Gisors is a Norman town that stands guard on the border with the Île-de-France. It lies on the Epte, the old border river, and its great castle, a motte-and-bailey fortress with a tall octagonal keep, was built by the Normans in the late eleventh century and strengthened by the kings of England, before it fell to the French king Philip Augustus in the twelfth. It was one of the key strongholds on the frontier, and the walls and keep still dominate the town. A local legend says that the Knights Templar hid treasure in the castle, and it has kept treasure hunters busy for generations, though nothing has been found.
The church of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, a large, richly decorated building that mixes Gothic and Renaissance styles, stands in the centre, and its richly carved facade is among the finest in the region. The town has about twelve thousand people, a market, a handful of restaurants and a pleasant, slightly sleepy feel. In the nearby village of Neaufles-Saint-Martin, the ruin of a huge round tower stands on a mound above the houses.
As a return gate, Gisors is practical: it has fuel, supermarkets and a railway station, and the road to Paris is clear. The route home follows the valley of the Epte and the plateau of the Vexin, a quiet, open landscape with a good surface and light traffic. The air smells of hay and warm stone in summer, and woodsmoke in autumn.
The riding in this region is relaxed and unhurried, with long views and not much to disturb you. The Lyons Forest, to the north, is among the finest beech forests in France, and the cliffs of the Seine, to the south, are a dramatic sight, which makes this a good place to turn for home with a sense of a day well spent.
A word of caution: fuel stations in the smaller villages can be few, so take advantage of Gisors before heading south. The temperature here can be several degrees colder than Paris in winter, and fog is common in the valleys.