The Highest Hill In The Paris Region Is A Waste Dump

The highest summit in the entire region of Ile-de-France - the region that Paris is in - is an old waste dump. So I waited for a beautiful snowy winter day and then went and climbed it.
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FURTHER RESEARCH
"La ville de Trappes est-elle dangereuse ?" ('Touche pas à mon poste !', C8/CANAL+)
• La ville de Trappes es...
History of the hill of Élancourt by M Stassinet (in French)
www.yvelines-environnement.org...
IMAGE CREDITS
Omar Sy - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Jamel Debbouze - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Nicolas Anelka - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Patrick Vieira - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Shy'm - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@AFAndersen]

Missed opportunity to call it "Hîll-de-France"

[@IroquoisPlissken]

I see you're a prudent man, you wear bright colors to be seen by the helicopters in case of mountain emergency rescue.

[@TheTimTraveller]

First rule of mountaineering!

[@liamdienemann8937]

I thought was first rule of mountaineering was "don't talk about mountaineering outside of mountaineering"

[@thorflot]

@@liamdienemann8937 Actually it is quite the opposite. Anyone who engages in any sort of outdoor activities are obliged to inform everyone they know about said activity and their benefits. ;)

[@outerheaven8797]

The second rule of mountaineering is always bring Kendal Mint cake 🤣

[@robertwilloughby8050]

@@outerheaven8797 True, our PE and Outward Bound teacher said you can't go wrong with Kendal Mint Cake and a few packets of peanuts!

[@kdisley]

_"[...] it's not just me calling this a mountain, it's the actual Olympics!"_ Although in fairness, calling the event "rubbish tip biking" probably wouldn't carry the same cachet...

[@Carewolf]

I though mountain bike referred to the bike and not the terrain ;P

[@renerpho]

Calling it "rubbish tip biking" would dramatically increase the chances that I would watch it. Who would want to miss such an event?

[@rreinehr1]

So you climbed a rubbish tip to look down on the French? Well played old chap... 😛

[@jpwillm5252]

En France, on sait décorer... :)

[@clairelevasseur9434]

J' aime votre humour, messieurs!!! 💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💙💜💙...

[@jpwillm5252]

@@clairelevasseur9434 Bonjour Claire, Est-ce que l'humour déplace des montagnes ? :-)

[@clairelevasseur9434]

Il fait bien plus...A mon point de vue!!!

[@jpwillm5252]

@@clairelevasseur9434 Avec de l'humour nous irons vers des sommets 8-)

[@__-cd9ug]

The overwhelming music paired with the underwhelming view from the top of the hill makes it quite.... whelming

[@Voyagerch75]

So it's basically a better looking version of the Beckton Alps.

[@effyleven]

Damn! Beaten to it again.

[@TheSam1902]

@@effyleven No one has ever skiied on Élancourt yet, unlike on Beckton :D

[@desanipt]

Oh, wow, I didn't know it was an artificial hill. Next, we need an ascent to the highest natural point in Île de France (I'm assuming it's not Montmartre).

[@xander1052]

I've looked around and I cannot find a hill in particular but near disneyland there is some land higher than Montmartre.

[@williamf.7655]

Actually, not Montmartre, but: "Les Buttes de Rosne" (butt = mound, smaller than hill) fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttes_de_Rosne?wprov=sfla1 But very complicated to join: you should arrived at Gare de Chars (transilien Ligne J), from St Lazare, no train leave between 8h06 to 10h25 in week! Oh no, i find another trip : RER a to Cergy Prefecture, and then bus Ceobus 95-12 up to Haravilliers, and then 5km of walk to buttes de Rosne! Tu viens quand tu veux bro!

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

Mont-Valérien, to the West, near Suresnes has a good view across Paris. It even sounds like a mountain.

[@carlosgaspar8447]

the same is true in berlin. the park near its center with some "rock climbing" was built from rubble collected after the war.

[@xander1052]

@@carlosgaspar8447 London is rather different, as it's highest hill is out in the rural parts of it's south east, and like Finland's highest mountain, is just a lower part of neighbouring Kent's highest hill.

[@katebygrave]

Was Tim’s Mum in the Life of Brian?

[@DAustinHorowitz]

6:40 I'm guessing someone missed their original train by being on the wrong platform? ;)

[@sixhundredandfive7123]

2B or not 2B.

[@SebastianAriza]

@@sixhundredandfive7123 Where the f is my station.

