What awaits you in the caves of Presque

Located in the south of France, the Presque Caves are among the country's small natural wonders. Indeed, these caves attract tourists, and the surrounding communities have adapted to them. The Presque Caves are a group of caves in Saint-Médard-de-Presque, in the Lot department of France, near the Bretenoux campsite. Once you descend into the Presque Cave, you will be amazed by the interplay of colors, shapes, and light that nature has sculpted. Besides the concretions that cover the walls, the cave also features numerous stalagmite pillars, 45 to 50 cm high, some slender, others imposing, unique in southwestern France. Everything about it is harmonious. Fragile columns or robust pillars connect the vault to the floor and the drapery like stalagmites. Their undulating stems still seem visible in the darkness, swaying in the breeze of the steady air currents.

Discovery of the cave

In 1825, during the construction of the D673 road from Saint-Céré to Rocamadour, the entrance to an unknown complex was found.

It contains some large halls with very high stalactites, up to 10 m, and different types of colored calcite deposits. It was opened to the public in 1922.

Some 350 m of caves can be visited. In 2011, new caves were discovered, adding some 200m to the length of the caves and containing other large chambers up to 25m in diameter and 8m high.

There are aragonites in the cavities of this cave as well as geological formations such as gours, stalactites, stalagmites or anti-stalagmites.

History of the cave

Research began in 1953 when researchers wanted to explore the cave in search of river conduits. Indeed, the extreme humidity of the cave, the limestone deposits and the coloring of the walls suggest that a river conduit existed in this place. Unfortunately, for fear that the cave would collapse, the research was stopped. Work resumed in 1970 slowly following a small conduit.

With the advance of technology and drilling techniques, another room was discovered in 1998. Speleologists called it "the room of the star" because of the limestone stalactites which glow in the dark to form a starry ceiling. Indeed, there are several geological forms such as stalactites, stalagmites and fistulous.

To this day

With a slight draft as a clue, researchers continued exploring the cave from 2003 to 2007. In 2011, the river conduit was discovered, along with new passages estimated to extend for 200 meters. Furthermore, the existence of an underground suite was confirmed by speleologists, as well as a regular airflow. On May 14, 2011, members of the Saint-Céré Speleological Club confirmed these major discoveries.

You can explore the Presque caves during your stay at Camping la Bourgnatelle, located just 10 minutes from the tourist site.