Gouffre de Raymonde

This cave is found by driving up a winding narrow road from the Gite for a 2.7 miles to a car park called the “Fontaine de l'Ours” where we parked and got changed. It was quite misty but warmish and from the car park, we followed a winding rough track for a kilometre or so. Soon Keith and Boyd had pulled ahead and disappeared from view. Even though Keith, Boyd and Pete had walked up two days before, Pete wasn't very sure where you leave the track for some caves including the Gouffre de Raymonde. In addition, it was foggy.
We shouted out but got no reply. Pete thought perhaps we had missed a junction (there were some footpath shortcuts on some of the switch-backs and we weren't sure if we had passed a junction in the foggy conditions) so we retraced our steps until we were practically back at the car park.
By now Karen had had enough and took the car keys to get changed and wait. Pete and I set off again in the thickening fog to see if we could find the way. We returned to the bend where we had turned back before and as we approached the very next bend just a couple of hundred metres further on, we heard voices: Keith and Boyd.

One of our neighbours, the donkey!

The cave lay a short way off the track through rough ground and woods in a small doline next to another doline which had an old black T shirt dangling from a small tree. The entrance lay between some boulders and Keith started rigging the entrance pitch of about 30 metres. There were several old spit anchors in various places; some in good positions, some not.
I watched Keith, Boyd and Pete descend the pitch then started to head back as I thought Karen would be getting cold. It was warm enough as long as you were moving, but with the damp fog, you would soon get chilly if you remained still for long enough. I checked the route for landmarks and was soon back at a large clearing with some old camp fires and a dry stream bed.
I wasn't sure of the way from there and followed in the direction of the stream but soon realised I had gone wrong. I returned to the clearing and tried a rising path. I didn't recognise anything but spotted a small cairn and some striped tape attached to a tree. I followed this way for a while and found myself back at the doline next to the cave after having gone in a large circle!
I returned to the clearing and this time followed what I thought was the same route across as the route we had taken on the way to the cave. After a few attempts at trying to get back to the track, I eventually followed a narrow track and ended back at the doling with the T-Shirt! Again I made my way back in the mist to the clearing and after making sure I followed the exact route we had taken earlier, I spotted the small ford crossing the dry stream bed ahead and realised I should have crossed the ford before and did so this time and found myself very quickly back on the rough track. I had only missed the ford earlier by 20 metres or so due to the fog.
I made my way back down the track again and was back at the car at around 12:40. Karen had put on all the clothing she could find in the car as she was cold, so it was lucky I had not joined the others in the cave this time.
I got changed and we drove back to the Gite to find that Elaine had been out for a walk and got back 10 minutes before we did. After a wash and picking up some things then drove to Mané to shop at the supermarket.
We returned to the Gite and had some lunch then read for a while before the others arrived back at 17:30.