Wednesday 30 March in the Forest of Marly

In Marly Forest

This week Judy and Cecilia will lead us on  a lovely 16-17 km walk, (hilly in parts, 5 to 5 1/2 hours), around St. Nom-la-Bretèche, through fields, the Forest of Marly and pretty little villages.  We had to do some juggling of dates, and as a result, the Essonne walk planned for next week has been moved to April 27.

Take the 9h33 train, Sils, at the Gare Saint Lazare,  direction St. Nom la Breteche, Foret de Marly, which will arrive at St. Nom la Bretèche at 10h12. This train passes through La Defense at 9:42 so it would be possible to take the RER A or Metro line 1 to meet the SNCF train at La Defense. An RER A leaves Chatelet les Halles at 9:22 and arrives at La Defense at 9:32 which is plenty of time to get upstairs to the SNCF banlieue lines.

 

Return trains from St. Nom are every half hour: 16.37, 17.07, etc...

Cecilia's mobile phone number:  06 45 68 88 05.

See you on Wednesday!!

photo by Christophe Morvant

Wednesday 23 March at Bagatelle

Hello walkers,

Spring will have officially arrived next Wednesday, March 23. If you would like to come on a walk and admire the first flowers, then meet me at 10 AM at Pont de Neuilly metro station on Line 1. I will wait for you from 9.45 on the street level in the middle of the Avenue Charles de Gaulle.

At 10.00 we will start walking, direction Pont de Neuilly and then along the Isle de Puteaux to the Parc de Bagatelle.

From there we will continue through the Bois de Boulogne to a metro station at around 14.00.

As always: have the right clothes and shoes, water and food (enough for lunch).

Greetings,

Martina

Wednesday 9 March on the Marne to Boissy St Léger

The Marne at Joinville le Pont

The hike, some 14km or 8-9 miles, will be led by Bob Levy  

First along the 'GR des BORDS de MARNE', the walk will take us from Joinville le Pont some 4 km along the river to Chennevières.  Here, remaining with the GR, we leave the Marne for a mix of trail and small lanes, through Le Moulin Chennevières and Ormesson to the GR14 and the Parc du Morbras.

A lovely stone bridge, then a 2 km walk along a running stream will bring us to a perfect spot for lunch.  Then onward along the GR14, through wooded rolling hills to the Foret de Gros Bois and its Allées Royale and Elizabeth, and finally the town of Boissy Saint Leger.

CONDITIONS

1. For the first 4 km. there a few places for 'technical stops'.  There are cafes at approximately 3 km.

2. This hike has been selected in part because of its relative lack of mud.  Many trails are partially paved.  There are, however, some 2-3 kms where mud might be a minor issue.  The right shoes are, as always, essential.

3. With the exception of a flight or two of stairs, the hike is quite level.

MEETING

GARE RER 'A'; JOINVILLE LE PONT.  10:00 A.M.  Use SORTIE 1, Avenue Jaurès.  We will meet immediately in front of the Gare under an overhang.  From Paris trains (Direction BOISSY or La VARENNE) run to Joinville le Pont every 6-10 minutes.

AT THE END OF THE WALK

RER 'A' from BOISSY SAINT LEGER: To Paris trains every 6-10 minutes.

SHORTER WALKS

For those desiring a shorter day, there is the option of leaving the walk at La Varenne (4 miles) or Sucy (6 miles). Maps will be provided from the trail to the RER 'A' in those villages.

In the parc de Morbras

Wednesday 2 March in Boulogne

Hello all walkers,

Next Wednesday - March 2 -  I will lead you on a walk through three parks:  Parc de Rothchild in Boulogne, Bois de Boulogne and Parc St. Cloud.

If you like to come along, then please come to the end station of the metro Line 10 - Boulogne Pont de St. Cloud and there go in the front of the train to the exit and then to the right up to the street level.  There is a bus station and I will wait for you there from 9.45 on.  

At 10.00 we will start with our three hour walk and will return to the same place at 13.30 - having a picnic on the way.  (There is a possibility to have lunch in the Cafe des Arts). 

As always, wear the right clothes, good walking shoes, water to drink and open to meet new friends.

Greetings,

Martina David-Ault

Mdavidault@gmail.com

01 41 31 00 19

Wednesday 23 February at Versailles or Montmorency: take your pick!

Snowdrops in the park at Versailles

Good news, this week, February 23, we are offering two hikes, one in the parc du château de Versailles with Martina and the second in the forêt de Montmorency with Mary Lynne.

Versailles:

If you would like to see the millions of snowdrops in the Park of Versailles, then please come along for a walk around the Grand Canal.

Take the RER C5 to Versailles Rive Gauche (end station) and there I will wait for you in the station from 9.45.  At 10.00 we will start walking and should be back after 3 hours.

As always, have the right clothes, good shoes, something to eat (weather allowing we have a picnic at 12.00) and water to drink.

And please keep in mind:

The leaders guide these walks purely as volunteers with no commercial interest involved.  They assume no responsibility for any injury or inconvenience which may occur during the walk.

If you have a heart condition, difficulty walking, diabetes or any other condition which would make you unable to take a strenuous walk - again - it is on your own responsibility and judgment. You should be able to keep up with the group, which will keep a medium pace. 

