A week for water: 4 The Hedgehog River and the Waterfall of the Fan

It does sound a lot better in French - Le cours du Hérisson et la Cascade de l'Eventail.  The Jura, where the river and its magnificent waterfalls are to be found, is one of the four departments of the Franche-Comté in the east of France bordering Switzerland.

The Hérisson descends through the region in a series of 31 waterfalls.  There is a footpath alongside much of the way so that many of the falls and caves can be seen at close quarters.  The Eventail and the Grand Saut (Big Leap) are the highest and best known of the falls.  It used to be possible to walk behind the waters of the Grand Saut but due to falling rocks, this is now prohibited.

The valley is rich in natural beauty but rich in history too.  The constant and rapid water has served man since the Middle Ages when he took up residence along the river banks.  The natural power of the river has provided power for wheat and barley mills, sawmills, forges and factories until the 20th century.  Many of the place names in the region reflect this activity.

This is a relatively recent postcard, 2002, although I bought it in a large lot of much older used cards.