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Index of Ardeche Caves

Aven de Agas Grotte du Barry Aven de Bunis Aven du Camilie 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 Grotte de la Cotepatiere Dragonniere Grotte du Derocs Aven Faux Marzal Aven de Fontlongue Goule de Foussoubie Aven de Gauthier Aven du Grand Badingue Aven Gregoire Aven du Marteau Aven du Mont Blanc Aven des Neuf Gorges Aven du Noel Aven des Pebres Event de Peyrejal Aven Reynaud Aven Richard Aven de Rochas Aven de Rosa Aven de la Rouveyrette Grotte de St. Marcel Aven Déspeysse Aven du Varade Aven de la Vigne Close


Grotte des Châtaigniers

How to find it

From Vallon Pont d'Arc, follow the Ardèche gorge road (D290) eastwards, passing through the tunnels. After a while, the road bends to the left next to an Aubèrge and a grassy area, and then round to the right where, on the right, there is a large parking area next to a snack bar "le Grillade". (If you reach the point affording a good view of the east side of the arch, you have gone too far.) Directly behind the snack bar, a path leads steeply up the hill (leftward, as you look at the hill), arriving at the cave entrance - a vertical slot with a few (unnecessary) spits at the base of an outcrop - after a few minutes.

There are many paths on this hill - some going up to the viewpoint on top (to look down on the arch), and indeed the path over the arch commences here. It is easy to miss the one with the cave - you should not have to ascend very much - 20m vertical at most. Any more than 20m, and you are not on the right path.

Description

See Speleo Sportive en Ardèche. Be prepared for a bit of mud. One doesn't need to rig the P11 for the normal trip; however, the E10 (10m climb) marked in the book as leading to the rest of the cave is very difficult to ascend when not pre-rigged - two trips have been stopped by this already. The 2005 trip made it up the climb on rigged rope (indeed the whole cave was rigged), but wibbled at the traverse at the top of the climb. It was rigged on 9mm, and a stout 10m 11mm belay would have been much more inspiring. While the way to do the traverse initially appears to consist of traversing _above_ the (fixed?) rope, standing on a downward sloping ledge, the correct height is 1.5m below the rope, using the afore mentioned ledge as a handhold. It remains rather exposed however...