Caillère Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.88  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Despite not being marked on any of my maps, this dolmen is easy to find, right at the side of the street in the middle of Caillère, near to the manor. It's about 3.5 metres square, with four large sidestones and a single capstone. It shows evidence of having been lived in, with steps down into it, and what looks like a window cut into it, although it may be the original entrance. In this area of many troglodyte habitations, including the manor, it wouldn't be surprising to know that this dolmen was once lived in.

Bajouillière Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.85  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Down a long track from near Bourgneuf, when you eventually get there this dolmen has parking and a picnic area. It is also the only one I have seen all day in this area that is signposted. Bizarrely, there is an owl hooting somewhere nearby, although it is 4:00pm on a scorching hot afternoon. This is another enormous dolmen, situated just below a naturally rocky outcrop in a flat field. The main chamber is pretty much exactly square, and about 6 metres by 6 metres inside, covered by a single (but now broken into three pieces) capstone, which has been made very square at about 7 metres each side. It is enormous. At some point in time, perhaps originally, this internal space has been segregated into two parts, possibly to help hold the roof up. Its entrance porchway is at the east, and itself is about 3 metres by 2 metres, and topped by two capstones, not quite as high as the main chamber. Unfortunately, people have been misusing the chamber, and there is evidence of some big fires, a result of which it is now closed off to the public. I still struggle to come to terms with just how BIG some of these monuments round here are.

Dolmen de la Motte

Trip No.204  Entry No.89  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just to the east of the village of Chemellier, and actually signposted from it, this dolmen is about 800 metres walk from where the road runs out, and just inside the forest. While I was there, there were a couple of deer mooching around nearby, and also a wasps nest inside the dolmen. Beware ! Until today, I would have called this a massive dolmen, but how things change - it looks quite small now ! It's a typical rectangular Angevine dolmen with the chamber about 4 metres by 3 metres, and standing up height inside. The entrance is to the east, but broken and largely non existant above ground level. The back stone has also fallen, leaving the broken in two pieces capstone just sitting on the large side slabs.

Dolmen de la Madeleine (Gennes)

Trip No.204  Entry No.75  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: What a monster this is, its bigger than my house ! Easily found just to the south of Gennes, beside the D.69 road to Doué, at the top of the hill. Cannot be missed. It's a fairly simple thing, but the proportions are enormous.

The rectangular chamber is 11 metres long, 4.5 metres wide and 3.5 metres high inside, made with massive slabs. Three 5.5 metre wide capstones are held up on three side slabs each side, with a fourth added on the north side to help hold it all up.

The back slab has been cut to make access, and its not to any surprise this has been lived in in the past, and it has an internal wall and large round oven type thing. The chamber faces east, and has unfortunately suffered much vandalism - it is obviously used as a den by people - many fires are in evidence, and graffitti. Overall its a bit too industrial for my taste !

Avort Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.76  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Found about 80 metres to the west of the D.70 road southwest of Gennes, with a trackway leading to it. Its a typical Angevine dolmen with a 4 m by 2.5 m chamber, made using large slabs covered by a single large capstone. The entrance, and its two porch stones, is to the east. It is still substantially within its mound, atop which a tree is growing. The southern side slab is broken, allowing easy access.

Dolmen de la Pagerie

Trip No.204  Entry No.77  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This monster dolmen can be found a few hundred metres up the GR.XX footpath from near the farm of the same name, just to the southwest of Gennes. It is another of the enormous dolmens they have around here, with the main chamber being 10 metres long by 5 metres wide, made using enormous slabs of the sarsen like rock. The whole thing is covered with just two massive capstones, the back one of which is still on top of its three support stones, but the forward one has fallenon the eastern side. The entranceway is still largely in place and opens to the south, looking down the valley, but again its corner stone has fallen to the east. This is another incredible monument that could do with a bit of TLC. It is overgrown, and used as a dumping ground for agricultural waste from the fields around. It looks like there are regular fires inside, which are breaking up the stones in the corner, and I have no doubt that the rear capstone will fall soon, as its side support is broken and cracking. Its incredible when you see how big these things are, and have lasted for so long, its a shame the modern world is ruining them.

Pierre Longue du Bouchet

Trip No.204  Entry No.78  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: A fine menhir, standing around 3.5 metres tall near the top of a hill amongst the fields and forests. Its a nice triangular shaped slab of the local sarsen like stone. It is fairly easily found with the ign 1:25000 map, a few hundred metres walk along a track from the roadside above Bouchet.

Dolmen de la Forêt (Gennes)

Trip No.204  Entry No.79  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: About half a kilometre to the northwest of La Pierre Longue, and at a junction of lanes can be found this dolmen, right beside the road. It's a typical Angevin dolmen, with its main chamber being 4 metres by 2.5 metres and rectangular, made with large single slabs along the sides and back. It has two capstones, and an internal partition stone which is possibly there to hold the capstones up, however there is a hole through this internal stone, linking the two parts of the chamber. There is a very nice entranceway looking to the east, with its two side slabs and the two door stones very nicely in position with their capstone on top. This could do with a bit of a tidy up.

