Take in two distinct atmospheres on this Scandibérique stage. Between Ermenonville and Gressy, you ride through vast cereal and sugar beet fields. From Gressy, you follow the towpath track beside the Canal de l’Ourcq, providing a narrow, distinctive setting, quite separate from the string of suburban towns of Tremblay, Villepinte and Sevran along the way. The route leads past La Poudrerie Forest Park, a green haven of 137 hectares, classed as a Natura 2000 area. After Sevran-Livry Forest Park, the route carries on towards Aulnay-sous-Bois, Bondy and Villemomble; along this stretch, the cycle path runs beside the broader section of the Canal de l’Ourcq, surrounded by urban parts.
Gradients and elevation
Slope breakdown
Road types
- Cycle path
- Routes reserved for cyclists and pedestrians (greenways, cycle tracks, towpaths), separated from cars for maximum safety.
- Shared road
- Quiet minor roads with little traffic (unless otherwise stated in the stage details). Shared with cars (stay alert).
- Not specified
- Data unavailable or being assessed. Please refer to the detailed stage description.
- Provisional
- Section on a road or cycle path awaiting better-quality facilities (see stage details).
Surface
- Smooth
- Asphalt, tarmac or smooth concrete. Optimal comfort.
- Rough
- Fine gravel, compacted stabilised surface or worn tarmac. Less comfortable, vibrations possible.
- Natural
- Dirt, grass, roots or stones. Under 5%: short sections with little impact. Higher percentage: route suited to mountain or gravel bikes only.
- Not specified
- Data unavailable or being assessed. Please refer to the detailed stage description.
The route
On minor roads between Ver-sur-Launette and Gressy, after which the Canal de l’Ourcq serves as your thread through the département, or county, of Seine-Saint-Denis just northeast of the French capital. The route crosses the suburban towns of Tremblay-en-France, Villepinte, Sevran, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Bondy and Villemomble. Specific EV3 signposting is in place up to Ver-sur-Launette.
Surfacing in parts smooth, in parts rough: compacted tracks and asphalt. A few stretches along rough farm tracks.
Link
To the Coulée Verte de l’Aqueduc de la Dhuis from the Parc de Sevran (via the GR14a hiking trail)
Trains
- Close to the route, Le Plessis-Belleville train station: regional TER trains Paris ⇄ Crépy-en-Valois
- Access to several fast crossrail line RER B stations serving Greater Paris between Villeparisis - Mitry-le-Neuf and Sevran
Don't miss
- Parc Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Ermenonville Forest
- The vestiges of the Poudrerie Nationale (an explosives factory built in 1867) in La Poudrerie Forest Park
