Mountain Path

Sublime panoramas over the countryside of Bligny-sur-Ouche, mills and tourist railway, that's the trio offered by the mountain path. Here, the tranquility of the countryside before modernity reigns. The hedgerows trace lines that delimit the plots and small groves. It is a true haven for wildlife. So keep your eyes open!

(Female Voice: Béatrice BOURÉLY)

01. Bligny-sur-Ouche

Bligny sur Ouche... 2 minutes of pause. You will need more than that to appreciate this beautiful village nestled in the Valley of the Ouche. Peaceful Valley of the Ouche, in the heart of which we welcome you, especially on the mountain path. A trail of 10.7 km. The hiking loop encircles like a rampart, a micro valley of two square kilometers. This rampart is the mountain of Nuas. From the height, the panoramas are sublime over the countryside of Bligny-sur-Ouche, over the villages of Vic-des-Prés and Ecutigny. Bligny-sur-Ouche is therefore our starting point with its upper part dominated by the church and its lower part with its mills along the Ouche. The link between the two is the imposing town hall built in 1837, which symbolizes at the time a prosperous city where exchanges are important. It is therefore not surprising to find on this circuit a whole heritage related to travel and transportation. At the forefront is the former post relay of the Three Pheasants. Dear to the inhabitants of Bligny, its name proudly written in Gothic letters on the facade above the carriage door, aptly named in such places. A little further on, the level crossing keeper's house and the neighboring metal footbridge discreetly evoke the railway line Epinac - Pont d'Ouche closed in 1968. From this line, the fourth established in France between 1829 and 1835, the Bligny - Pont d'Ouche section has been recreated for the circulation of the tourist railway of the Valley of the Ouche inaugurated in the summer of 1978. This railway constitutes one of the important tourist assets of this corner of Côte-d'Or. Unrelated to travel but rather a witness to sedentary life, another heritage is encountered after the bridge over the Ouche. Recently renovated, visit the laundry with its roof slanted towards the washing basin. In the center of the hamlet, the well is topped with a cross erected in 1750 by a certain "de Gagniard, bourgeois of Bligny." It is now located on Jonquilles street, a name recently assigned by necessity to identify the streets of the villages and hamlets. Inspired by the local flora, this pretty name might not have been chosen in the past when the cultivation of hemp dominated all around Bligny where a museum traces the history of this plant and its various uses. Don't hesitate if you feel like it and safe travels.

02. The Valley of the Ouche

Quickly, the path climbs the mountain winding amid witness mounds that form four hills. The presence of Montot (464m), the Chatelets (471m), En Cruot (502m), and La Planaise (402m) reminds us of the distant marine past of the region and the effects of millions of years of erosion on the lower Jurassic marls that make up the subsoil. The ascent will be tough, but it should be appreciated. Take a few breaks to observe the peaks of the Morvan to the east, just over thirty kilometers away. This green and humid region literally contrasts with the typical limestone landscape of the upper Valley of the Ouche. The granitic soils that dominate the Morvan offer two famous summits: Mont Beuvray and Haut Folin, measuring 900 and 821 meters respectively. Just after point 3, to your right opens a small green backdrop shaped by a tributary of the Ouche which flows intermittently at the bottom of the depression. The valley you have before you is truly isolated. Surrounded by walls a hundred meters high, only cattle ranching is possible here. A little barely drivable road, however, allows access. Far from the roadways serving Bligny-sur-Ouche, the tranquility of the countryside before modernity reigns here. The hedgerows trace lines that delimit the plots and small groves thicken the lines in some places. It is a true haven for wildlife. Keep your eyes open!

03. The Mountain of Nuas

Just a little more courage. Soon the reward for you. Before arriving at Nuas, the vegetation becomes drier and you can clearly perceive that you have reached a plateau. You have arrived on the Bajocian limestone. Without perhaps knowing it, you have just crossed the boundary between two geological levels dated -175 million years by passing from the lower Jurassic (marls) to the middle Jurassic (limestone). In just a few leaps, you have crossed millions of years of Earth's evolution. More resistant to erosion than the marls just climbed, it is this limestone that gives existence to the mountain of Nuas and the other witness hills of the area. To your left, before reaching Nuas, other witness hills rise in the landscape. The main hill called “above the crais” evokes the nature of the soil at the top of the hill. The term “crais” often used in the region refers to poor, stony soils. Once on the mountain, you can catch your breath. Especially enjoy the landscape before descending towards the Ouche and civilization. For the more attentive, some rocky outcrops will be noticeable during the descent allowing you to appreciate the texture and color and maybe even a fossil of this Bajocian limestone.

04. A well-preserved train

We talked about it at the start of the walk, enthusiasts have worked for nearly 40 years to reopen a railway line between Bligny and Pont d'Ouche. Today, it welcomes the tourist train of the Valley of the Ouche inaugurated in the summer of 1978. An ideal occasion to admire the station of Bligny-sur-Ouche. The passenger building built in 1905 is remarkable with its characteristic PLM style (Paris Lyon Méditerranée). Arched lintel windows, blue enamel signs with white letters identifying the different spaces, large clock and altitude engraved on the southern angle wonderfully recall a recent past. Only the glass roof attached to this building is missing to completely retrieve the original atmosphere also so present in the neat cabin of the toilets, an essential amenity when the carriages lacked them. Off to the side, according to the customs of the PLM company, the goods hall no longer experiences any transloading. Beyond, however, two recent hangars make up the depot of rolling stock including the Couillet 030 T 1586 steam locomotive from 1910 classified as a historical monument. Faithful to its original course, this railway takes the valley of the Ouche from Bligny to Pont-d'Ouche, the initial terminal of a line designed to transport coal from the Epinac mines to the barges navigating on the Burgundy canal. This circuit therefore finds the tracks at Oucherotte where it crosses them via a “level crossing without barrier or half-barrier” according to the regulatory road sign with its steam train silhouette. At the crossing or more accurately just before crossing the tracks, one can appreciate the quality of the masonry work channeling the stream under the railway embankment. And before departing and leaving the valley of the Ouche, we can only invite you to take a ride on the tourist train of the Valley of the Ouche. After the effort, comfort will come, and the pleasure this time of being driven!