Chemin de la Montagne
Sublime panoramas on the countryside of Bligny-sur-Ouche, mills and tourist railroad, it is the trio proposed by the path of the mountain. Here reigns the quietude of the countryside before modernity. The bocage traces lines that delimit the plots and small copses. It is a real haven of peace for the wild fauna. So open your eyes!
(Female voice : Béatrice BOURÉLY)
01. Bligny-sur-Ouche
Bligny sur Ouche... 2 minutes of stop. You will need more to appreciate this beautiful town nestled in the Ouche Valley. Peaceful Ouche Valley in the heart of which we welcome you and especially on the path of the Mountain. A path of 10 km 700. 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 on the countryside of Bligny-sur-Ouche, on 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 town where trade is important. It is therefore not surprising to find on this circuit a whole heritage linked to travel and transport. First of all, there is the old post office of the Trois Faisans. Dear to the inhabitants of Bligny, its name is proudly written in gothic letters on the façade above the porte cochère, so well named in such places. A little further on, the gatekeeper's house and the nearby metal footbridge discreetly evoke the Epinac - Pont d'Ouche railroad line, which was closed in 1968. Of this line, the fourth established in France between 1829 and 1835, the section Bligny - Pont d'Ouche was recreated for the circulation of the tourist railway of the valley of Ouche inaugurated in the summer of 1978. This railroad constitutes one of the important tourist assets of this corner of Côte-d'Or. Not related to travel but rather witnessing the sedentary life, another heritage is found after the bridge over the Ouche. Recently renovated, visit the wash house with its three-sided roof sloping towards the washing basin. In the center of the hamlet, the well is surmounted by a cross built in 1750 by a certain "de Gagniard, bourgeois de Bligny". It is now located on rue des Jonquilles, a name recently given to identify the streets of villages and hamlets. Inspired by the local flora, this pretty name might not have been chosen in the past when hemp cultivation dominated all around Bligny where a museum traces the history of this plant and its various uses. Don't hesitate if you are tempted and have a nice trip.
02. The valley of the Ouche
The path quickly climbs the mountain, winding through the middle of the mounds that form four mounds. The presence of the Montot (464m), the Chatelets (471m), En Cruot (502m) and La Planaise (402m) remind us of the distant marine past of the region and the effects of millions of years of erosion on the marls of the lower Jurassic which constitute the basement. The ascent will be tough, but it must be enjoyed. Take advantage of a few breaks to observe the summits of the Morvan due east, just over thirty kilometers away. This green and humid region literally contrasts with the typical limestone landscape of the upper Ouche valley. The granitic soils that dominate the Morvan offer two famous high points, Mont Beuvray and Haut Folin, respectively 900 and 821 meters. Just after point 3, on your right, a small green area opens up, undermined by a tributary of the Ouche which flows intermittently at the bottom of the depression. The valley you are looking at is really isolated. Surrounded by its hundred-meter high walls, only cattle breeding is possible. A small road, hardly passable, allows to penetrate it. Far from the main roads that serve Bligny-sur-Ouche, the quietness of the countryside before modernity reigns here. The bocage traces lines that delimit the plots and small copses thicken the line in some places. It is a true haven of peace for the wild fauna. Open your eyes !
03. The mountain of Nuas
A little more courage. Soon the reward for you. Before arriving at Nuas, the vegetation becomes drier and you clearly perceive that you have reached a plateau. You have arrived on the Bajocian limestone. Without knowing it, perhaps, you have just crossed the limit between two geological stages dated from -175 million years ago by passing from the lower Jurassic (marl) to the middle Jurassic (limestone). In a few steps, you have just crossed several million years of evolution of the earth. More resistant to erosion than the marls that have just been climbed, it is to this limestone that we owe the existence of the mountain of Nuas and the other witness mounds of the sector. On your left, moreover, before reaching Nuas, other witness mounds are erected in the landscape. The main mound called "dessus les crais" refers to the nature of the soil on top of the mound. The term "crais" is often used in the region to refer to poor and stony soils. Once on the mountain, you can breathe. Above all, enjoy the landscape before going back down towards the Ouche and civilization. For the most attentive, some rocky escarpments will be detectable during the descent allowing to appreciate the texture and the color and maybe even a fossil of these limestones of the Bajocien.
04. A well preserved train
As we mentioned at the beginning of the walk, some enthusiasts have worked nearly 40 years ago to reopen a railroad line between Bligny and Pont d'Ouche. Today, it welcomes the tourist train of the valley of Ouche inaugurated in summer 1978. This is the perfect opportunity to admire the station of Bligny-sur-Ouche. The passenger building built in 1905 is remarkable with its characteristic PLM (Paris Lyon Méditerranée) style. Bays with curved lintels, blue enamelled plates with white letters identifying the different spaces, a large clock and an engraved altitude on the south corner are a wonderful reminder of a past that is still close by. The only thing missing is the glass roof attached to this building to completely rediscover the original atmosphere, which is also present in the clean toilet shed, an indispensable convenience when the cars had none. The goods hall, which is not used by the PLM company, no longer has any transshipment facilities. Beyond it, on the other hand, two recent sheds constitute the rolling stock depot, including the 1910 Couillet 030 T 1586 steam locomotive, which is a listed historic monument. Faithful to its original route, this railroad follows the Ouche valley from Bligny to Pont-d'Ouche, the initial terminal of a line designed to transport coal from the mines of Epinac to the barges sailing on the Burgundy canal. This circuit thus finds the rails at Oucherotte where it crosses them by a "level crossing without barrier or half-barrier" according to the road sign with its steam train silhouette. At the crossing, or more precisely a little before the rails, one can appreciate the quality of the masonry work channeling the stream under the railroad embankment. And before leaving the Ouche Valley, we invite you to take a ride in the tourist train of the Ouche Valley. After the effort comes the comfort and the pleasure this time to let you drive!
