Explo at the Grotte du Hibou: a hair-raising adventure!

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Our canoe outings

Emotion Canoë

Canoë Le Rozier - Rafting

Acroparc du Mas - Canoë - Stand up Paddle et Tubing

Aigue Vive canoe kayak

Le Randonneur - Canoë Kayak

A family discovery in micro-adventure mode!

This introductory walk is an opportunity to discover the underground world and its inhabitants…

A micro-adventure just 10 minutes from Millau town center!

Tsingy A La Cite De Pierres 024laetitia Raisin Robert

A micro-adventure to share together: a cani-rando version!

What we like to do in this Grotte du Hibou with Tsingy, my faithful companion:

play hide-and-seek in the cave’s various cavities and corridors
transform the place into a theater of light and shadow
a stick and we run, jump to take advantage of the cave’s rock relief, in 100% natural agility course mode
the challenge for my dog: watch the big bats but be careful, no touching, no barking!
Sit on the Grotto’s large porch to enjoy a moment listening to the birds and nature

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Next time, we’ll try the Grotte du Hibou in cani-trail mode!

I’ll let you discover Maguelonne’s experience exploring the Grotte du Hibou with her children.

Tsingy A La Cite De Pierres 014laetitia Raisin Robert

A "Grottuesque" afternoon

Discovering a cave around Millau, that’s the goal we set ourselves with a friend who came with her 8- and 10-year-old children for the February vacations. There are of course the well-known grottes de Dargilan or Aven Armand, but today it’s a much more intimate exploration that I’ve decided to offer them for the time of an afternoon snack, to introduce them to the discovery of the underground world.

Caving is something children generally love! In fact, my teenagers and my nieces and nephews, who are usually reluctant to go for a Sunday walk, decide to join us for this family outing.

With a name like that, the Hibou cave has plenty of surprises in store.

Quick access, 10 minutes from Millau

Ascent to the Pouncho d’Agast

At the confluence traffic circle, we take the Causse Noir road (D110) towards Montpellier-le-vieux. On this curvy climb, I’m tempted to stop every 100 meters and admire the spectacular view of Millau and the Viaduc de Millau. Never mind, we’ll take the photos on the way back down!

In the middle of the climb, we park our cars at the 5th hairpin.

There’s room for 2 or 3 vehicles. After checking that everyone is properly equipped with hiking boots, headlamps and helmets, water and the all-important snack, access to the cave is via a narrow path lined with box and oak trees. The path is steep, but easy to follow thanks to the markings on the trees.

Pouncho d’Agast means maple point in Occitan. At the very top, at the tip of the Causse Noir, a maple tree stood proudly amidst the pine trees.

The entrance to the cave, great!

After a lovely fifteen-minute climb and a few “Mom, when are we getting there!”, we catch sight of the foot of the Causse Noir cliffs. Another 2 or 3 stone and log steps and we’re there!

Two large porches, at the entrance and exit, corridors and more or less narrow gutters everywhere. We start by exploring all the nooks and crannies.

Inside, in the main corridor, we play at turning off lamps and our eyes gradually get used to the dim light.

Intrepid like children, I enjoy venturing out and exploring tunnels and windows, from top to bottom, on all fours or crawling, it’s a real discovery of the underground world.My friend, less at ease prefers to stay on the entrance porch to enjoy the calm and magic of the place.

An essential stopping-off point for runners in the Festival des Templiers, the Owl’s Cave means imminent arrival, often at night, after a long journey.

The bat room

Wearing helmets and headlamps, we make our way down the deepest corridor. We arrive in a room where we can easily stand. We look around. A few sleeping bats hang here and there. We don’t linger to disturb them.

A few more minutes of crawling and we’re back in familiar territory, in the main corridor between the two porches.

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Excavations inside the cave, notably by Louis Balsan in the 1930s, unearthed vast quantities of pottery, as well as human and animal bones. The finest pieces can be seen at the Musée Denys Puech in Rodez.

One last hide-and-seek before snack time

Now that every nook and cranny of the cave has been visited, the game of hide-and-seek can safely begin! Young and old have a great time, “Pierre-Feuille-Ciseaux” to see who starts counting… Here we go, 90 seconds, shouts and children’s games resound throughout the cave.

Total horizontal development of the cave is 40 meters. No risk of getting lost!

We need to think about heading back now. A quick snack before setting off again. We remain cautious on the descent, as the roots can also play tricks on us! A few photos and plenty of memories for this family outing really close to Millau.