Nature reveries, explore the wonders around us
The Loue Valley: between nature and legends
There’s a valley where the water sings, the stone speaks and every wind carries a whisper of yesteryear. The Vallée de la Loue is a natural setting shaped by time and stories. Its landscapes, sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, seem to retain the memory of the men who have trodden them. Here, nature is alive, silence has a voice, and every path leads to a story.
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On the signposted paths that wind between forests and cliffs, walkers become explorers. On foot, by bike, or carried along by the current in a canoe, everyone traces their own legend. The more adventurous venture onto climbing walls, into deep caves where echoes still tell of souls from the past, or hang from via ferrata, between heaven and earth.
A land of history and memory
If you take the time to listen to the valley, it will reveal its secrets. Every stone, every fountain, every steeple tells of a fragment of the Doubs and Jura, lands of tradition and ancient know-how.
Museums here are like open grimoires: the Musée du Costume Comtois, the Musée de la Vigne et de la Fromagerie, and the Musée Gustave Courbet in Ornans, where the master’s paintings still seem to vibrate with the breath of the Loue. Here, art and nature intermingle, as if they have always spoken the same language.
The Doubs and Jura jewels
Beyond the hills and valleys, other wonders lie in wait. The UNESCO-listed city of Besançon stands proudly, guarded by Vauban’s Citadelle. Its museums, clocks and ramparts tell the story of a thousand years of history. And even further afield, the roads of Franche-Comté reveal a wealth of treasures: the Salines Royales d’Arc-et-Senans, the Château de Joux where knights and legends lie dormant, the Grottes d’Osselle, the Taillanderie de Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, or the medieval town of Nozeroy, frozen in time.
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Here, mountains shelter sparkling waterfalls, lakes reflect the Jura sky, and the vines of “vin jaune” and “vin de paille” spread a perfume of eternity.
The Comtois spirit
And when evening falls over the valley and the reflections of the Loue River fade, the motto that has been passed down for centuries remains in the air: “Comtois, rends-toi? Nenni ma foi! For in these lands of character, the soul is free, proud and deeply attached to its legend.
You can also discover
Dinozoo prehistoric park, Gouffre de Poudrey 15mn from Ornans ;
Musée des Maisons Comtoises in Nancray, 20 minutes from Ornans;
Le Saut du Doubs 40 minutes from Ornans ;
Pays d’Ornans Loue Lison Tourist Office: 03 81 62 21 50 ;
Association les Plantes Compagnes (Montgesoye);
Association Marché from Ornans ;
Le Hameau du fromage in Cléron ;
Les Clarines comtoises, products from Franche Comté (Tuesday market) ;
Fishing guide Yves Faillenet (Ornans) ;
Musée de l’Horlogerie from Morteau ;
La ferme du Poussin (Merey sous Montrond);
Parc de loisirs les Campaines (Accolans) ;
