From Lizy-sur-Ourcq to Crouy-sur-Ourcq via the canal and the hillsides of Vendrest

Starting point and access: Lizy-sur-Ourcq station.
- Transilien - Line P, on the section between Meaux and La Ferté-Milon.
Take the only exit, on the side of platform 1, the one heading from Meaux to La Ferté-Milon (if arriving in the opposite direction, platform 2, take the underpass).

Red and white markings

(S) With your back to the station, follow Avenue de la Gare straight ahead, preferably on the left-hand pavement. Cross the Ourcq (the river) and you will come to a roundabout (town hall on the right). Go round the roundabout on the left, cross Rue du Canal and take the next street on the left, Route d’Échampeux.

(1) At the bridge, turn right down the wide paved path which leads to the banks of the Canal de l’Ourcq. Walk along the canal on your left, with a few houses and then some industrial buildings on your right.

Yellow markings

(2) At the start of a left-hand bend, leave the canal and head down sharply to the right, immediately joining the D102. Follow the road to the left, cross the Ourcq (the river) and pass under the railway bridge. At the junction at the end of the road, take Rue de Lizy straight ahead to enter the village of Ocquerre.

(3) At the junction, turn right and pass by the foot of the church. Continue straight on to leave the village. At the end, follow the D17 to the left (, a fairly busy road). After a short kilometre’s climb, at a fork in the road (elevation 91), turn right to follow a smaller road downhill towards Châton. Ignore the access road on the right leading to the hamlet of Rademont.

Unmarked

(4) About a hundred metres further on, take the small road on the left which climbs towards Vendrest.

Yellow markings

(5) You’ll come out onto the D17a1; follow it to the right to enter the village of Vendrest. You’ll cross Rue des Mulets on the right-hand side.

No signposting

At the next junction, turn right to reach the main square in Vendrest.

(6) Take the^second left, Rue de l’Église, and walk past the church on your right. Ignore a small alley on your left. At the next junction, turn left, staying on Rue de l’Église, and walk past the cemetery.

Yellow markings

(7) Follow the markings and continue straight on down the road. Cross the D17 and follow the track opposite which leads uphill. Pass under the TGV Est line and continue straight ahead, due north, along a field path heading towards a wood. Walk briefly along the edge of the wood on your left, then turn left (north-west) with the path.

(8) At the three-way junction, take the path on the left (two^PR® trails split here) and head down through the undergrowth. At the bottom, at a fork in the road, take the path on the left and immediately ignore a turn-off to the left. Head west-north-west between the fields, then back into a wood.

(9) Cross the D102 and continue along the path opposite. At the T-junction, follow the path to the left, first along the edge of the woods on your right, then into the woods. Then turn right at a 90° angle and walk gently downwards along the wall of a property.

(10) Go through the gates to cross the railway line ( look carefully both ways before crossing). Continue straight on (north-west) to reach the Château de Gesvres-le-Duc. Continue straight on (ignore the^PR® which branches off to the right). Cross the River Ourcq and reach the canal of the same name near the Ferme de Gesvres.

Red and white + yellow markings

(11) Head up onto the towpath, rejoin the^GR®11and follow it to the right. Walk along the canal on your left on a pleasant path.

(12) At the Crouy-sur-Ourcq river station, leave the canal bank and head down to the right. Follow the road to the right towards the village. Cross the river one last time and immediately reach Crouy-sur-Ourcq station (E).

To get home:
- Transilien - Line P, towards La Ferté Milon (access to the platform before the level crossing) or Meaux and Paris-Est (access to the platform after the level crossing).

Train timetables: check the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Both stations are on the same section of the same line: leave a car in the car park at one of the two stations and make a return journey by train

Hiking boots recommended.

No water points identified along the route. Bars and restaurants in Lizy-sur-Ourcq, particularly near the station.

A 1:25,000 map is useful (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Hikers should be aware that, depending on the flight paths, you may hear aircraft heading for or taking off from Roissy Airport. Similarly, between (7) and (8), the TGVs passing nearby are certainly audible...

Additional information (suggested by hiker philippe02310):
Visit to the cemetery at Lizy-sur-Ourcq (see also the “During the walk” section) – Take the bridge (1) to cross the canal, then turn left and follow Avenue du Chemin Noir along the canal. The cemetery is located at the junction of this avenue and Rue de Lizy, with an entrance on each side. Allow about 1 km for the round trip.

Walk completed twice by the author, with various variations, the first on 10 April 2010, the second on 10 April 2012.

Lizy-sur-Ourcq Cemetery, off the main route from (1) (see the suggested addition in the ‘Practical Information’ section). A cemetery featuring imposing chapels and the final resting place of many Circassian and circus families (Bouglione, Zavatta, Capello, etc.).

A pleasant walk along the Canal de l’Ourcq, from (1) to (2) and from (11) to (12).

The village of Vendrest (6) boasts a rich heritage:
- The Church of Saint-Julien and Saint-Jean (12th–13th centuries) with an imposing bell tower dating from the 10th century.
- A beautiful fountain in the central square.
- On the façade of the town hall, commemorative plaques for soldiers who died during the^First Empire, notably in the West Indies, during the Crimean War and the War of 1870.

Gesvres-le-Duc Castle, between (10) and (11).