Vallon de la Loue

The Loue is one of the most beautiful rivers of the Jura, and in the small town of Ornans it flows through a narrow, wooded valley between limestone cliffs that rise steeply above the roofs. Ornans lies about twenty-six kilometres south of Besançon, in the Franche-Comté, and its old houses stand directly on the river, with balconies and cellars hanging over the water, which has earned it the nickname of the little Venice of the Franche-Comté. Two old stone bridges link the banks, and the reflections of the colourful houses in the green water, especially in the morning, are what most visitors come to see.

The town is also the birthplace of Gustave Courbet, the leader of the Realist movement in French painting, who was born here in 1819 and used the valley as the subject of many works. His large painting A Burial at Ornans, finished in 1850, shows a funeral in the town and caused a scandal at the Paris Salon for its refusal to idealise ordinary people; it now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay. Courbet also painted the cliffs, the forests and the source of the Loue many times, and his work gave the valley a place in the history of art. The Musée Courbet, in a seventeenth-century house on the river, which belonged to his family, displays paintings, drawings and documents and gives a good idea of his link with the place. Twelve buildings in the town are listed or protected, including the church of Saint-Laurent with its sixteenth-century tower and old townhouses along the main street.

The river itself is the main attraction. The water is clear and cold, fed by springs and limestone, and it is popular with anglers, particularly for trout and grayling. Canoeists and kayakers paddle the stretches above and below Ornans, and the valley's cliffs offer rock climbing at several sites. Walkers can follow marked trails along the banks and through the woods, and cyclists use the roads that follow the river. A particular highlight is the source of the Loue, a short drive upstream near Ouhans and Mouthier-Haute-Pierre, where the river springs from a large cave at the foot of a cliff of around a hundred metres. The water here comes from underground channels in the limestone plateau, and the sight of a river emerging full-grown from the rock is one of the finest natural sights of the Jura. A walking trail of several kilometres connects the source with the village of Mouthier-Haute-Pierre.

The valley has an atmosphere that is at once wild and romantic, in contrast with the high plateaus around it, and the weather can be damp and cool, so bring a waterproof layer. There is no ticket for the valley itself, and the museums have their own opening times. Spring and autumn are especially fine, with mist rising from the water.

Ornans also offers a cultural centre, a castle ruin overlooking the town, the Parc de la Gare and local cheeses and sausages from the Doubs. The valley suits walkers, anglers, art lovers and photographers.