From Cambridge University Caving Club - CUCC wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Ardeche Caves and Potholes)
(Ardeche Caves and Potholes: Updated years to include 2013, 14, 15)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
==Ardeche Caves and Potholes==
 
==Ardeche Caves and Potholes==
  
CUCC have held at least six trips (in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012) to the Ardèche region in the south of France, which affords many fine caving trips. Unfortunately, the main guidebook Speleo Sportive en Ardèche is often of limited use (but well worth getting hold of) and many of the holes can be hard to find. As a result, on the two most recent trips CUCC members started to create an archive of useful information about caves in the area.
+
CUCC have held at least nine trips (in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) to the Ardèche region in the south of France, which affords many fine caving trips. Unfortunately, the main guidebook Speleo Sportive en Ardèche is often of limited use (but well worth getting hold of) and many of the holes can be hard to find. As a result, on the two most recent trips CUCC members started to create an archive of useful information about caves in the area.
  
 
The archive is published here so as to be useful to others: you use the information at your own risk. As a point of advice, when caving in the area two things are worth watching out for:
 
The archive is published here so as to be useful to others: you use the information at your own risk. As a point of advice, when caving in the area two things are worth watching out for:

Revision as of 22:23, 6 October 2015

Ardeche Caves and Potholes

CUCC have held at least nine trips (in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) to the Ardèche region in the south of France, which affords many fine caving trips. Unfortunately, the main guidebook Speleo Sportive en Ardèche is often of limited use (but well worth getting hold of) and many of the holes can be hard to find. As a result, on the two most recent trips CUCC members started to create an archive of useful information about caves in the area.

The archive is published here so as to be useful to others: you use the information at your own risk. As a point of advice, when caving in the area two things are worth watching out for:

  • Unsound belays. Remember that the majority of caves in the area are bolted with copious Spits of varying quality, although resin anchors are starting to appear. Great care should be taken when rigging to use sufficiently many bolts of an acceptable quality.
  • High levels of carbon dioxide. These are present in a fair number of the caves, especially vertical potholes with little ventilation at the bottom.

The caves in the area are warm and you will likely want to wear significantly less than you might for a UK trip.

The descriptions below vary from virtually non-existent to quite detailed. There may well be inaccuracies or factual errors. Please contact Mark (mark at [spamtastic] three-tuns.net) if you have comments or suggested updates. Some more updates are likely in due course.

More updates, arising from recent trips, will be added as soon as time permits.

All descriptions are copyright © 2003, Mark Shinwell and David Loeffler.

List of Featured Caves