The BCA’s Youth and Development team have announced the availability of two grants of £500 to help groups of young cavers attend the 19th International Congress of Speleology being held this year in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. Applications are invited from groups of three or more young cavers who meet the following criteria: the groups…
The European Speleological Federation have just released their November 2020 newsletter including news about the 2021 International Year of Caves and Karst and the UIS Congress to be held in France in July 2021. You can download the English version from their website or simply read it below. The French version can be downloaded from…
It is impossible to either ignore or underrate this fine book, which is part of my triumvirate of classic cave writing dating from the 1950s, alongside Underground Adventure and Subterranean Climbers. Like many of its contemporary companions, the narrative relates how a group of adventure-seeking friends came together to explore caves and stumbled, almost by…
British archaeologist and researcher Dr Paul Bahn has recently discovered an engraving on the wall of the rock shelter of La Marche near Lussac-les-Châteaux in the Vienne region of France. The engraving, which appears to be the head of a bison, was found by Bahn during a visit to the rock shelter. The site, known…
Save the date! The Lot International Cave Diving Congress (LIDC) is taking place in Gramat, in the Lot region of France on 15, 16th and 17th September 2017. The team behind the congress are working hard to put together an interesting and exciting programme, as well as activities including guiding and access to sites, to…
The original Chauvet cave near the small town of Vallon Pont d’Arc in the Ardeche region of France was discovered on 18th December 1994 by three cavers, Eliette Brunel-Deschamps, Christian Hillaire, and Jean-Marie Chauvet. The cave is one of the most important prehistoric art sites in the world and it was granted World Heritage status…
Cavers from all Fédération Spéléologique Européenne member countries are invited to participate in the international event “BERGER 2017”, a clean up of the Gouffre Berger in France, taking place between 1st and 15th August 2017. More Information and details of how to register can be found here and ongoing information can be found at the Berger…
Lascaux IV was officially opened on 10th December 2016 by President Hollande of France, in a day of celebrations at the new Centre International de l’Art Pariétal in Montignac. The centre housing the replica cave opens its doors fully to the public on 15th December. The original cave was closed to the public for reasons…
New dating evidence has confirmed that Neanderthal man made their way deep into caves in France and created complex structures from broken stalagmites and stalactites. Bruniquel cave in the Tarn-et-Garonne region of southern France was discovered and first explored in 1990. A challenging 30m entrance series leads to larger, well-decorated passages containing animal bones and…
Having seen the weather reports from Britain’s caving areas, your intrepid correspondent was quite happy to be safely ensconced in the Dordogne region, with little wind, no frost & not much rain. Or so I thought until a short trip out showed that all the local rivers were bursting their banks in quite spectacular fashion….
