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Pierre Fritte de Yermenonville
Trip No.204 Entry No.264 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Ambience 4 Access 3
Pierre Fritte de Yermenonville submitted by thecaptain on 24th Aug 2005. Pierre Fritte de Yermenonville.
While here in August 2005, there was an archaeological excavation going on at this dolmen, by Archeo. After my 3 km walk to the site on a Sunday evening, there was nobody there, and everything was shut away in the tents, so I could see nothing.
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Log Text: In the village of Mevoisins I saw a sign pointing to Dolmen de la Pierre Fitte, so I stopped and went for a look. Little did I realise that I would be walking 2.5 kilometres to it, at 7:00pm in the evening ! And when I finally got there, I couldn't even see the dolmen, as it was undergoing excavations by Archaeo, and enclosed in a tent. There were all sorts of tents and equipment, but nobody around at this time on a Sunday evening, so I left one of my cards. There was a pile of stones on old tyres in one part of the site, and I wondered if these were the dolmen stones. From what I could see through small openings in the big tents, there were no large stones to be seen, just sort of trenches etc, I guess the stones have been moved out of the way. While I was at Mevoisins menhir I had seen a row of cars slowly driving across the fields, and this must have been the archaeologists leaving for the day. While I was walking back, two cars drove past, and on up to the tents. I had missed them by 5 minutes, and might have got a guided tour of the site. Pity its so late, and that I ought to stop.
Mevoisins menhir
Trip No.204 Entry No.263 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Modern Stone Circle etc
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5
Mevoisins menhir submitted by thecaptain on 24th Aug 2005. This wonderful 3 metre tall stone standing up in the hills between Mevoisins and Yermenonville, can be seen for miles around.
It turns out that this stone has only been here a few years, having been erected in the year 2000 to celebrate the millennium, but its such a lovely stone, I thought it deserves to be seen here.
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Log Text: This lovely 3 metre tall menhir can be seen from miles around, beside the D.329 road up in the hills between the two villages of Mevoisins and Yermenonville. It’s a gorgeous angular lump of flinty sarsen, but it turns out that it was erected only 5 years ago to mark the turning of the millennium. It seems that there was a big party to celebrate putting the stone up, using only manpower, logs and ropes.
This had me fooled into thinking it was the Pierre-qui-Vire, which is supposedly to be found in the community somewhere. So as not to fool anyone investigating this stone in the future, there is buried under the stone a computer, a mobile phone, some money and a listing of all the people living in the community.
Dolmen de la Ferme Brûlée
Trip No.202 Entry No.82 Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005
Dolmen de la Ferme Brûlée submitted by thecaptain on 10th Nov 2005. La Ferme Brûlée dolmen.
Just to the south of Fort Harrouard neolithic settlement, on the banks of the river Eure, is another of these dolmens inside a private garden with lots of keep out signs and security fences. However, it can be seen over the gate, down at the end of the driveway.
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Log Text: Down by the banks of the river Eure are marked on my map a dolmen and polissoir. I couldn’t park close so parked and walked back from some distance away during which time I got soaked by a torrential downpour. I eventually found a house called Le Dolmen but with lots of keep out signs and security devices. Down the far end of the driveway I could see the dolmen and managed a long distance photo of it part hidden by a van. There was no way I could get any sight of the polissoir which was a shame.
Fort Harrouard
Trip No.202 Entry No.84 Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 3rd May 2005
Fort Harrouard submitted by thecaptain on 10th Nov 2005. Fort Harrouard seen above the river Eure.
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Log Text: This ancient defended settlement is positioned on a steep hillside high above the river Eure near the village of Marcilly-sur-Eure.
Petit Menhir (Changé)
Trip No.204 Entry No.258 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Petit Menhir (Changé) submitted by thecaptain on 25th Nov 2006. Petit Menhir (Changé)
A large slab of the grey stone stands just outside the remains of the two dolmens.
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Log Text: A large slab of the grey stone stands just outside the remains of the two dolmens. It is about 2 metres tall, but was leaning against a wooden post to hold it upright when I visited, due to the excavations going on here.
Petit Dolmen (Changé)
Trip No.204 Entry No.257 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4
Petit Dolmen (Changé) submitted by thecaptain on 25th Nov 2006. Petit Dolmen (Changé).
The excavations seen here showing the entry passageway curving around to the right.
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Log Text: About 5 metres to the north of the Le Berceau dolmen, and also being excavated, are the remains of the Petit dolmen. This one has a chamber about 4 metres by 3 metres, with many side slabs to be seen but no capstone. Before the current excavations, there was probably very little to be seen of this.
Le But de Gargantua
Trip No.204 Entry No.255 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3
Le But de Gargantua submitted by thecaptain on 25th Nov 2006. The giants goal seen in amongst its friendly horses keeping the pitch trimmed.
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Log Text: In a field to the east of the Dolmens de Chagné can be found the But de Gargantua. This seems to be two menhirs, one a large grey slab about 2.5 metres tall and the other a bit smaller. I wonder if it is the remains of what was once a dolmen. I couldn't get a close look as the stones are in a field of horses, but they are easily visible from the roadside.
