Cycling has its place in the state forests of Saint-Germain and Marly (Yvelines). The urban community of Saint-Germain-Boucles de Seine (CASGBS) and the national forest office (ONF) have just carried out 71 km of marked and secure trails which cross the two forest massifs from side to side. Nine routes have been designed to allow cyclists of all levels to venture on the paths without fear of losing theirs.
The achievement is in line with both the General States of the Forest launched in 2017 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye following the recurring question of wild deposits, and in the context of the development of soft routes by the agglo . A budget of 366,000 euros was allocated to the operation, 80% provided by CASGBS and 20% by the Office. The work, launched last year, consisted of pruning the edges of the paths, but also widening them where necessary and making them more “rolling” while preserving their natural character. Nearly 300 markers and around fifteen panels have also been placed.
A massif “which lends itself particularly well to it”
“The idea is to promote walks and the discovery of the forest, explains Michel Béal, the director of the Île-de-France Ouest agency of the ONF. These routes allow long crossings, to go to places where you might not have been, like the Etang du Corra. The forest of Saint-Germain lends itself particularly well to it, it is sufficiently flat. We are here on a leisure practice, family walks, with children. Not on a sports bike. It is in this state of mind that we imagined the loops”.
Each route is marked with a color: green, red, blue, pink, purple… The shortest routes – the Poissy circuit and the Saint-Germain-Poissy – are 3 km long. The longest – 15 km to cover – allows you to make a wide loop from East to West then head south in the heart of the massif. Another allows you to discover the Pavillon de la Muette, currently undergoing restoration. Note also this “3 stations” route which connects the two stations of Achères (Achères Ville and Grand Cormier) and that of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 10 km.
Two routes have also been developed in the Marly forest, both over a distance of 10 km. If one wants to be a “discovery” path, the other is announced more muscular. Important clarification, these nine routes now accessible in the two massifs are not cycle paths as such. “They are not exclusively reserved for cyclists, underlines the head of the ONF. It is up to them to pay attention to other users of the forest”, with pedestrians remaining the priority.
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