Pointe de Men Maria dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.337  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This poor little dolmen is walled in within a carpark, which I suppose at least protects it a bit. It is superbly situated on a little headland which seperates the Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys harbour from the beach - a very desireable place apart from the car park.

The dolmen is a simple dolmen with a little corridor, but it is not too easy to make it all out, there was possibly a lot more of it once, and it has probably been much modified. the single capstone is 3 metres by 1.5 metres, and there are half a dozen supports, with various other stones laying about.

Dolmens des Grays

Trip No.203  Entry No.326  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Walking to the west along the coast path from the big carpark near the beach at Penlann headland, and you get to the remains of this large cairn after about 500 metres. It is difficult to make anything out nowadays, other than there are lots of large rocks on the remains of a large mound, overlooking the Villaine estuary. Closer inspection shows this to have once been a large 30 metre diameter cairn, with at least three passage tombs within it, two of which still have a few capstones in position.

Dolmen du Crapaud

Trip No.203  Entry No.325  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Perched on its clifftop, overlooking the sea and a nice sandy beach, from certain angles this does indeed look like a toad poking its head up. Much of the original tomb is no longer with us due to erosion of the cliffs, and what remains is a capstone perched on top of a few small uprights. The capstone is less than 2 metres by 2 metres, but it is in a really splendid position.

The dolmen can be found by walking to the east along the coast path from the big carpark near the beach at Penlann headland.

Les Bordouès

Trip No.204  Entry No.3  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is the remains of a small allée couverte, 8 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, with only one capstone still in place. There is a small entry porchway, separated from the main chamber by a large slab, at the southeast end. Excavations in 1976 found amongst other things five polished axes. Much of its oval mound still remains. It is to be found about a kilometres marked walk through the forest from the Monteneuf visitor centre.

Lande de Rousse

Trip No.204  Entry No.7  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Beside the track to the Loge Morinais is marked a menhir on the local maps. I had a good look around, and deep into the forest is what looked to me to be a row of fallen menhirs, with one large rock still protruding from the ground. It wouldnt surprise me if there was another row here, like those at the nearby Pierres Droites, or La Pièce Couverte.

La Roche Blanche

Trip No.204  Entry No.4  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Round Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This is a nice shining white quartz block within a sort of circle of local schist stones. It is thought to probably mark the grave of an individual, rather than being a collective grave. It can be found about a kilometres walk from the Monteneuf visitors centre, through the forests along a marked trail.

La Loge Morinais

Trip No.204  Entry No.6  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is the remains of an allée couverte made of the local purple schist, and can be found in the forest to the north east of the Monteneuf visitors centre, about a kilometre away along a signposted trail. It is about 13 metres long and has an orientation of due east to west. There is an entrance lobby at the east end, and an antichamber at the west, but no capstones remain in place.

It can be easily found from several places with signposted forest walks. The day I was here, there was a nearby target set up for the prehistoric shooting championships.

La Verrie menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.10  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This is a nice stone, fairly easily found near to the farm of La Verrie a kilometre or so to the northeast of Monteneuf. The stone is nearly 5 metres tall and 4.5 metres in width, but is less than 0.5 metre thick. It resembles the comb of a cockerel the way the top edge has become serrated. The stone is near to the corner of a field, only 20 metres from the lane, but also only 30 metres from the farm, with all sorts of buildings and machinery around, which detracts from the atmosphere of the stone.

Rocher Maheux

Trip No.204  Entry No.8  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: What a terrible state the remains of this allée couverte are in. It seems to have been pushed about to the edge of the field, and is now not much more than a row of stones in the edge of a wood. The remains are about a dozen slabs, roughly lined up, but probably only in line with the edge of the field. It is however signposted and on the megalithic trail walk from Monteneuf, but it is not worth the detour.

Tombeau des Géants

Trip No.204  Entry No.11  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Also known as "Roche a la Vieille", or "Old Hag's Rock", this is a strange little monument high up in the hills by the GR37 footpath, a kilometre or so from a large parking area. What it is now is a 4 metre long, 1 metre wide coffre type grave, made using 4 large stone slabs and many other smaller stone bits making up the ends.

It is supposedly a bronze age burial tomb, but constructed from some previous megalithic standing stones from the area. Not far from the tomb is a fallen 4 metre long menhir, and several other pieces of rock. There was probably a line of large menhirs here in long distant times, which have been re used.

Centre Les Landes

Trip No.204  Entry No.2  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Museum Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: A visitor centre has been set up amongst the Pierres Droites near to the village of Monténeuf, which has interactive displays which show erection of menhirs, building of neolithic homes, crop growing, archaeological excavations etc etc. Around the centre have been found several hundred megaliths, with most of the stones was only discovered in the last 20 years after a forest fire.

When I visited in July 2005, they were holding a round of the world "prehistoric shooting" championships, which included both bow and propulseur categories. On the hot sunny Sunday afternoon of this weekend event, the whole place was very busy, with all sorts of demonstrations in full swing. There was basket weaving, corn grinding, pottery making, stone polishing, mud wall making, flint knapping, fire making, cookery, archery, spear throwing and many other things, all of which the public was invited to have a go at, especially the children. What an excellent place this is.

The Atlatl (propulseur) competition is very impressive. i wondered just how much better than a plain spear it is, and was well impressed with both the power and accuracy achieved by many of the competitors. There was one chap that not only nearly hit the bull every time, but launched his spear so hard it went halfway through the target. I got lots of pictures of this, including the organiser with whom I had conducted a little interview with yesterday. Well worth going back for.

