Wednesday 14 December: Boulogne-Ville d'Avray-Versailles

Corot, Etangs de Ville d'Avray 1860

This week we will have just one walk, but with the possibility of leaving early.

This coming Wednesday, December 14, Daniel will lead a walk from Boulogne to Versailles.

Distance: 15/16 kilometers with three hills.

The walk will start by crossing part of the Parc de Saint-Cloud and then on to Versailles via the attractive village of Ville-d'Avray where we will have our lunch facing the Etangs de Ville-d'Avray.

We shall meet at 10:00 am by the metro station Boulogne Pont de Saint Cloud on métro line 10.

Get there. From the platform, take the exit Musée Albert-Kahn (to the right), next to a bus stop. There are road works being done near this bus stop, so you may have to walk toward the Pont de St. Cloud to find the temporary bus stop.

SHORTER WALK

Full distance: 6.5 kilometers, with one hill you can bypass. For a shorter walk, you have your lunch at the Etangs" with the group, then return to Paris from the station Sèvres Ville d'Avray (zone 3).

The distance from the Etangs to the station is 1.5 km. You will walk to this station in town without a guide, but it's easy to find.

LONGER WALK

From Versailles (zone 4) we'll return to Paris by RER C or train (Gare Montparnasse or Gare St. Lazare).

You will need a picnic lunch and water, and sturdy waterproof shoes as the forest can be muddy in December.

If you wish to be informed of any changes or cancellations, please
r.s.v.p. to daniel.perot@free.fr with your cell number if you have one and
your home phone if not.

Daniel
09 50 56 65 26
01 45 90 65 26
Mobile (only the day of the walk)  06 99 20 70 79.

Wednesday 7 December at Beynes or Saint Germain

Dear Hikers,

This Wednesday, December 7, we will have two walks. The longer one will be led by Judy and Cecilia, the shorter one by Prudence.

By popular demand, Judy and Cecilia will lead again a 15-16 km walk,  (hilly in places), in the Forêt Domaniale de Beynes and the surrounding countryside. Here is their information:

We will walk along the banks of the river Mauldre and through pretty little villages: Saulx-Marchais and Cressay (with its historic "lavoir"). You will need stout walking shoes, a picnic lunch and water. Depending on the weather forecast, don't forget rain gear

We will take the 9.43 train from Montparnasse, Direction Mantes la Jolie, arriving at Beynes (zone 5) at 10.32. Some of you may find it convenient to join us at Versailles Chantiers at 10.08 or one of the other stations along the way (Saint-Cyr, Plaisir, etc).

Return trains are every hour: 16.04 (probably too early), 17.04 (more likely -- arriving 17.49).

Since Zone 5 has merged with Zone 6, the Mobilis 5 zones now costs only 14 euros, the same as the return train fare to Beynes.

Mobile phone numbers: Judy 06 84 30 91 47; Cecilia 06 45 68 88 05.


Wednesday Dec 7 walk - the shorter one!

We'll meet at 10.05 at the RER A gare St Germain en Laye. That train goes through Châtelet Les Halles at 9.30 and La Defense at 9.37. 

The whole walk will take no more than 2 hours and will cover about 8 km or less, and no hills! We'll go along the esplanade and some of the "sentier des oratoires". I don't know of a specific cafe near the gare where we could have a light lunch, but there must be plenty. Any ideas?

A bientot,

Prudence
01 46 26 03 06
06 63 44 60 09 (day of the walk)

See you on Wednesday. Let's hope that our usual good luck with the weather holds.

Wednesday 30 November, "la Campagne à Paris"

St Germain de Charonne

This Wednesday, Marcel Kohl will lead us on a city walk to discover the charms and the history of the 20th arrondissement. Here is his information.

On Wednesday, we'll walk in Paris in the 20th arrondissement.

After meeting at the metro station Gambetta (line 3) at 10:00 in front of the Mairie of the 20th, we'll go to St Germain de Charonne, the adorable village church (which started in the 12th century) and its parish cemetery, a sad place for André Malraux. Then down the picturesque rue Saint-Blaise, and near the Porte de Bagnolet, 'la Campagne à Paris'. Then place Edith Piaf, with a statue of the singer.

It will then be lunch time. Depending on the weather, your money and your wishes, we will either eat in a restaurant or have picnic in a park (or split up for lunch).

In the afternoon, we'll visit "le plus grand espace vert de Paris", le cimetière du Père Lachaise. We'll visit only a few graves, from Proust (le petit Marcel) to Jim Morrison, sans oublier Victor Noir, bien entendu, et Felix de Beaujour.

At the end of the walk it will be cold and we'll finish at metro Père Lachaise.

Warm clothes might be useful.

Amicalement,

Marcel

La Campagne à Paris

Wednesday 23 November at St Cloud

Hello again, Idfwalkers,

 

This week we are proposing a second, shorter walk for those of you who would like fewer kilometers and maybe a slower pace. Several of us have been discussing the feasibility of offering two alternatives, so this is our "test run".  Prudence, who will be having hip surgery in December, has propsed the following alternative to the walk in the Meudon forest.

Viewing Paris from the terrace at Saint Cloud

Hello fellow walkers

 

I have not been able to join the group recently because my decrepit hip will only cooperate for a few kilometers. I miss the walks so let's experiment and have 2 walks this week. The usual one between 12 and 16km and a shorty, 6 to 8 km, in the morning.

