Between Marne and Therouanne

The Marne, the Therouanne, and the Ourcq canal flow at the footsteps of woody hills. The large wheel of the elevatory factory of Villers-les-Rigault, in use since the 19th century, is worth the trip.

This route is labelled and marked in yellow by the Seine-et-Marne Departmental Hiking Committee.


1) From the station, go right, then follow Rue de Trilport on the left. After the war memorial, turn right. Go down to the road and turn left. Cross the Marne and turn right. At the elevator factory, turn left, join the canal and follow it to the right until you reach the bridge.

2) Cross the canal, continue for 150m and turn left into the woods. Cross the canal, turn right and join a road. Take it to the right, cross the canal, turn left, then turn right.

3) At the T-junction, go left. At the cemetery, follow the road to the left, then turn right onto the towpath and reach the entrance to Varreddes.

4) Turn left onto the D405 and enter the village. Turn left, cross the D121 and continue until you reach a road junction.

5) Follow the road to the left, cross the Marne River, and after the bridge, go down a path to the left. In front of the war memorial, turn right onto Rue de l'Eglise. In front of the church, turn right, then left. Enter the woods, walk 150 meters, then turn right. Cross the D17, continue for 100 meters, and turn left once.

6) Turn left a second time, take Route de la Marche on the left and reach a crossroads. Almost make a U-turn to the right and cross the railway tracks. Turn left, then right onto Route de Sapajou and join Route de Gesvres.

7) Follow it to the left. At the edge of the woods, go down to the left. Before the level crossing, turn right twice, pass in front of Château des Bruyères, and continue straight on to the train station.