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Sacred caveManche

Fosse Arthour

Saint-Georges-de-Rouelley

Dimensions
Gorge (cluse) cut into Armorican sandstone, with a drop of around 70 metres, between 150 and 220 m altitude
Period
Geological formation of the Armorican Massif; site worked as a quarry until the early 20th century
What stands there
1 natural site

The Fosse Arthour is a gorge (cluse) with a drop of around 70 metres, cut into Armorican sandstone by the river Sonce, on the boundary between Manche and Orne, within the Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park. The site is home to rare flora, including Killarney fern and Dorset heath, as well as protected fauna such as the Purple Emperor butterfly, the kingfisher and the black woodpecker. A cave on the site, known as the 'Chambre de la Reine Guenièvre' ('Queen Guinevere's Chamber'), is said to have served as a refuge for Chouans and highwaymen during the revolutionary troubles.

Further reading

Getting there : Listed natural site since 1994 (27 hectares) and type 1 ZNIEFF (41 hectares), free access via waymarked trails (including the GR22)

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

See it on the map OpenStreetMap Directions

Ambient sound

Fosse Arthour
Xfigpower · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Nearby

In the same department

All places — Manche (15).