Runesto Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.393  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a pleasant dolmen still mostly within its mound, and in fact it has been cut down into with steps from the eastern side of the massive capstone. The chamber is about 3 metres by 3 metres, and the single capstone is held up on eight remaining side support stones, with plenty of room to stand up within. There are no longer any remains of its entry passageway which would have run off towards the east.

There are traces of engravings including a fairly good axe on the stone nearest to the entrance. Just outside to the east are two other large stones, which are perhaps related, but perhaps not. The wall of the nearby house has many large stones within it, no doubt being once part of the tumulus.

Grand Breuil Menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.24  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir is easily found at Grand Breuil, right at the junction of the D.112 and the road for Lezonnais. The stone is about 3 metres tall, and in a little grassy area beside the road junction. It looks to have been nicely shaped, and is cared for to this day. There is a very nice garden on the opposite side of the road, all landscaped and with little megalithic creations in it.

Kerran Dolmens

Trip No.203  Entry No.361  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: From the busy Chat Noir roundabout to the south of Crac'h, take a small lane to the southeast, a few hundred metres along which you find a little clearing to the right of the lane within which this tomb resides. I was not quite sure what to make of it, there are two obvious chambers, both still with capstones, but there looks to be more. I think it was probably two dolmens with entrance corridors, probably both once contained within a single mound.

The first, western chamber, has a 3 metre by 3 metre capstone on a chamber twice the size, possibly seperated into two by an internal stone. The eastern chamber is 3 m by 2 m and has an end stone, with a probable entrance to the south. As with most of the lesser known monuments around here, it is all becoming very overgrown with gorse and brambles, which is a real shame.

There was once a third dolmen here, which was bought and then completely removed in order to make a family tomb of the Archéologist Jean-Baptiste Piketty (1827-1884) in the cemetary at Meudon.

Goërem Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.445  Date Added: 23rd May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 16th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: I came all the way out to this poor depressed village at the end of a long peninsula and stayed the night on the harbourside in order to visit this, "the finest angled passage grave in existance". Take a good torch it says. So on a nasty dull grey day I walk round the seafront and through the village till I eventually find it. It is right on the western seafront, in amongst the houses, and has a reasonable amount of land reserved around it. It would probably have a spectacular view if there was one to be seen through all the murk.

Its not a very big mound, just a big enough barrow to cover the passage grave, which is about 20 metres by 10 metres, and up to 3 metres in height maximum, perhaps more originally as the modern ground level is probably higher than it was, particularly with the sea wall here. The entrance is on the south side, but it's gated up, with an iron gate concreted in to the ground, so despite having two torches, I cannot enter and put them to use. But I have to say, that it's no doubt for the best, as the place is littered with broken bottles and other rubbish, with graffitti sprayed everywhere, and badly smelling of a toilet block. This poor little town is clearly suffering from a lack of jobs and investment, and seems to have a bit of a problem with bored youth compared to much of the rest of France. Its a great shame, as I was really looking forward to seeing this place properly. I would like to think that the excellent state of the internal structure is still as it was a few years ago, and that the engraved pillars of the passageway are still in good condition.

Grande Villeneuve Menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.26  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir is to be found in a garden in the hamlet of the same name, a kilometre or so to the north of Tredion. The menhir is about 4 metres tall and nicely shaped, although it looks to have lost its top at some point, due to a lightning strike.

Kercado Tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.387  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Fantastic. This is getting a bit eroded away now, and I think it needs some better protection from all the visitors it gets. The monument consists of a 25 metre diameter round cairn, completely enclosing a wonderful dolmen chamber which is about 3 metres by 2.5 metres, and 2.3 metres high, which is entered via a passageway which opens up from the east. The chamber is covered by a single large capstone, which does not rest directly on top of the sideslabs, but is raised above them by corbelled smaller stones, making it look like it is floating above the chamber. There are carvings on several side stones with chequerboard patterns, and a large carving of an axe on the roof.

On top of the mound is a menhir, and around the outside of the mound is a circle of stones, about 5 metres extra distance away from the mound, of which less than half now exist. A bit further away from the entrance is another menhir, about 1.5 metres tall.

