Tourtoirac

A trip to Tourtoirac today, a pretty little village on the edge of the Auvezere River.

The reason we were there was to visit the Grotte de Tourtoirac - a recently discovered cave within a couple of miles of the village.

Discovered in January 1995 by local resident Jean-Luc Sirieix, the grotte was opened to the public in 2010. Having made the initial discovery, he was keen to share it with some fellow cavers. The following week, Jean-Luc and 3 other intrepid explorers returned to the grotte... but tragedy struck, and only 2 returned. Jean-Luc was not one of them.

At the request of Jean-Luc's parents, the grotte became a tourism project and in our opinion, well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Inside you will see various stalagmites and stalactites, all artistically illuminated to reveal their beauty. The grotte also contains tiny twisted stalactites known as excentriques which develop into various shapes and sizes.

The village itself is lovely. We enjoyed coffe by the river and a walk up the main street. I imagine not much has changed in the last 50 years or so...

All in all a great day out!