Arc-et-Senans. Freshness and mystery, at the source of the Lison

When the heat is beating down and the asphalt is steaming, there's a place that's pleasant to return to when you return home, with a mixture of impatience and gratitude. An hour from Besançon, in Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, the sources of the Lison, nestled between forest and cliff in Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne (Doubs), on the border of the Jura, offer much more than a shady spot: an escape from time, a mineral breath. The Lison is a karst resurgence, fed by the losses of several underground rivers.

The water emerges there, at the foot of a cavity in the limestone rock, with the quiet power of ancient things. It's one of the rare major resurgences in the Jura Massif: the Lison River springs here, formed underground, fed by the losses of several neighboring rivers. This surge, spectacular even in summer, has been classified as a natural site since 1912. And it's one of the very first in France. That's to say, it leaves its mark.

But beyond the painting, it's the impression of being at the heart of something immense, something before us, which both upsets and soothes. The waterfall rustles, the trees whisper, the walls trickle: everything here speaks the language of the world before us. The first visit to this very special place took place on a winter day, when one thinks nature is asleep. Yet, one is carried by the paths and their vegetation from the depths of time, reminding us that everything is a cycle and that spring would return.

The walk continues to the Sarrazine Cave and the Creux Billard, a dizzying chasm that seems to swallow the light. The family-friendly walk takes about an hour to complete the round trip to the spring. You can also visit the neighboring tool factory , a former tool factory now transformed into an eco-museum, to anchor this natural setting in the local artisanal history.

We think we know the sources of the Lison , and yet each visit reveals something else. A new path, a reflection, a different sound of water. It's a place to experience as much as to see, a great place to cool off during heatwaves, but above all a refuge for the soul, where something within us finally falls silent.