The Parc naturel régional du Vexin français north-west of Paris is a super place for cycling – it's also on the Avenue Verte London to Paris bike route.
The parc sits just north-west of Paris.
Click to enlarge via Google Maps
The Parc naturel régional du Vexin français covers an enormous 71,000 hectares across the departments of Val d'Oise and Yvelines in the Île-de-France region of France.
The parc resembles a vast limestone plateau, surrounded by rivers with the Seine to the south, the Oise to the east, the Epte to the west, and Troesne Esches north. But there are also wooded hills, agricultural land and quaint villages with their traditional feel still in tact.
It's just north-west of Paris, meaning the Avenue Verte London to Paris bike route cuts through the parc; the Santiago de Compostela also passes through.
Cycling in the Parc naturel régional du Vexin français
Here's a nice little video (in French) showing some of the highlights.
Avenue verte Paris-Londres / Tronçon Parc... by PNR_Vexin_francais
The Avenue Verte has two route options between Gournay-en-Bray (in the Seine-Maritime) and Cergy-Pontoise (in Val d'Oise), and both branches pass through the Vexin. The route is in green on this map.
Click to enlarge or download from the official park site.
The 28km Epte Valley voie verte (detailed map here) follows an old railway line that connected Gasny to Gisors. The greenway travels towards the Seine along the valley of the Epte, the historic border between Normandy and the kingdom of France. The greenway is paved and features several picnic areas along the way. En route, visit the chateaux of Gisors and Dangu and the watermill at Fourges.
The map above is part of this brochure (in English) that the lovely people at the parc have sent me. It has lot of info about tourist facilities in the parc.
Click here for a larger version.
Click here to download the full map from the official parc site.
Bike hire (both leisure bikes and electic bikes) is available from various locations in the park. See here for details.
Accommodation in Paris and Picardy