Greetings -

Martina David-Ault

Mdavidault@gmail.com

01 41 31 00 19

After the walk, you might be interested in seeing an exhibit in the chateau called “Sciences et curiosities à la cour de Versailles”. It has had rave reviews and due to its popularity will be held over until the beginning of April. 

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/news-/events/expositions/-en

La Foret de Montmorency    

The Forêt de Montmorency is the third of the three great forests in the department of the Val d’Oise, a 30 minute train ride from the gare du Nord. The itinerary is roughly 14 km, about 4 hours’ walking time at a moderate pace. The famous philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, spent several years in the village of Montmorency and we are told that he had his inspiration for “Rêveries d’un Promeneur Solitaire” in the nearby forest. Our walk will include the 2.5 km “Chemin du Philosophe” the website of which is below.

  

   http://cheminphilo.pagesperso-orange.fr/index_fichiers/brochure%20chemin%202009.pdf

Getting there:  We will take the 9:36 suburban train, destination PERSAN BEAUMONT, at the gare du Nord. We will get off at the station Bouffemont Moiselles, zone 5.  At 10:06. Our hike will be a loop starting and ending in Bouffemont. The suburban trains at the Gare du Nord are in a separate section (called “surface”) from the long distance trains (grandes lignes) and are located to the far right of the station. We will meet at the head of the quai and sit in the first car from the quai. 

Return trains: from Bouffemont every 15 min.: 15:57, 16:11, 16:27, 16:42.

You will need a picnic lunch, good walking shoes (muddy spots) and just in case, rain gear!

If you wish to be informed of any eventual changes or cancellation you can leave your contact information with me. mlfich@yahoo.com 

01 47 41 98 20 and 06 70 88 18 59

See you Wednesday!

Mary Lynne

In Montmorency Forest, the château de la Chasse

Wednesday 16 February at Isle Adam

Isle-Adam, the church of St Martin

Next Wednesday, the 16th, Daniel Perot will lead us in the Forest of L'Isle-Adam in the department of the Val d'Oise (95), hunting grounds of Philippe le Bel, and a jousting ground for François I. Passing successively to the Montmorency, the Condés and then to the Conti in the 17^th c., the Conti princes engaged Le Nôtre to design and create long, straight alleys and intersections for their grand passion – hunting. After the revolution the forest became the property of the state. Here is Daniel’s information:

I propose a walk in the forest of Isle Adam. It has been quite a while since we were last there. After crossing the pont de Cabouille we'll pay a visit to the interesting church of St Martin before setting out for the Chinese Pavillion of Cassan, an 18th-century "folly" supposedly designed by Fragonard. With a thought to the Chinese New Year.

Pour mercredi prochain, je propose une rando dans la forêt de l'Isle-Adam. Il y a un certain temps que nous n'avons pas été à cet endroit. Après avoir traversé the Pont de Cabouille, nous allons visiter  l'intéressante église Saint-Martin, et d'aller à la recherche du "Pavillon chinois", une folie du 18eme, dessinée semble t-il, par le peintre Fragonard. Un clin d'œil aù Noùvel An chinois.

We may also visit an enormous 500 year old oak tree, la table de Cassan, le Poteau de la Tour and the Pierre Plate.   

Getting there: Paris gare du Nord (surface), 10:13.

Train POVA. Arrival at Isle-Adam-Parmain (zone 5) 11:08.

We'll meet at the beginning of the platform.

Return: Gare de l'Isle-Adam, 16:45. Arrive in Paris 17:34.
No earlier train. Il n'y a pas de train plùs tôt.

Bring your lunch, water and hiking equipment
The walk will last about 4 hours, 16 kilometres.

Looking forward to seeing you.

If you wish to be informed of any eventual changes or cancellations, please give Daniel your cell phone if you have one, home phone if not.

09 50 56 65 26
01 45 90 65 26.

Mobile  (only the day of the walk): 06 99 20 70 79.
Email:  daniel.perot@free.fr

The Chinese Pavilion at Cassan

Wednesday 9 February, three parks on the Seine

26 people came on today's walk

Hello all IdF walkers -

Next Wednesday - February 9 -  if you'd like to come along for a three hour hike along the Seine, meet me in the RER C station "Javel" at the Pont de Mirabeau. The Metro Station "Javel Andre Citroen" is on the other side of the street. I will wait for you from 9.45 AM. We'll start walking at 10 AM.

The walk leads us across at least three parks: Parc Andre Citroen, Parc des Sports and the Parc de l'Europe on the Ile de St. Germain. At 13.30 we will reach the Pont de St. Cloud at Boulogne-Billancourt which is the end of the walk.

We can have lunch in a Bistro and if you are interested, let me know and I'll reserve a larger table.  (Mdavidault@gmail.com)

As always, be well equipped with the right shoes, protective clothes and have adequate water and a snack with you.

Best,
Martina

And please keep in mind:

The 'leaders' guide these walks purely as volunteers, with no commercial interest.  Therefore they assume no responsibility for any injury or inconvenience which may occur during the walk.

If you have a heart condition, difficulty walking, diabetes or any other condition which would make you unable to take a strenuous walk - again - it is on your own responsibility and judgement. You should be able to keep up with the group which will keep a medium speed.