Ardèche

Ardeche Caves and Potholes

CUCC have held five trips (in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007) 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

• Grotte du Barry
  
• Grotte de Bunis
  
• Aven du Cadet
  
• Aven Centura
  
• Fontaine de Champclos
  
• Grotte des Châtaigniers
  
• Aven de Chazot
  
• Aven de Chenivesse
  
• Aven de la Chèvre
  
• Aven de la Combe Rajeau
  
• Aven de Courtinen
  
• Aven Faux Marzal
  
• Aven de Fontlongue
  
• Goule de Foussoubie
  
• Aven de Gauthier
  
• Aven du Grand Badingue
  
• Aven du Marteau
  
• Grotte du Mont Blanc
  
• Aven des Neuf Gorges
  
• Aven de Noel
  
• Event de Perejal
  
• Aven Reynaud
  
• Aven Richard
  
• Aven de Rosa
  
• Aven de la Rouveyrette
  
• Grotte de St. Marcel (includes Aven Déspeysse)
  
• Aven du Varade
  
• Aven de la Vigne Close