Goule de Foussoubie
La goule de Foussoubie is a 6-minute drive from Mas de la Fontenette, a magnificent farmhouse with heated swimming pool for holiday rental in the Gorges de l’Ardèche. It is the main entrance to a karstic network located in the communes of Vagnas, Labastide-de-Virac and Salavas, in the Ardèche. The network comprises more than 23 km of galleries with a vertical drop of 138 metres.
The Foussoubie chasm
The entrance to the chasm, located 1.5 km north-west of Labastide de Virac. It absorbs run-off water from a low-lying area of around 5 km2 in the communes of Vagnas, Labastide-de-Virac and Salavas. It discharges into the Ardèche via a vent located 800 m upstream of the Pont d’Arc, 3.4 km as the crow flies from the entrance. The cave is subject to severe Cevennes-type storms and regularly disappears in spectacular floods. The temporary stream flows into an open depression at the foot of a rocky bar. After two jumps, it rushes into the entrance gallery.
The entrance to the chasm is reserved for cavers.
Immediately after the bridge, turn right down into the meadow along the left bank of the stream. Follow its wooded edge for around 150 m. Only the bed of the stream is public land. This meadow is privately owned (Ferme de la Rochette). It is mown every spring for hay. At the end of the field, a steep path leads down to the stream bed. You can also continue a little further to the foot of the small cliff and slide down to the ledge immediately above the entrance to the cave. In wet weather, this slab can be very slippery.
The Devès de Virac cave
On the plateau is the Devès de Virac sinkhole, a gaping hole 4 x 3 m in diameter. It can be reached by a short footpath heading towards the plateau from the confluence of the Rieusset and Ardèche rivers. This path is shared at the start with the path to the upper vent of Foussoubie. This cave features a large vertical shaft 40 metres high, which has been filled in extensively. It contains the bones of many animals that probably fell to their deaths.
The Foussoubie vent
The Foussoubie flows into the Ardèche shortly before the Pont d’Arc and the start of the Ardèche gorges. From the concrete submersible bridge crossing the Rieussec, continue for about 200 m along the right bank of the Ardèche. To preserve the peace and quiet of campers, follow the beach until you pass the tennis courts. At the end of the beach, join the carriage road leading to the campsite. You will arrive at the end of this road. Turn right up the steep slope with a few steps. Continue along this path, which leads directly to the large mouth of l’Évent, passing in front of the cave-shelter of l’évent de Foussoubie.
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