 

I suggest a walk through the Parc de St Cloud starting at Garches and ending at the Metro Pont de Sevres line 9. 

 

We will meet at the SNCF gare Garches - Marnes La Coquette at 9.53. The train leaves Gare St Lazare at 9.33 direction St Nom La Breteche - Forêt de Marly or La Defense at 9.42. 

 

The walk will be easy, about 8km, and we should be at the Pont de Sevres around noon. Lunch could be a snack in the parc or in a cafe near the pont.

 

Looking forward to seeing you,

 

Prudence: prukupka@aol.com

01 64 26 03 06

06 63 44 60 09

Wednesday 23 November at Meudon

November in the forest of Meudon

Hello hikers,

Here is information about the November 23 walk to be led by Mary Lynne:

Next Wednesday we will hike in the beautiful Meudon Forest  which, in addition to its beauty, has the added advantage of being less than five km from Paris. Former royal hunting grounds, this forest has been a very popular promenade destination since the 19th century. It has been maintained by the Office National des Fôrets (ONF) since 1965. If we are lucky, there will still be some leaves on the trees to delight the eye.

Distance: about between 12 and 14 km, depending on our return station, with some ups and downs. This forest is definitely not flat!

Pace: moderate, about 4 km/hour. 

Getting there: We will begin our hike in Meudon at the Val Fleury RER station. Take the RER C SARA direction St. Quentin en Yvelines, which leaves Gare d'Austerlitz (9.21), St Michel (9.24), Invalides (9.31) or Javel (9.38). It will arrive at Meudon Val Fleury at 9.48, zone 3, where I will await the group. 

At this writing I have not decided on our return station. It will be from either the Arrêt de Petit Jouy zone 4 or the Gare de Viroflay Rive Gauche zone 3 which has both SNCF and RER C trains going to Paris.  I'm going to scout this walk on Monday and will post the return train station on Monday evening in case you want to purchase your return ticket or Mobilis ticket ahead of time.

You will need a picnic lunch and sturdy, waterproof shoes as forests can be muddy in November. 

See you on Wednesday!
Mary Lynne 

01 47 41 98 20

06 70 88 18 59

mlfich@yahoo.com

Wednesday 16 November with la Dame Blanche

The château de la Dame Blanche

Daniel Perot will lead us in the Foret de Chantilly. This is one of our favorite walks that many of you have probably already done with us. Each time is different, however, and this time with a little luck there will still be leaves on the trees to admire. Our itinerary will include the étangs de Commelles, the château de la Dame Blanche et the château de Chantilly.
 

To go: We'll take the RER D "LUCA" that leaves Chatelet-les-Halles at 9:30 or Gare-du-Nord at 9:34 and arrives at Orry-la-Ville/Coye-la-Forêt (a big name for a station in the middle of the woods!) at 10:14.We meet at the head of the train.

Take a SINGLE ticket to Orry la Ville Coye. Mobilis tickets are not available on this line outside the Ile de France.

Return: From a different station: Chantilly Gouvieux, probably at 16:11 arriving in Paris at 17:03. 
 
The 14 km walk will go around some ponds (étangs de Commelles) with the château de la Reine-Blanche, through the forest right up to the château de Chantilly. To learn about the mysterious Reine Blanche you might have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efgE6HuZU10 
 
Wear appropriate clothes, strong shoes, bring a picnic lunch and water.


If you wish to be informed of any changes or cancellations, please
r.s.v.p. to daniel.perot@free.fr with your cell number if you have one and
your home phone if not.



Daniel
09 50 56 65 26
01 45 90 65 26
Mobile (only the day of the walk)  06 99 20 70 79.

The château de Chantilly

 

Wednesday 9 November with Robinson and Chateaubriand

In the Vallée des Loups

This will be a romantic walk of about 12 km through the parks of Plessis-Robinson, once famous for its guingettes (cabanes dans les arbres – the name of the town originates from them) and Châtenay-Malabry, in the footsteps of Chateaubriand and his mistress Madame Récamier. On the outs with Napoleon, the famous French romantic writer and politician had been exiled here, "far from Paris", for 10 years.

We'll climb first to the Parc Henri Sellier (maximum height 172m) - there you have a great view to the south of Paris. Then we'll descend to the Vallée aux Loups. There are no more wolves there but foxes can be seen in the sunset. There we'll have our picnic.

After that we'll stroll to the Parc de la Maison Chateaubriand where the writer himself planted some of the exotic trees in the beginning of the 19th century. Finally, the high point of our walk will be the Arboretum, once property of the Croux family, the famous nursery gardeners, where in the 19th century setting (folies et fabriques), you can admire some extraordinary trees and plants.

Bring appropriate clothes and shoes, a picnic lunch and a camera.

Depart from Chatelet-Les Halles at 9:20 – RER B direction Robinson, arrival at 9:46. The same train from Denfert-Rochereau at 9:28 - Be there earlier.

Return from Robinson to Paris every 15 minutes. Zone 3.

At the gare de Robinson walk to the head of the train then to the right and take the exit Avenue Jules Guesde, where I'll be waiting for you on the top of the stairs.

My mobile : 06 33 23 07 31

Looking forward to seeing you,

Dominique

In the Vallée des Loups