[@sixhundredandfive7123]

"F station"... are you trying to get to Queens?

[@FindecanorNotGmail]

I've done just that blunder on another train station ...

[@mikolasstrajt3874]

That platform 2B is one of the most evil things I have seen.

[@maniak1768]

This video brings back to life all those wonderful memories of those holidays that I spent in France as a kid with my parents before Google Maps or GPS was a thing. The numerous times when my dad thought that he had found a really secret road to a nice and unknown place not overrun by other tourists that turned out to be either a landfill or a nuclear power station. I miss those days.

[@rogerwilco2]

The best solution to find such places is to use tourist maps and guides from 20 years ago. My parents had bought some the first time they visited France, then spent a good decade living on another continent, and then after about 20 years we joined them as kids in visiting France again. But we still used the 20 year old maps and guides.

[@AntoineADubai]

It is indeed a former landfill, but in the 70s, the New City of Saint Quentin en Yvelines was built, and a lot of earth was removed as many, Many houses were being built. This addition of dirt from land prep made the hill grow to its final height. I remember seing trucks dumping dirt on it when I was young. It was not open to the public before a very long time.

[@TheTimTraveller]

...and no, this would not have qualified for the Mediocre Mountain Challenge :)

[@boriskourt]

aww

[@57thorns]

Not even if you lived in d'Elancourt and could just walk there?

[@runeodin7237]

Why not?

[@TheTimTraveller]

One of the MMC rules (which were admittedly very flexible) was that the hill should be natural - this one was entirely made by humans

[@danielaltmann8493]

I mean the view could have ... 🤣

[@kzonedd7718]

Today's 'Hallooo' has been chilled to perfection, and elevates the mood to above waste-dump levels. It is best paired with mashed potatoes and hot pea soup, while wrapped up warm and staying inside.

[@jrosenthal7111]

The highest point in the state of Berlin is also a product of waste disposal. It's called Arkenberge and sits 120 m above sea level. Only in 2015 measurements showed that it is taller than Teufelsberg (a product of the rubble of WWII). Artificial hills seem to be all to common in the vicinity of big flat cities.

[@wich1]

Same thing in Noord Brabant in the Netherlands, highest point is a former rubbish tip. They call it an estate now, lol. The highest point itself is called “Dak van Brabant” which means “Roof of Brabant”. The tip is at 62m. The highest natural point is a few dozen km to the south and is at 44m.

[@mixererunio1757]

Tallest "mountain" in Warsaw Szczęśliwicka Hill was made with rubble from that time Germans tried to conquer half of the world and thought that destroying whole city was a crucial part of it. Actually second tallest Moczydło Hill was created in similar fashion. I once made a bike trip to visit those "mountains" as well as others that also used to be waste dumps. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city. They're not tall, but are on different sides of the town and sight from them is always great.

[@cabos82]

Great video as always ! But I have to say Tim, growing up 25km from Montech, often driving close by Les Cabrils, and currently working as an urban planner working (among other things) on a better cycling link between Trappes station and Elancourt hill (for the Olymics and especially beyond), your last few videos have been quite surreal ! Feels like next vid is about to be at my gran's house or something :)

[@TheTimTraveller]

Haha, that's really weird Théo! I guess it's just one of those strange coincidences. Anyway, your gran's here and she says hi

[@cabos82]

@@TheTimTraveller Good to know ;)

[@ThreeRunHomer]

Speaking of mountains of trash ... the highest point in Virginia Beach (Virginia, USA) is Mount Trashmore, a former dump turned park.

[@OhThatEdit]

Ah yes, the snow! Snow is amazing :)

[@eliasenger6984]

It’s terrible

[@walterclements7968]

@@eliasenger6984 ok grumpy

[@eliasenger6984]

@@walterclements7968 trust me. I come from Norway and it’s 3 meters snow outside right now. I hate the cold.

[@walterclements7968]

@@eliasenger6984 sucks to hate snow when you live in Norway lol. I love it but we get it once or twice a year

[@eliasenger6984]

@@walterclements7968 Yeah... Thank you for understanding. Good luck with your life

[@roundel52]

Just have to comment on your Routemaster moquette mask. Love it.

[@RougeEric]

As I tell my girlfriend each time we miss our home metro stop at Saint Quentin en Yvelines: "It's a Trappes!!"