Piprais menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.15  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This 4.5 metre tall menhir can be found in a field of sweetcorn just to the northeast of the village of Monterrain, near to a roadside cross. The menhir, a white quartz looking stone, seems to be splitting into two. Apparently there is another fallen stone nearby, but hidden from view by the maize.

Maison Neuve menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.16  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This is a beautiful white quartz menhir standing beside the road to Morhannais to the northeast of Monterrain. It is about 3.5 metres high, and there are several other blocks of quartz beside it, which are either bits which have fallen off it, another broken menhir, or simple field clearance stones. The menhir is nicely shaped at the top which seems to rule out the first option. Even in the bright hot sunshine of the day I visited, the stone felt nice and cool. Lovely.

Menhir de Men Bihan

Trip No.204  Entry No.54  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: The "little stone" is well hidden deep in the forest. I found it as much by luck as by good navigation using a detailed map and asking people. There are no signs or anything to help you, and it is 100 metres away from the nearest footpath. The menhir is about 1.8 metres tall, and a nice white granite all covered in moss. Its a nice stone to find, partially because of the difficulty in getting to it, with no gps or anything to go by.

Men-Bihan Allée Couverte

Trip No.204  Entry No.55  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: About 50 metres from Men-Bihan is a line of 5 flat stones, looking very much like they have been placed there. There might be remnants of stones underneath. The line is about 10 metres long, and is oriented roughly east to west. Is this the remains of an allée couverte, or just natural ?

Petit-Resto menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.53  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir can be seen at the edge of the road, but it is difficult to stop or turn round here. It is a sort of triangular stone, perhaps 2 metres high, just at the edge of a field. It has weird weathering, and looks like it has got a tide mark on it.

Dolmen de la Maison-Trouvée

Trip No.204  Entry No.14  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is an Angevin type dolmen with a massive rectangular chamber still mostly buried within its tree covered mound. The chamber is about 4.5 metres by 2.5 metres and is topped by a massive 6 metres by 3 metres capstone. As often seems to be the case with the Angevin dolmens I have seen, the side slabs are accurately shaped so that they fit together extremely well, and the whole chamber is very straight sided and regular. Unusually, the portal doorway opens towards the west. I cannot tell how high the chamber is, or whether there is a floor, as the thing is still half buried. The circular mound, about 20 metres in diameter, has lots and lots of white quartz stones in its makeup. It has been dated to about 3000 BC. It is signposted and easily found from the village of Monterrein.

Grand Village allée couverte

Trip No.204  Entry No.17  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: To the southeast of the village of Caro, and signposted with a little parking area, can be found this allée couverte, a few hundred metres walk from the parking. It is one of the longest allée couvertes around, at about 25 metres, but apart from the two large end stones, not much is left standing or in its proper place. The chamber is oriented at 145°, and is neither along the ridge or across it. The entrance is a lateral entrance, about in the middle of the southern side, and two side stones for the entrance porch can be made out. It would appear that as well as the stones for the main chamber, there are also many for the peristalith of its oval mound, which would not be very much bigger than the chamber itself. This is one site that would benefit enormously from a bit of restoration.

It has been a very hot day, and since the spear throwing competition I have been lacking inspiration. I have looked in my books, and driven about quite a lot, looking for sites not marked on the maps, but unless they have had signs, or I have been lucky, I have not been able to find many of them. Perhaps I should stop early and chill out a bit.

Men Braz menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.56  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: I wasted best part of an hour for this stone to clear of about 30 to 40 scouts having lunch and playing games here. Eventually they left so I could look at the stone on my own. It is easy to find from the L'Etoiles roundabout, where there is a few parking places. Take the forest track south for a couple of hundred metres, and then turn right at the signpost down a footpath, from where it is about 80 metres into the forest between the rows of trees. The "big stone" is about 3.8 metres tall, and looks lovely. Beside it is another fallen stone, perhaps even bigger.

Dolmen de Kerourang 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.347  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 3

Log Text: I couldn’t find this dolmen marked on my map on my way to Luffang, but stopped for another look on the way back, after another look at the map. It was very difficult to find, but it is still there to be seen, well hidden under very thick undergrowth. What I eventually found was, near to the trackway a couple of capstones sit on top of a little passageway completely surrounded and covered by gorse.

I later find out that there are in fact two monuments to be found here, within 20 metres of each other, and that they are both dolmen a couloir with large circular chambers, still fairly well preserved inside their mounds, still with some of their capstones. It's a great shame they are so overgrown and neglected.

While here looking about in the woods before I found this, I was approached by two offroad cyclists, who thought I was lost. I said no, I was searching for a dolmen, but they insisted that there was no dolmen here. I had left my map in the van, but they had one with them, so we compared notes, and I pointed to the clearly marked dolmen. No, they said, we are over here, pointing elsewhere. Well, I was pretty sure where I thought I was, as were they, so we agreed to differ, and go our different ways.

I decided to go back to the van, with just one more look in the woods where their map had confirmed that I should find something, and there it was - extremely well hidden. I called over to the cyclists, who had been standing about arguing and pointing at the map. They came, and I pointed out the stones. Oui, c'est vrai, c'est un dolmen! Turns out it was them that were lost ! They thanked me, and there was lots more bickering between them, then they parted with some very cheerful words and waving. As they cycled off, and they cycled off into the distance, the bickering turning to shouting and cursing, and a full scale argument ! I felt glad to have helped them out, as indeed they had helped me, by making me look just one more time for that damned dolmen !