This is one of the lovely surprises in southern Haute-Saône: a green valley with the River Ognon running through it, surrounded by wooded hills, fields and forests. This pretty valley in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park is separated from the Doubs Valley by the Chailluz Mountains.
It contains many typical villages: Pesmes, a listed site with its Renaissance houses and mansions; Marnay, with its old farms, winegrowers' houses and charming church; Montbozon, a floral village with beautiful houses from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, etc. The valley's villages all vie to be most charming, with their church bell towers decorated with mosaics, and their houses with sloping roofs in a red ochre colour. You can also admire the traditional Franche-Comté houses and many fountains and washhouses there.
The valley's moist habitat makes it popular with wildlife, with migrant birds and others species choosing to mate in this natural environment. When it comes to plants, there is an abundance of plants along the river, with reeds, rushes, elm groves that are renowned in the valley, buttercups and reed beds... This is an inviting place for a relaxing stroll to enjoy the varied and peaceful landscapes. The valley is a listed Natural Area of Ecological, Floristic and Faunistic Interest (ZNIEFF, Zone Naturelle d'Intérêt Écologique Faunistique et Floristique). This certification is awarded to rich and largely unchanged natural areas with significant biological potential.
You can go canoeing at the Saut de l'Ognon, a dam built on a narrow gorge, as well as at Villersexel water sports centre, where you should be sure to visit Grammont Castle, a 19th-century Historic Monument.
In autumn, the Ognon Valley Automobile Rally attracts motor racing fans to a circuit of around 115 kilometres.