[@Gautier-cw9bu]

You're a genius

[@EasternBob622]

Tim, you are a treasure. In this shitty world, gone crazy, you’re a breath of sanity and civilization.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Generous use of the word "sanity" there, but thank you :)

[@_qwe_fk_1700]

Munich has a hill in the Olympia Park made out of debris from WW2

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

Oh my, the wonderful music as we approached the summit had me in tears...of laughter. Thanks Tim!

[@kattkatt744]

Edvard Grieg's 'Morning Mood' for anybody wondering

[@blubbsblabbs2245]

@@kattkatt744 It'll always be 'that song from Anno 1602' for me.

[@tomjoad1363]

@@kattkatt744 "Peer Gynt" to be precise.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Seeing Paris in the snow at the beginning was beautiful!

[@scanida5070]

We have something similar here in Germany. We call them „Halde“, they served the same purpose as those shown in the video.

[@compphysgeek]

and Halde Haniel being my personal favourite

[@starlinguk]

I'm looking out on one in the UK. When my house was built, it had a sea view, now it's got a former tip view.

[@Sofus.]

Is it not where Berlin 1.0 is buried.

[@Quark0611]

Halde Norddeutschlanf. The only one I know. Dong Open Air.

[@tekrunner987]

Wait, how many mountain bike Olympics do they think they're gonna have in Germany? 🤔

[@Welgeldiguniekalias]

This reminds me of the VAM hills in the Dutch province of Drenthe, which consist entirely of compost. They have a cycling route with gradients of up to 15%

[@tomjoad1363]

I love the use of Perer Gynt with the panorama of an urbanised landscape.

[@shiteguides]

So now we know shit doesn't roll downhill, it IS the hill

[@trains_worldwide]

Great video! I love climbing this hill (the real way up is more easy to find when there isn't any snow). It's nice to tell yourself that you are more elevated than the 12 million people around you. You didn't mention, that additionally to the Eiffel Tower, you can also see the tips of Montparnasse and some of the La Défense buildings on clear days.

[@MarkWadsworthYPP]

Series - all the hills built on rubbish dumps, like this or beckton Alps or Munich Olympia park or Berlin Schuttberge.

[@officialmcdeath]

VAM-Berg in Drenthe region of the Netherlands adds the odd metre in height every so often, as they're still adding rubbish to it - it also hosts cycling races \m/

[@chrissmith8773]

The thing I like the most about your videos is working out the piano music reference. “When you put it all together, what a lovely job”. I think you and I had very similar tastes in children’s TV.

[@pltechs]

Watching an Englishman make quirky travels in, and britishly humouring, my homeland while I’m stuck in Finland strikes the weirdest of chords in me. Needless to say: subscribed

[@harrywood6502]

So Hans Landa was wrong to laugh at Bridget von Hammersmark for having gone mountain climbing in Paris. She just was climbing a rubbish heap

[@BrunVoila]

Elancourt is my town !!! YEAH !!!! Once, in our lifes, we are popular !! XD

[@lauraketteridge324]

You are providing me with lovely little excursions during this time of Covid. This is appreciated. I love the details in the 'how to get here' and 'accessibility' sections. These are very thoughtful bits of information.

[@resterdebout57]

Greetings from Bremen, the highest point of which is also a dump, except active, therefore you really can't climb it.

[@niza4953]

This reminds me of a similar hill in Osnabrück where it stands on a disused rubbish dump and quarry!

[@blazbasic6694]

Sir, thank you very much for providing such quality and humorously content. I really enjoy in every video you make.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah cheers Blaž!

[@unlapras9365]

I wish you could make a video about La Défense and its secrets. Below ground there's a lot of hidden tunnels and abandoned spots, including a never-opened metro station. It's a gruyère as we say in France ! By the way, fun fact : the Grande Arche is not exactly paralele to the Arc de Triomphe because its foundations had to avoid several rail lines and highways.

[@GuntherSchmidl]

Your mom is Graham Chapman? I'm confused and envious.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

She sounded a lot like Tim to my failing ears.

[@mig25foxbat]

Surely Terry Jones?

[@TheCardiganR]

* mum

[@ThePixel1983]

Hey, you practically passed by my flat! I should go there too, taking the line L.

[@Disobeyedtoast]

"You are looking down at every Parisian." I already do that without being on a mountain.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

Wait a second. Sweeping generalizations are slippery downward slope no matter what direction they happen to slide. Choose your path wisely.

[@tonyvdb1359]

Why ?

