Grottes du Régulus

Meschers-sur-Gironde

Cut into the limestone cliffs overlooking the Gironde estuary, the Meschers grottoes were originally natural cavities, enlarged by human hands over the centuries. A refuge for Protestants during the Wars of Religion, they became genuine troglodyte dwellings in the 19th century, before drawing the first tourists of the Belle Époque. Their name comes from a naval drama: on the night of 7-8 April 1814, the French ship Régulus, commanded by Captain Jacques Mathieu Régnauld and hunted by the English fleet, was scuttled and set alight by its crew at the foot of the cliffs rather than surrender; the wreck is said to have burned for three days and three nights. The tour also brings back to life the legend of Cadet the wrecker, a plunderer of shipwrecks whose memory still haunts this coast, as well as the memory of the carrelet net fishermen, whose huts on stilts still punctuate the cliff. A municipal site redeveloped in 2022, with new displays, the Régulus grottoes welcome more than 90,000 visitors per season, who discover, between two spectacular openings onto the estuary, the geology, religious history and maritime traditions of the Saintonge region.

Getting there : 81 boulevard de la Falaise in Meschers-sur-Gironde, 12 km from Royan; guided tours from April to mid-November, booking on site only (adult approx. €8.70)

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

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