Wednesday 31 October from Etampes to Etréchy

The château de Villemartin

Etampes to Etrechy: Water Mills and Châteaux

Here are the details for the walk Stuart will be leading on 31 October:

Distance: 19km

Terrain: 2 hill climbs - fairly long but not steep - otherwise easy going

**NO BAIL-OUT OPTION**

For this week's walk we follow the course of La Juine river from Etampes to Etrechy. From Saint Martin d'Etampes RER we join the Juine and follow it through the Parc de Loisirs to Morigny-Champigny where we will have lunch next to the église de la Trinité. 

After lunch we make a slow climb out of the town through woods and descend to the small hamlet of Champigny where we will pass by the well-preserved 15th-century château de Villemartin, a rare example of a rural manor house pre-dating the Wars of Religion, and the 19th century château de Jeurre, famous for its gardens and statues. From here we continue along the Juine to Etrechy RER. All along the Juine we pass by old water mills!

                                     

Getting there: 9.32 gare d'Austerlitz RER C (train ELBA) direction Saint Martin d'Etampes arriving at 10.31 Saint Martin d'Etampes (zone 5). Meet up in the last carriage. 

Getting back: Etrechy – gare d'Austerlitz. Trains every '05 & '35 minutes past the hour.

Whether it rains or not, it will certainly be colder than recently, so please come prepared with warm clothes and, of course, your never-failing good humour!

Regards,

Stuart

Wednesday 24 October from Le Vésinet to Vaucresson

Claude Monet, the Seine at Bougival

 Two Bobs are better than one. But not by much.

On Wednesday 24 October Bob Levy and Bob Deutsch will lead us the 16 km from Le Vésinet Centre (RER A) to Vaucresson (SNCF); both are in zone 4.

To start we will follow the fall-color-lined stream which winds its way from Le Vésinet, to Le Peq, and back to Le Vesinet.  Then it's along the Seine, crossing the bridge to the Impressionists-favored village Bougival.  Even if this section of the walk is all you do, it will be well worth it.

From Bougival each Bob will lead a separate group uphill.  For those desiring a steep climb to forest trails, one Bob will provide.  For those favoring a non-steep uphill amble to those same trails, the other Bob will oblige. Together we will continue through forest-trail and lane to the picture-perfect town square at La Celle Saint Cloud where we will lunch.  Continuing on we descend through forest colors to the Gare at Vaucresson.  Depending on time, weather, and interest, the walk can be extended 2-3 km to the station at Garches (Zone #3).

NOTES:

• For those who wish to do only the first part of the walk (Vesinet-Bougival) the flat path along the Seine can easily be followed back to RER A at Chatou. A map will be provided.
• A snack break is planned following the uphill from Bougival. Fruit, even a small sandwich is recommended as lunch might be later than usual.
• Technical stops are hard (but not impossible) to accommodate in the walk's first hour. Please plan accordingly.
• There are several uphills and downhills throughout the day.  None are on difficult trails.  None are long. 

MEET-UP INFORMATION:

Châtelet Les Halles RER A direction Saint Germain en Laye, rear of the platform (the LAST car): 9:15 am for the 9:24 RER A, arriving at Le Vesinet Centre at 9:47.  That same train stops at Etoile at 9:30, and La Défense at 9:34.  At that hour RER A trains run quite frequently.  If you wish to take an earlier train we will meet you at Vésinet.  However be certain that the A you take stops at Le Vésinet-Centre !!!

From Vaucresson, SNCF trains run every 30 minutes to La Défense and Saint Lazare.

As always, picnic lunch, strong water-resilient shoes and outer garments.

Bob Levy:

LEVYBOB@SBCGLOBAL.NET

RAL415@GMAIL.COM

09 79 67 70 88
On Day of Hike: 06 43 45 58 33

New: here are some pictures from the day of the walk.

