Résurgence et grotte de Clamouse (la clamousa)

Saint-Jean-de-Fos

At the entrance to the gorges of the Hérault, near Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, clear water gushes at the foot of the cliff: the resurgence of Clamouse. It comes from the causse du Larzac, through galleries that cavers from Montpellier forced in 1945, when a drought lowered the water level. The cave opened to the public in the 1960s. It has more than 3.7 kilometres of galleries, of which one kilometre can be visited. The waterfall of the resurgence long drove a mill, now in ruins. The name has its legend, which dates, says the tourist office, from ancient times. A very poor family lived in the gorges. The eldest, who had become a shepherd on the Larzac, sent his mother an object each month: a carved stick, thrown into a chasm of the causse, came out at the spring where she drew water. One night she saw there the body of her son appear, carried into the chasm with a lamb he wanted to give her. Mad with grief, she cried out every night at the spring: she was called ‘la clamousa’, the crier. The name is said to have then designated the spring and the cave.

Getting there: Guided visit only (about 1 h to 1 h 30), route de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (D 4), at Saint-Jean-de-Fos; free parking. Hours vary, about 10 am–5:30 pm in summer (to be checked); adult price €14.40 in 2023; not accessible to people with reduced mobility or to pushchairs. Coordinates of the entrance from OpenStreetMap.

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

Ambient sound