Dolmen des Varennes de Cumeray 1

Trip No.204  Entry No.83  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: A hundred or so metres southeast of the menhir is this difficult to find dolmen, buried deep in the undergrowth. Although the capstone has completely collapsed and broken into several pieces, its easy to see that there was a rectangular chamber, about 3.5m by 2 metres with an entrance to the east. It could do with a bit of clearance work around it.

Menhir des Varennes de Cumeray

Trip No.204  Entry No.81  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This 3.5 metre tall triangular slab of rock is set upright in the forest at the top of the hill above Cumeray. Easily found along a forest track after a few hundred metres walk. Beware the vicious brambles surrounding it - they tore my shirt while trying to get a picture.

Pierre-de-Nézan

Trip No.204  Entry No.83  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This stone is a longish walk, more than a kilometre, from anywhere, and can be found near to a junction of forest tracks. It is about 3 metres long, with a slanted top, but is leaning so much that I'd say it was fallen ! Thankfully most of the walk is in the shade, it is so hot and humid today, 42° on the thermometer in the van.

Butte-aux-Houx alignement

Trip No.204  Entry No.84  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Try as I might, I couldn't find any of these menhirs shown on the ign 1:25000 map. The map shows 5 menhirs lined up along the ridge, but the forest and undergrowth here is very thick, and there are many private keep out signs. Some of the area they are shown in is being bulldozed and flattened, no doubt to make more holiday houses for rich Parisiens. Hopefully none of the menhirs are suffering this fate, but I couldn't be sure.

Before I completely gave up and went back to the van, I tried again from another angle, and eventually found a menhir at N47.836, W0.2812. It's about 3 metres tall and in dense undergrowth, but there was no obvious signs of any of the others.

Etiau standing stones

Trip No.204  Entry No.87  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Access 5

Log Text: Several standing stones to the north of Etiau Dolmen at the road junction.

Menhir du Bois Gilbert

Trip No.204  Entry No.90  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just outside of Gennes beside the D.751 road is this pointy topped menhir, near to the corner of a field by a cement works. It is about 4 metres tall, and of the local sarsen stone.

Pierre-qui-Pousse (Le Sale Village)

Trip No.204  Entry No.80  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This six metre tall menhir stands just beside the road between Le Sale Village and Nideville, to the west of Gennes, amongst some modern houses. In fact, it is on the opposite side of the road to where it is marked on my ign 1:25000 map, and looks like it might have been moved here fairly recently.

While I was visiting, I noted that there was a hole dug down one side of the stone, showing at least another metre of stone below ground level. But quite why one side should have been excavated I dont know. Maybe somebody wants it to fall over.

La Pierre Blanche (Oudon)

Trip No.204  Entry No.64  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a massive lump of white quartz, more than 4 metres tall and 3 metres wide, in a vineyard up on the hills overlooking the beautiful Loire river, to the north of Oudon. As seems to be the case with this quartz, it keeps lovely and cool on a scorching hot day, and is nice and sparkly.

Pierre Meslière

Trip No.204  Entry No.65  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This was most unexpected, I saw a sign to this from St Géréon, so just followed the signs. There is a large rocky outcrop high above the river Loire, around which evidence of man living here has been found dating back to the paleolithic. From the neolithic period, when the settlement was extended, there was once a line of 48 menhirs running east to west. It says that today only two remain, the rest having been destroyed for roadbuilding, along with much of the natural rocky outcrop. The site was first recognised for what it was in 1878 by Pitre de L'Isle, and explored much more thoroughly by Alexandre Bernard throughout the last century. His books and studies are shown in the chateau.

Pierres Meslières Menhirs

Trip No.204  Entry No.66  Date Added: 3rd Oct 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Pierres Meslières, menhir 1: This is a squat little menhir, half hidden in the hedge and bank between the railway and the vineyard. It is possible that ground level is now much higher here than it was, the railway line being about 10 metres lower. As I write, a TGV whizzes past. The remaining menhir is about 1.5 metres above track level, and looks lost in the hedge, almost like a field clearance stone.

Pierres Meslières Menhirs

Trip No.204  Entry No.67  Date Added: 3rd Oct 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Pierres Meslières, menhir 2: This menhir is between 3 and 4 metres tall, with a lot of ivy growing on it, besides the trackway at the bottom of the vineyard to the south of the rock outcrop. It is in need of a haircut.

La Pierre Couvretière (Ancenis)

Trip No.204  Entry No.68  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: The remains of this dolmen can be found by following the road along the north bank of the river Loire to the east of Ancenis chateau for about 800 metres, beyond the little pleasure boat port and into the industrial estate. It is signposted, and there is a little grassy open area between industrial units. This dolmen is another of those which demonstrates the rising of the sea level over the last few thousand years, as now instead of there being a mound around it, it is in a little hollow, dug out for it. The dolmen, which consists of a 4 metre square capstone, partially sitting on two side supports, but fallen at the north side, is now within a sort of pond, the land around it having been reclaimed from swampland. The level of the water here is below that of the river Loire, just a hundred metres away.