Le Berceau
Trip No.204 Entry No.256 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Le Berceau submitted by thecaptain on 25th Nov 2006. Le Berceau dolmen seen during excavations.
Unfortunately I could not get to see inside the dolmen for its fabulous carvings.
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Log Text: The Dolmens de Chagné were undergoing excavation when I visited, and were fenced off and enclosed, but from what I could see, this includes 3 dolmens and 2 menhirs, which were apparently re-used for burials by the Merovingians from about the year 500BC. The dolmens can be found in a field beside the river Eure to the north of the village of Chagné. Le Berceau dolmen is not the portholed dolmen I thought it may have been, but the reason that I knew of it is for the carvings upon its stones.
This is a large dolmen undergoing excavations, and well worth a look. The chamber is about 5m by 4m, with a single large, but broken capstone. It was difficult to make any details out with it being fenced off.
Dolmen de la Grenouille
Trip No.204 Entry No.259 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Dolmen de la Grenouille submitted by thecaptain on 28th Nov 2006. The remains of the Dolmen de la Grenouille are the most obvious of all the Dolmens de Changé here beside the river Eure to the north of the village of Changé.
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Log Text: The remains of the Dolmen de la Grenouille are the most obvious of all the Dolmens de Chagné here beside the river Eure to the north of the village of Chagné, and stand only a few metres from the village sign.
It is a broken dolmen with two side slabs and a leaning capstone that does indeed look like a frog sticking its head out of water. The chamber is 3 metres in width, but hard to tell how long it would have been, although the capstone is about 6 metres in length. The opening was probably to the southeast, where the capstone sits on the ground.
La Mère aux Cailles
Trip No.204 Entry No.260 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3
La Mère aux Cailles submitted by thecaptain on 10th Feb 2007. La Mère aux Cailles.
Up a trackway called "Sentier des Roches", in a private orchard, is what I assume is a menhir, at least there is a 2.5 metre tall slab of rock standing upright.
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Log Text: Marked on my ign map near to the village of Ymeray is the Dolmen de Chantecoq. I had a good look around, but could find no obvious signs to a dolmen of any kind, but there was a trackway called "Sentier des Roches" which I found near to the railway bridge, so I went for a walk up there. After several hundred metres was a little area being turned into a little public parkland, with picnic tables etc. Here there is a big natural outcropping of rocks, which may have been used for dolmen making. There is lots of it, and it makes very good slabs, and in many ways reminds me of the rock outcrops / quarries at Tinkinswood. A bit further up the track, in a private orchard, is what I assume is a menhir, at least there is a 2.5 metre tall slab of rock standing upright. But without any more information, it was difficult to know exactly what there is here.
Chantecoq dolmen
Trip No.204 Entry No.261 Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3
Chantecoq dolmen submitted by thecaptain on 10th Feb 2007. Here there is a big natural outcropping of rocks, which may have been used for dolmen making.
There is lots of it, and it makes very good slabs, and in many ways reminds me of the rock outcrops / quarries at Tinkinswood.
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Log Text: Marked on my ign map near to the village of Ymeray is the Dolmen de Chantecoq. I had a good look around, but could find no obvious signs to a dolmen of any kind, but there was a trackway called "Sentier des Roches" which I found near to the railway bridge, so I went for a walk up there. After several hundred metres was a little area being turned into a little public parkland, with picnic tables etc. Here there is a big natural outcropping of rocks, which may have been used for dolmen making. There is lots of it, and it makes very good slabs, and in many ways reminds me of the rock outcrops / quarries at Tinkinswood. It looks like there are soon to be some interpretive signs put here, but without any more information, it was difficult to know exactly what there is here.
Within the soon to be grassy area is a slab of rock, half on the ground, half on another stone, which may be the remains of a dolmen. At the top of this stone are four grooves and a little basin, where it has been used as a polishing stone.
Baignon dolmens (2)
Trip No.204 Entry No.276 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Baignon dolmens (2) submitted by theCaptain on 13th Mar 2012. Baignon 2 is in the middle of the cropped field, but which had been recently harvested when I visited in 2005. It is seemingly not much more than a large pile of stones in amongst the nettles and brambles.
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Log Text: Baignon 2 is in the middle of the cropped field, but which had been recently harvested when I visited. Again it is seemingly not much more than a large pile of stones in amongst the nettles and brambles. It probably has a rectangular chamber, 4m by 3m, with a single, now broken, capstone.
Baignon dolmens (5)
Trip No.204 Entry No.279 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Access 4
Baignon dolmens (5) submitted by theCaptain on 13th Mar 2012. Baignon 5 is a largely unrecogniseable pile of stones in the field.
These last two dolmens really are in a bad state, and have been ploughed right up to the edges, with the stones just heaped up into as small an area as possible.
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Log Text: Baignon 5 is another completely unrecogniseable pile of stones in the field. Mostly lumps of puddingstone, there is one lump of sarsen like slab. These last two dolmens really are in a bad state, and have been ploughed right up to the edges, with the stones just heaped up into as small an area as possible.
