A caving experience on a ferrata-type route? Here's a highly original itinerary to discover in Dévoluy, by entering the Trou de la Tune and threading your way through a geological maze for an hour and a half by headlamp light. Itinerary 1 is the first loop, and you can follow it with itinerary 2, which is a little tougher, with a few more athletic but not too difficult sections. For caving novices, the most impressive thing is the underground atmosphere and the few holes you have to crawl through, head or feet first, fortunately over very short distances. In short, a unique via ferrata available to all, but not to the claustrophobic!
Dans les entrailles du Dévoluy
Technical summary
■ S tarting point: Superdévoluy, Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy, Hautes-Alpes (05)
■ Type of route: underground via ferrata ■ Direction: north-west
■ Length: 370 m
■ Vertical rise: +30 m / - 30m
■ Estimated total time: 1h30 for the 2 linked routes ■ Min and max altitude: 1555m m / 1585m
■ Equipment: excellent, 3 monkey bridges, 1 footbridge, 1 ladder
■ Equipment required: standard equipment, headlamp mandatory, mini rucksack
Difficulty: AD (route 1) / K2 then AD+ (route 2) / K2 then K3
Access to the place
Go to the Super-Dévoluy resort above Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy. Park at the entrance to the resort, in front of Chalets de Margot.
Itinerary description
Hiking to the start 20'
From the entrance to the Superdévoluy resort, in front of Chalets Margot, follow the signs for the via ferrata. You'll cross the chalets and then a road to follow a well-marked path that descends a little and then climbs up a large grassy slope to quickly find the entrance to the via ferrata on the right. Everything is very well signposted.
Course 45' à 1h30
The route is perfectly equipped from one end to the other, with rungs and lifelines, 3 monkey bridges and a footbridge. Once you've entered the hole, it's hard to keep track of which direction you're going in, and you soon get the impression that you're going round in circles, all the more so as at certain points the course passes under your feet or over your head, forming ascending or descending spirals. The only thing to follow is the lifeline, to make sure you don't go wrong.
The wet, muddy atmosphere and the many narrow passages make for slow, messy progress. Make sure you wear sturdy clothing and avoid carrying a rucksack, which can get in the way in the narrowest sections. Taller people will have more difficulty in the narrower sections. Of course, a headlamp is absolutely essential!
Route 1 (45' to 1h)
AD grade, in blue on the topo map, is basically a loop. It alternates between descending or climbing in holes, crossing small corridors and narrow passages. It ends with a monkey bridge and the footbridge above, followed by the narrowest passage of the via.
Itinerary 2 (1h30 including 1)
This is indicated at the end of route 1, before reaching the monkey bridge. It's rated D on the official topo, but we found it only slightly harder than route 1, so AD+. We then head off for a small additional loop with 2 more athletic passages to climb and unclimb caves. A small monkey bridge followed by a ladder will give access to the footbridge higher up for the first time. But before exiting, itinerary 2 will set off again to cross another monkey bridge and return to the point where itinerary 2 began.
We'll then have to cross the large monkey bridge, then the footbridge again, the narrowest passage before heading back up to the light!
Back
Return to the Chalets Margot parking lot via the same route as the outward journey.
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