Grotte de la Diau: info required

underground

Active member
Is anyone able to provide any information on the Diau? Anything would be appreciated, particularly survey, tactics, tips on finding the entrance location!
A trip there is planned later this summer, and so far I have struggled to find anything (admittedly I've only been looking at the web).

Your help would be appreciated :D
 

Beardy

Member
Hi there

an excellent trip ! (we pulled through the trois betas to the diau)
book recomends at least 2 x 55m ropes & gives guide time of 12h

references

TSG Journal 15 - 1996
Caves & Caving no 58 - winter 92
Spelunca no 79
Spelunca no 4

or an excellent new (re-printed) book of 60 French through trips -
a travers le karst - available from expe in the vercors
(they also have a website ATLK)

that lot should see you on your way

Beardy
 

SamT

Moderator
So - following the loss of the other Diau thread - I thought I'd resurect this one from donkeys ago.

I'll just stick everything in this one post.

Description from the Eldon website...

Finding the Entrance
Parking at the Chalet de l'Anglette take the right-hand path which rises off the main track.
At the top of here the path is sign-posted straight on (Grotte l'Enfer) or right (Parmelan) - carry straight-on.
Shortly path goes down into a dip and up the other side of a wooded valley until turning sharply right around a 1.5m diameter pothole.
Continue on path as it rises and returns to heading SE until it reaches another signpost. Left is sign-posted Grotte l'Enfer. Straight on is sign-posted Parmelan. Go straight on.
Approx 50m after signpost turn left at the elbow bend.
(if you reach the vast Parmelan Plateau you have gone too far, turn back!)

Follow dry valley down on to limestone pavement (lapiaz).
from here either:
a) Follow a series of small cairns in generally SE direction for approx 800m until final steep decent to entrance (look for big red sign nailed to a tree).
or 
b) Follow map in TSG 15.
Good luck!


A picture of the entrance....

210316735_1233ef3e5e.jpg


the actual entrance is under the felled tree just in the foreground. a long length of tat - say 5m and an expendable krab are recommended to set up the first ab. (use the tree on the right of the picture).

the 1:25000 map of the plateau. bigger image available on www.flickr.com under my photos - sam_townsend

250018322_53e8cde0d8.jpg


Grid ref for Tanne du Belle espoir is 904.32 113.10 @ 1575m.

From my trip - I seem to remember that there were some pink/orange dots painted in a triangle to mark the way to the Trois Betas entrance. Follow these for most of the way untill your on the small pavement (lapiaz). The trois betas is somewhere over to the right - the T.D.B.E. is sort of dead ahead and down over the edge.
Dont bother following the huge yellow paint splats that bugger off to the left somewhe3re.

Good luck those that find it - and dont forget to take a GPS, record the entrance location - and post it up here.

Its a cracking trip.  8)
 
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