Baignon dolmens (1)
Trip No.204 Entry No.275 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Baignon dolmens (1) submitted by theCaptain on 12th Mar 2012. Baignon 1 is all a bit overgrown, in some wasteland at the corner of the field by a little fishing lake.
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Log Text: To the south of the lovely old walled and moated town of Bonneval, along the D.144 road, can be found the dolmens de Baignon. They are easily found in a field beside the river near to Memillon Chateau. There are remains of five dolmens, and I will number them in the order in which I visited them, which was roughly in an east to west direction.
Baignon 1 is all a bit overgrown, in some wasteland at the corner of the field by a little fishing lake. There is a capstone sitting on top of two side supports, about 2 metres apart, with some other large stones, one of which I assume to be another part of the broken capstone.
This could do with a tidy up, and would then be a nice feature beside the lake.
Baignon dolmens (4)
Trip No.204 Entry No.278 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4
Baignon dolmens (4) submitted by theCaptain on 14th Mar 2012. Baignon 4 really is no more than a small heap of stones in the middle of a field. Actually, there is one stone still standing, but that’s it. Its all a nice puddingstone though, so it does have its good points.
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Log Text: Baignon 4 really is no more than a small heap of stones in the middle of a field. Actually, there is one stone still standing, but that’s it. Its all a nice puddingstone though, so it does have its good points.
Baignon dolmens (3)
Trip No.204 Entry No.277 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Baignon dolmens (3) submitted by theCaptain on 14th Mar 2012. Baignon 3 reveals remains of an Angevin dolmen with a rectangular chamber with its entrance porchway at the southeast.
Many side stones and the broken capstone still remain in place, although the back end has collapsed.
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Log Text: Baignon 3 initially looks again like a heap of rocks in the middle of a field, and this impression is not helped by there probably being loads of field clearance stones dumped around it. Closer inspection reveals remains of an Angevin dolmen with a rectangular 4m by 3.5m chamber with its entrance porchway at the southeast. Many side stones and the broken capstone still remain in place, although the back end has collapsed.
Pierre de Beaumont
Trip No.204 Entry No.270 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3
Pierre de Beaumont submitted by theCaptain on 15th Mar 2012. At the end of the road southwest from Vieuville at a place named les Maisons, there is a farm track which continues on down to a stream. Here in a field of horses is the Pierre de Beaumont dolmen.
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Log Text: At the end of the road southwest from Vieuville at a place names les Maisons, there is a farm track which continues on down to a stream. Here in a field of horses is the Pierre de Beaumont dolmen. I couldn't actually get to it, but got to within 50 metres.
Its a nice looking thing, with its capstone still in place on top of several support stones, and I would estimate it to be about 4 metres square.
I met a lady here out walking her dog who told me that until recently you could walk right to the dolmen. Now it has been fenced off, and it is a great shame, and shouldn't be allowed.
Menhir de l'Ormorice
Trip No.204 Entry No.273 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Menhir de l'Ormorice submitted by theCaptain on 16th Mar 2012. About 800 metres walk from the road, it is easy to see and reach this 3.5 metres tall along a farm track.
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Log Text: Whilst looking for the Bonneval dolmen to the left of the road, I saw this menhir the other side of the field on the right. About 800 metres walk from the road, it is easy to see and reach along a farm track. Its about 3.5 metres tall, and up to 2 metres wide at its base.
Near to the busy TGV express rail line, there's a 10, 12, 20 or 24 coach TGV train whizzing past about one every 2 minutes. This is how railways should be.
Le Palet de Gargantua (Nottonville)
Trip No.204 Entry No.280 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Le Palet de Gargantua (Nottonville) submitted by theCaptain on 22nd Mar 2012. Just to the south of the La Brosse chateau and farm can be found the Palet de Gargantua dolmen, sitting right at the D.357 roadside.
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Log Text: Just to the south of the La Brosse chateau and farm can be found the Palet de Gargantua dolmen, sitting right at the D.357 roadside. It has a lovely capstone sitting at a jaunty angle partly on the ground, and partly on a couple of support stones. It is sort of trapezoidal shaped, about 4m by 4m. I found it difficult to make out any semblance of structure underneath, as most of the support stones have all collapsed.
La Pierre qui Tourne (Morancez)
Trip No.204 Entry No.265 Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5
La Pierre qui Tourne (Morancez) submitted by theCaptain on 29th Mar 2012. La Pierre qui Tourne, or Morancez dolmen, can be found amongst the houses of Residence du Dolmen, just off the main D.935 road through the village.
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Log Text: Not much more than a pile of stones, La Pierre qui Tourne, or Morancez dolmen can be found amongst the houses of Residence du Dolmen, just off the main D.935 road through the village, a bit to the north of the church. I suspect the locals think of it as a bit of a nuisance, getting in the way of the road and car parking.
It was obviously once very large, the capstone remains here on the ground at 7 metres long by 4 metres wide, with a few other bits of stone standing nearby.
While I was here, there were several young children playing on it, who were very inquisitive as to what I was doing there, and why I couldn't speak properly !