[@florac1995]

@@geraldhenrickson7472 If whatever direction you go, it's downward, that means you are on the top of the mountain!

[@dontcheckmychanel]

I think we need a new genre for this kind of good video about a particularly mediocre subject. I suggest we start calling this "Nontent".

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

Perhaps "Consense"?

[@fredygump5578]

"Mountent?

[@MIKIEC71]

I know who Shy'm is! But, then my wife is French and we do tend to have an Anglo-French culture. Great video! How about one of the massive slag-heaps between Calais and Paris?

[@hatchsp]

Absolutely brilliant. Loved the music as you reached the summit. Well done!

[@tadeoguerrero7892]

THE SUBTITLES ON 4:59 🤣

[@MianCowell]

When you said "let's climb a mountain" my heart soared

[@ntsst3]

Love it! Always happy to see new content from you !

[@xander1890]

Loving the content Tim!

[@jomancao2341]

Love the humor and the nippy dig about looking down on Parisian for a change. Oh (Grieg?) music as you reach the summit is quite lovely too and dramatic. Thank you I do like your channel a lot. Cheers from Aus.

[@newbeginnings8566]

Great Tim.. Keep them coming.. Love your mini, abstract adventures..

[@ErelH]

We have a similar hill in the Tel Aviv region, it's called "Hiriya". A few years ago they've turned it to a park and they are expanding it with lakes and more greenery and there's even a plan to add a metro station just to serve the park

[@ronvanhee]

< i think i worked on a design for that park years ago for a belgian artist / that particular design was not witheld i'm sad to say >

[@fredrickzoller6772]

As a Frenchman, I’m pretty sure you have visited more places in France than me lol

[@carmelite34]

Grave! Il me fait découvrir des trucs alors que je suis née et j'ai grandi en Île-de-France. 😂

[@fredrickzoller6772]

@XDranzer000 less times, more responsibilities... when we want to travel, we go abroad and not in Luzarches lol 😂 And, personally I’d rather go far far away from my hometown than in Paris.

[@piepiedk8678]

You should do a video on the "Tour du Buisson", a quite nice looking tower lost in the woods not so far from Paris

[@spadekade3983]

Oh, I love your voice! And your humour!

[@dahvyee]

I really appreciate the work put into the subtitles. Whether it be you or some viewer, thanks!

[@bergschoorsteen]

i really like your channel, right to the point and very informative. I gonna use it in my trip planning Thanks and keep it up

[@Psychlist1972]

I love that Tim brought back Terry Jones as his mum.

[@josephranker5716]

Always fun and informative, in your special way.. Thanks

[@drxym]

Rome has a hill which is basically a dump too, made up from smashed up bits of pottery from amphoras during antiquity.

[@EtoileLion]

Someone had fun with the closed captioning... hehe.

[@ABRouleauville]

For anyone who missed it, see 5:03 +

[@turingmachine4617]

This is what we come for, the drama, the inspiration, and someone taking it all down a peg.

[@turingmachine4617]

@@ABRouleauville thx for clue

[@henkbarnard1553]

I was hoping that the dump glowed in the dark. Snow is nice though.

[@domundtgregor6683]

sorry, this is not Springfield from the Simpson's

[@peronik349]

if you are looking for oddities in "Île de France" then the town of JANVRY (Essonne) seems to be a good choice in fact, when the weather permits, this town opens its ski resort in winter

[@rkuzmic]

I'm so pleased you picked Grieg to score your mountain adventures.

[@carmelite34]

Es-tu déjà allé à Sannois dans le Val d'Oise? Il y a aussi un beau panorama tout en haut de la rue du cimetière. Tu peux voir la Tour Eiffel et Montmartre 😉

[@tretbootpilot]

It’s a Trappe!

[@amiscellaneoushuman3516]

So, Trappes is basically the french version of Slough if Slough produced famous people?

[@pierrethetrex6106]

As someone with friends in Slough and Trappes, I think that's pretty accurate

[@davidjones332]

I once stayed in a hotel at Trappes. I found the traffic lights outside quite exciting, but there wasn't anything else to recommend it.

[@danaitch4095]

ah, Friday night, state side, and a Tim Traveller to watch! Sweet. They always seem so short... Time to go re-watch some others again.

[@kmw4359]

Love the music choice and editing. Thanks for the view! I lived in Paris for a short while and had no idea that was there.