Wednesday 17 October around Cergy

Next Wednesday, Daniel Perot will lead us in and around the ville nouvelle de Cergy-Pontoise. Here is his info.

In the wake of the walk led by Bob in May... Starting from the giant RER station clock at Cergy St Christophe, "biggest in Europe", we'll admire some truly monumental architecture, then wander along the banks of the Oise where it loops around the Cergy leisure center.

Mercredi prochain notre randonnée s'effectuera à Cergy, le long de l'Oise, qui dans un méandre entoure la base de loisirs. Nous démarrerons sous l'horloge gigantesque, la plus grande d'Europe, et là nous découvrirons une architecture audacieuse dans un secteur contrasté, avant d'aller apprécier les bords de l'eau.

Getting there...
Take the RER A (UBOS) headed for Cergy le Haut at:
   - Châtelet Les Halles 9.30.
   - Charles de Gaulle Etoile 9.36
   - La Défense 9.41
Meet-up at the head of the train.

Arrive at Cergy Saint Christophe (next to the last stop) at 10.14.
Meet-up: at the exit, near the clock. Look up you should find it.
Return from the same station (zone 5). Frequent trains.

The walk should last about 3½ hours, some 14 km. The ground is flat.
For a shorter walk, it is easy to leave the group and return to the station earlier.

Bring the usual good shoes, picnic lunch, and appropriate weather gear.  As
the rains have returned, consider a plastic 'sheet' or other covering for
sitting on wet ground, rocks, or tree-trunks at lunch.

To contact Daniel:
daniel.perot@free.fr
09 50 56 65 26

01 45 90 65 26.
Mobile (only on the day of the walk) : 06 99 20 70 79.

Wednesday 10 October along the Aubette

Condécourt, château de Villette

This week Claude will lead us through villages, countryside and woods of the the Valley of the Aubette in the Vexin Francais. Here is his information:

A pretty brook in the the Vexin, the Aubette: old washhouses, a château, charming villages with their Romanesque churches, a former sandstone quarry—in short, a dream. But it's a dream that doesn't come for free, with a hilly trail of 20km and 425m change in altitude but no major difficulties.

Un joli ruisseau du Vexin, l'Aubette, des lavoirs, un château, de charmants villages et leurs églises romanes dans une campagne vallonnée, une ancienne carrière de grès, le rêve quoi ! Mais c'est un rêve qui se mérite sur un parcours vallonné de 20 km et 425 m de dénivelé, sans difficulté majeure, qui vaut au maximum deux chaussures et demi.

Départ : Gare Saint Lazare train MOCA à 9h12 en direction de Mantes la Jolie, arrivée à Meulan Hardricourt (zone 5) à 10h08 où je vous attendrai.

Retour: Gare Meulan Hardricourt à 14h43 ou 15h13, selon notre allure de marche.

Bring appropriate clothes (sun or rain, but snow is not forecast), your picnic and your usual high spirits. See you Wednesday!

Vêtements appropriés (soleil ou pluie ?, pas de neige prévue), pique-nique et bonne humeur habituelle.

A mercredi.

Claude

01 30 92 04 95

06 84 14 55 35 le jour de la rando

In downtown Meulan

...And an alternative!

Since I am not quite up to Claude's 20 km walk (although it sounds great!) how about a short one near Paris, in the Foret de Meudon? 

Starting at the SNCF gare de Chaville Rive Gauche at 10:09, departure from gare Montparnasse at 9:50, and return on RER C from Meudon Val Fleuri, frequent trains. I will meet you at Chaville Rive Gauche. 

We'll walk through the woods, some gentle up and down, around a couple of ponds, not more than about 8 km. It's been raining, so there will be some mud; bring rain gear, water, a snack/lunch. 

If it's open we could stop at La Cabane des Pecheurs for a cafe.

Hope to see you then, tout de bon,

Prudence

prukupka@aol.com

01 46 26 03 06 

06 63 44 60 09