Grottes de Margot et de Rochefort (canyon de Saulges)

Thorigné-en-Charnie et Saint-Pierre-sur-Erve

The canyon of Saulges is a limestone gorge carved by the Erve, in Mayenne. Several caves there sheltered prehistoric people: the first traces date from 250,000 to 30,000 years ago, according to estimates. Mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, reindeer and cave bears left bones there. At Margot, a cave about 319 m long, visits were already made in the 18th century: the graffiti of the tourists of that time have been recorded there. But the walls yielded their engravings only between 2005 and 2007, although excavations there had resumed in 2002. One can make out a woolly rhinoceros, horses and birds, about 25,000 years old. At Rochefort, an iron staircase descends to a small underground lake, stalagmites, and a Solutrean layer in which an engraved plaquette of an ibex was found. The neighbouring cave Mayenne-Sciences, closed to the public, preserves painted mammoths and horses, engravings and finger marks in exceptional condition. The first excavators, in the 19th and 20th centuries, often took the finest pieces without noting the layers: present-day researchers are therefore going back over these spoil heaps.

Getting there: Paying guided visits in season; hours, prices and reservation not verified (Mayenne tourist office). The Margot cave is described as easy to access; that of Rochefort, with stairs and handrails, is not suitable for people with reduced mobility. The decorated cave Mayenne-Sciences is closed to the public. About 3 km from the oratoire Saint-Céneré (another entry).

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

Ambient sound