[@watson956]

A new Tim Traveller AND a new Jago Hazzard video loaded on the same morning! It's gonna be a good day........

[@nleak92]

Ah Paris’ answer to the Beckton Alps

[@HeartlandTuber]

I grew up in a small town in Alabama, USA seventy years ago. The highest point we could climb was an artificial hill that was waste from coal mining operations in the area, just south of the little town. I just got on Google Maps. It looks like they have built a modern elementary school on top of the area were the massive dump of rubble from mining was.Thanks for another fine video.

[@MrMarkusmulder]

Thanks for the information 🙂

[@mattplumridge8217]

Brilliant Tim. Just brilliant.

[@brunobailly7013]

My initial thought in the first moment was : "Sans déconner... QUI irait foutre les pieds à la colline d'Elancourt ?!" LOL I love how this man goes to places where french people would absolutely NEVER think of going to WILLINGLY... And actually manages to make it look entertaining and (almost) fun ! That's it... I'm suscribing to this channel. Bravo mec !

[@andyjay729]

Paris may not be famous for alpine scenery, but the one time I was there (almost 20 years ago now), one thing that made an impression on me from the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe is how the city seems to be in a natural bowl, surrounded by small hills. And going from the city to Versailles by train (at least via one route) you pass through a tunnel (not to be confused with the tunnel under the city leaving the station), which implies hilly terrain.

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Cheers Simon!

[@MarkMcCluney]

The Bitsa' theme! Excellent! Remember the heavy metal version they had for a while? Yours is good too, of course.

[@starlittardis2049]

I really enjoy the way you use music.

[@HarambeTheHutt]

Good stuff!

[@ianoliver3879]

Very nice. Thank you.

[@varioustoxins]

If it’s not been said: he’s not the messiah, he’s just a very naughty Tim the Traveller

[@onlycompetitions5083]

I wasn’t going to mention it, however, the thing about this video that really impressed me, is that you have a London Transport Museum face mask!

[@NathanRae]

I think this is one of my favourite channels on KZbin.

[@tbj1972]

Great video 👍

[@MasterCrest]

Hell yeah another video about a vaguely interesting place in Tim's relative vicinity

[@unlapras9365]

I've been living in Paris for 15 years and yet I didn't even know there was a hill in Élancourt 😅 Amazing video, as always !

[@Rodinj10]

Yay a new video! I recently discovered your channel and have been binging a lot of your videos! Have you ever thought about starting a Patreon or something like that? I'd love to support you!

[@rohannock]

Once again bravo to you Sir !

[@ColinHarvey78]

Good tip about platform 2b - very logical...

[@RegebroRepairs]

Oh, you know exactly where to go and take pics of Paris in the snow. So pretty!

[@FARBerserker]

that last jab at the parisians was just tres magnifique!

[@willneverforgets3341]

I used to live in Garches (92), and while the whole île de france is quite flat, where I lived it was actually quite hilly. :-). I ran a couple of times up to Mt Valérien (Surèsnes)

[@zeos386sx]

There is something very poetic about the olympics using a dump for the mountain biking event.

[@loupmendes3223]

J'adore tes vidéos

[@darthrizzen9349]

Thanks for another hilarious video! 👍 Funny thing is, I lived very close to Trappes until 2018 and never even knew about it. You perfectly captured the charming surroundings and lovely ZA de Trappes-Elancourt. 🤣

[@xtofduurr]

Hello and bonjour Tim Traveller. Since you are in Paris these days, here is a suggestion for a nice post. There is this station Fontainbleau Foret. It is an "arrêt technique". You can only get off the train, not on, and you are really in the middle of the forest. I went there sometimes and am always "verzaubert" (don't know how to say in english). And thank you for all your videos. Now that we cannot travel, I really enjoy them.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ooh interesting! That looks worth investigating. I'll add it to the to-do list. Thank you!

[@00Zy99]

A couple of things to say: 1) Where are the bridge at 00:25 and the hill at 00:28? 2) That vista actually IS worthy of that reveal music. At least in my opinion.

[@SeverityOne]

In Malta, we have Magħtab Hill, which is -you guessed it- a landfill, offering majestic views of the Mediterranean from its top - if you were daft enough to go there. Literally everything and anything was dumped there, including stuff that should have never found its way into a landfill. In fact, closing it down was a requirement before Malta could join the European Union. Incidentally, there's also an interesting acoustic mirror, built by the RAF.