This must be just about the most complete dolmenic chamber there is to be seen in the world today, and is a fantastic place to visit when quiet. It is €1 entry fee, payable into an honesty box in quiet times at the entrance shelter by the pizzeria. I met the Brazilian ladies again here, and also a retired Irish couple who were travelling for a few months in their camper van.

Kornevec Alignement

Trip No.204  Entry No.61  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This alignement can be found just to the south of Loge Charlotte, and is signposted. The alignement is a row of menhirs, now nearly all fallen, which runs for about 300 metres through the forest on a bearing of 065°. The stones are all about 3 metres in length, and are spaced at about 4 metre intervals.

Over 200 stones have been found here. It would be nice to see these stood up again, at least the non broken ones, and also a bit better looked after, as it is all very overgrown. The site is not helped by there being new trees planted in amongst the stones.

Kerlutu Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.443  Date Added: 23rd May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a nice little dolmen sitting in a little mound in some fields just round the back of the houses, and a hundred or so metres walk. It's got a 3m by 2.5m chamber, partially made with slabs, partly with drystone walling. It is fully covered by its capstone, and there is no sign of an entrance corridor. This dolmen seems to be kept nicely clear of all undergrowth.

Bilgroix Point Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.335  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Modern Stone Circle etc Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Right on the tip of the northern headland at the eastern entrance to the Golfe de Morbiihan, is a nice little parkland area. Within this is a nice modern menhir which has been carved into Mama Mari, the lady of the sea. It is most convincing, and it is nice to sit here watching all the boats nipping about with some tremendous overfalls as the tide rushes into the gulf. There is somebody arsing around out there, reversing a yacht out through all the current and waves, which is confusing many people, and there is lots of shouting going on. I could sit here and watch the world go by for hours, but I'd best move on.

Dolmen du Grah-Niol

Trip No.203  Entry No.330  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 3 Access 5

Log Text: This initially looks to be an allée-couverte type monument, but which has been dated to about 5000BC, so is much older than a standard allée-couverte. It is still largely within its mound, but was restored in 1936 with the help of lots of concrete.

It is about 11 metres long, and has a stele placed outside of it near to the entrance which is at the east. There is a large end chamber at the west, and also a side chamber. Many of the upright stones have carvings and markings on them, Axes, Palettes, U shapes and squiggles, some of which were clear in the sunlight coming in through a hole in the roof. It seems that many of the stones are supposedly re used from elsewhere, and perhaps the large capstone on the side chamber was once a menhir.

Tumiac tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.329  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: As driving towards this from the east, it suddenly appears from behind something, before you arrive at the parking area and information sign beside the road. Whoooa, it’s a biggun ! It is said in legend that it is the place from where Caesar watched a great naval battle out to sea to the south of here, but there is not expected to be any truth in this, although from the top there is a tremendous view all around.

The mound is 86 metres in diameter and 20 metres in height, but it only has a single 4 metre by 2 metre magalithic chamber within it, which has been dated to 4700 BC. The insides of the monument are no longer open to public viewing.

Soldats-de-Saint-Cornély

Trip No.204  Entry No.52  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: This site consists of three parallel rows of stones, about 140 in all, running southeast to northwest, spaced at about 40 metres from each other, but what a terrible state these poor soldiers have fallen into. Not only has a road junction been built right into the middle of them, and a forest grown over them, but many of them have been taken away to ornament a garden in Lorient. What remains there are have become very overgrown and almost impossible to see, and one of the lines has been ploughed up. The only real way to tell where the stones are is by looking at the rows of hedges and trees.

The central row can be followed eastwards through the forest for about 100 to 200 metres until it gets to a clearing, within which a sort of Asterix the Gaul village complex has been built and abandoned, and is now decaying all around. At this end of the rows are the remains of two tertre tumuli, which can just about be made out as raised mounds with a few stones protruding, but these have suffered terribly. One has in fact had a sort of fairground sideshow built on it, while the other, with a large capstone still to be seen, has been surrounded with a fence, and a sort of oven, or fire made on top of it.

