelot (sign). Pass a farmhouse and a few houses and enjoy a beautiful view of the Petit Morin valley and the village of Verdelot with its church. When you reach two electricity poles on either side of the road, leave the road and turn left onto a grassy path that descends towards Verdelot. At the bottom of the descent, turn right onto a small road. Pass a signpost on the left that seems to invite you to enter a meadow but actually indicates a fork in the road a little further on. After passing the sign for "Le Mont", turn left onto a grassy path that descends between a meadow (on the left) and a field (on the right).

No markings

(10) At the entrance to a copse (telephone pole with markers on the left), leave the^GR®®14and^PR®®, turn left and immediately come out onto a road. Cross this road and continue straight ahead towards La Fée (sign). This hamlet can be spotted from afar by a curious building that looks like a lighthouse. At La Fée (houses), turn right at a right angle to follow a path between two rows of pine trees.

(11) Cross the Petit Morin and continue to the D6 road. Turn left and, immediately afterwards, turn left again onto a path that winds between a fence (on your left) and a cultivated field (on your right). Then turn right onto a wide grassy verge between the same field on your right and gardens on your left, with several views of the Petit Morin. When the path becomes a lane, continue in the same direction.

(12) Just before reaching the D6 road, turn left towards a metal footbridge over the Petit Morin. Take this footbridge to cross the river (small waterfall on the right) and continue along a grassy path. At a T-junction, turn right. The wide grassy path quickly leads back to the starting point (S/E).

To reach the starting point by public transport:
Train to La Ferté-sous-Jouarre station (Transilien line P) then Pays Fertois bus, line 34, stop "Villeneuve-sur-Bellot Eglise". Information and timetables: Transilien website and Transdev Marne-Morin website.
Then follow the route from point (1) and, once you arrive at the village hall, follow the route between points (S) and (1).

Alternative route:
Two parallel branches of^the same^GR®® (^GR®®14) leave from Bellot. The hike takes the westernmost branch (between (5) and (7)) and then joins the easternmost branch at point (8). However, it is possible to reach point (8) by taking the eastern branch directly: from point (4), continue straight ahead, follow the D6 for about 50 metres on the left, then turn right into Rue de la Fontaine aux Lièvres. This alternative shortens the hike but involves more walking on tarmac roads. It is for this reason that this hike suggests taking the western branch of^{the GR®®14}.

Shops and bar-restaurant in Villeneuve-sur-Bellot (1). Grocery store and restaurant in Bellot (5). No water points along the route.

Hiking boots are recommended (at the very least, good trainers). A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 14 May 2015.

- Saint-Rémi and Saint-Louis Church, in Villeneuve-sur-Bellot (1).
- Château de Villeneuve, in Grand Foucheret, between (3) and (4).
- Saint-Loup Church, in Bellot (5).
- Views of the Petit Morin and its valley.

Within the Île-de-France region, the Petit Morin valley is a preserved area with a strong rural and agricultural character. This hike is part of a series of routes lasting between 3 and 4 hours, covering the small roads of this charming valley and the communal paths where motorised vehicles such as quads and 4x4s are prohibited (see below for the URLs of the other hikes).