The poor Cornély army is very much in need of getting back into some sort of order. This is perhaps the monument most in need of some TLC and protection that I have ever seen.

Roche de Migourdy

Trip No.204  Entry No.28  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This was a nice one to find, and is a few hundred metres walk up a track and then across a field to the south of the village of Kergoff, which itself is a few kilometres south of Plumelic. What you find is a nice 25 metre diameter mound at the top of the hill in a field, covered as usual with trees and dense undergrowth.

Within this mound is the remains of a very nice dolmen a couloir, still mostly buried within it. The chamber is about 3.5 m by 2.5 m and lined with large slabs. The whole thing is topped by a single large capstone, and there is room enough to stand up within it. A couple of stones remain from the entrance passageway.

I understand that this mound once had two dolmens within it, one of which has now been wrecked. I found no sign of another chamber anywhere, but that is not to say that there aren't remains hidden in the thick undergrowth somewhere.

Menhir Fourchu

Trip No.204  Entry No.25  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This is a nice menhir stood at the side of the road just to the east of Lezonnais. It is about 3.5 metres tall, 1.5 metres wide and only 0.3 metres thick, and has a nicely forked shape at the top, hence its name, and a sort of nose on one side. Around this area are many stones stood up beside the road, in gardens etc, of which I assume are mostly modern and field clearance, otherwise I would have known about them, but perhaps they are the remains of something once much more significant.

Dolmen de Coëby 1

Trip No.204  Entry No.20  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: In the thick forest, just beside the D.766 road north of the Grande Loge can be found the remains of this dolmen. It's difficult to tell exactly what it is the remains of, but there are half a dozen large stones still standing. It was possibly a large simple chamber of which the capstones have now fallen, of which the largest is approximately 4 m by 4m trapezoidal shape.

The forest was obviously undergoing a major clear out when I visited, after having become totally overgrown and impenetrable. I understand that there are more than half a dozen dolmens and chambers to be found in this piece of forest, but they are not easy to find. I am not at all surprised. It would be nice if a little woodland walk was arranged, as at many other communities.

Menhirs de Coëby 1

Trip No.204  Entry No.22  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: At the junction of lanes in the forest, there are a couple of menhirs. Both are about 3 metres high, and they are about 15 metres apart. Not marked on any map I have seen, they are however easy to find.

Kermaillard Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.328  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This 5.2 metre tall menhir, which was re-erected in 1988, stands in a pleasant little grassy area with an information sign. The stone is flat on one side, rounded on the other, and has been shaped to a point at the top. There are carvings on the stone, many small cupules, and near the base of the flat side, a very clear square with a crescent shape protruding from one corner, which reminded me of a saucepan.

Dolmen de la Pointe du Scal

Trip No.203  Entry No.324  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 3 Access 4

Log Text: This site, nearby the Pierre Blanche, is now marked by the ign as a seperate burial chamber besides the Pierre Blanche menhir.

Trehiguier menhir, La Pierre Blanche, is a large white quartz block found down Allée de Megalithe, and at the left just before the end of the road at a boatyard, or fish factory. It is about 2.5 metres high, and 1.5 metres square at the base. About 10 metres away is a large grey slab with some holes, and many other stones which are the remains of megalithic tomb of some kind.

La Pierre Blanche (Trehiguier)

Trip No.203  Entry No.323  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Trehiguier menhir, or Pierre Blanche, is a large white quartz block found down Allée de Megalithe, and at the left just before the end of the road at a boatyard, or fish factory. It is about 2.5 metres high, and 1.5 metres square at the base.

About 10 metres away is a large grey slab with some holes, and many other stones. I dont know whether these other stones are the remains of anything ancient or not. It looks to me like it could be two fallen menhirs, or else a menhir and a tomb of some kind.

Er Run Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.438  Date Added: 23rd May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 15th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: This is a sad looking little dolmen in a field of sweetcorn, looking fallen and getting overgrown and unloved. It is in a hamlet plagued by mad dogs chasing after me, barking and growling continuously. There is a second dolmen here, even more hidden in the undergrowth.