Pig Hill (S)

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 18th Mar 2007

Log Text: None

Pig Hill (N)

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 20th Mar 2007

Log Text: None

Pierres Tournantes (Néretz)

Trip No.201  Entry No.17  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd Nov 2004

Log Text: Marked on the IGN Top 25 map as being beside a lane in a wooded area near to the Château de Néretz just to the west of the village of Teutheville-Hague, are these two menhirs, said to be 3 metres in height. However, the lane shown on the map turned out to be a gated private driveway, and so I spent no further time looking for these stones.

Pierres Pouquelées

Trip No.202  Entry No.30  Date Added: 26th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 26th Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Much ruined allée couverte on top of the hilly downs to the northwest of the village of Vauville. I measured the remains out to about 12 metres in length but I have seen in a guidebook that the remains are said to be 17 metres long. Perhaps there are more stones under the undergrowth than I saw in the flattened grassy area.

There is only any remains of the central chamber of which can be seen about 9 pairs of stones and 2 remaining capstones in place with a couple more fallen in the middle. There is no sign of any outer peristalith and I could not determine where the entrance would have been. The allée couverte is aligned on about 150° and runs slightly downhill with a large perpendicular endstone still in place at the upper end. Looking along the tomb and it seems to align on the top of the large hill over the other side of the valley above the wonderful beach upon which I believe a menhir once stood.

Although the monument is much ruined it really is in a lovely position at the top of a big hill overlooking the sea with the rocky cliffs of Cap de la Hague stretching away to the northwest and the lovely long beach running south from Vauville. The Island of Alderney can be seen out in the sea and the viscious tide race between the mainland and Alderney can be seen in full flow at the right time of day. It can be reached by a longish and steep walk up from Vauville or alternatively it can be driven almost right to by following the road down towards it from the north and then following the unmade tracks from there which are marked on the 1:25000 scale ign maps.

Pierres Plates (Locmariaquer)

Trip No.203  Entry No.356  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 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: This famous angled passage grave with its many sculpted stones is right at the end of the Locmariaquer peninsular overlooking the sea, and still mostly within a small covering mound. The chamber turns about 45 degrees to the left after about 6 metres, with a side chamber bisecting the angle. From this corner, there is about another 10 metres of passage to the final chamber, seperated from the widening passage by a nicely carved stone. The carvings on the passageway side supports get more exotic the further you get into the monument.

Although the entire passageway is covered, I think most of the stones used are modern replacements. Take a good torch with you to see the details of all the carved stones. Unfortunately, my camera started misbehaving here, and the flash would not work properly, and so I couldn't get any decent pictures from within the tomb. However, this place is thoroughly documented in many other places.

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.

Pierres Folles du Follet

Trip No.203  Entry No.32  Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 15th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: The Pierres Folle de Follet are two large menhirs both about 3.5 metres tall positioned one each side of a little lane like giant gateposts at the hamlet of the same name just to the south of the D19 a couple of kilometres south of the village of Rosnay.

There is a legend associated with them, which is printed on a little sign nearby, but which I cannot translate adequately. Something about Gargantua playing quoits here, and destroying houses and the flocks, and causing terror in the region. One day, he crushed a dozen sheep while playing near Rosnay, and the sheepdogs got fed up, and threw two quoits back at him, which stuck in the ground here forming the Pierres Folles.

Pierres Droites (Monteneuf)

Trip No.204  Entry No.1  Date Added: 22nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 9th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: The true extent of these stones was only discovered in the last 20 years or so after a forest fire, yet this set of aligned menhirs is probably one of the most important in France. A visitor centre has been set up with interactive displays which show erection of menhirs, building of neolithic homes, crop growing, archaeological excavations etc etc.

Several hundred megaliths have been found here, of which many have now been re-erected in their original socket holes. I found it quite difficult to make out any patterns to what is here, perhaps there are several lines converging, or perhaps there are circles? Many of the stones are quite big, one being over 5 metres tall and 30 tonnes in weight, yet others are little side set slabs. Most are the local schist, yet some are blocks of white quartz, moved here from a good distance away.

This place is most intriguing, and somewhere I need to find out more about.

Pierres dit Palais du Diable

Trip No.202  Entry No.41  Date Added: 28th Mar 2020
Site Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Mayenne (53))
Visited: Yes on 30th Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 2 kilometres east of the village of Sainte Gemmes- le-Robert are marked two dolmens or megalithic monuments on my ign map one north and the other south of a little crossroads. The northern one consists of a large mound with many large stones scattered about. It looks at first like it may be the top of a natural to type of thing but the stones are too well laid out in unnatural shapes and alignments. There is one pile of stones which has three flat slabs perched on top of other large blocks in a row. Perhaps the whole thing is one giant burial mound. It is all covered with trees with lots of birds singing and a woodpecker pecking away with its loud ratatatatattatt.

Pierres de Mère et Fille

Trip No.205  Entry No.6  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Sarthe (72))
Visited: Yes on 29th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: The mother and daughter stones can be easily found in the forest to the northeast of La Fleche, and are signposted from nearby. Both are nicely shaped pointed slabs, and they are about 8 metres from each other in an east west direction. The mother stone is more than 4 metres tall, and is the western of the pair, The daughter is just over 2 metres tall, and at the east. It is stated on a nearby signpost that the stones are thought to represent the sun and moon, although the evidence for this is not stated.

Pierres Closes de Charas 2

Trip No.203  Entry No.250  Date Added: 23rd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente-Maritime (17))
Visited: Yes on 5th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: About three or four hundred metres away from the first Pierres Close, in the middle of a field planted with sweetcorn on a bearing of 295°, can be seen a second large stone. After walking most of the way round the field, I could gain access from the far side. It is another large rock with an oval chamber cut into it, but this time there is only half of the chamber and no capstone remaining.

Two good interesting finds to start the day, I have not seen any dolmens or whatever like this before.

Pierres Closes de Charas 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.249  Date Added: 23rd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente-Maritime (17))
Visited: Yes on 5th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Its an odd one this, an oval shaped chamber about 1.7 metres long, 1 metre wide and 0.7 metres high has been carved out of a big block of rock. On top of this is a limestone capstone full of holes and cavities filled with lichens and wild flowers.

It can be found just to the northwest of the historic Naval town of Rochefort, amongst the marshes of the Charente river estuary. Not signposted, but marked on my ign map, I drove along some windy lanes to l'Houmee farm and walked about a kilometre along the track to the southeast and found it easily. The walk to this was really splendid, with Herons, Storks and other birds circling, Frogs making a noisy racket and insects chirrping away.

Pierrelaye menhir

Trip No.201  Entry No.6  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st Nov 2004

Log Text: On a wet Sunday afternoon, following the disappointment of not getting to see the Pierre Dialan dolmen, my family encouraged me to go and find the nearby Menhir de Pierrelaye, which is marked on the IGN maps to the north of the village of Villers-Bocage.

My first attempt to get to see this 3 metre high stone was via the lane from the southeast, but upon reaching a farmyard there was no further way through. To much amusement getting out from here involved reversing all the way back up this lane to the road junction, a distance of about a mile ! Not to be beaten, I drove round the lanes to try and get a look from the northwest of where the stone is marked. The collection of farms and houses here is known as Pierrelaye, and indeed have signposts to Pierrelaye, but I could see no traces of a Menhir.

While turning round in a farmyard, an old farmer came out to see what was going on, so we asked in bad French where the stone was. After a while, he obviously realised what we were looking for and pointed up the hillside and said “Non monsieur, Fermée” while making arm gestures which made it clear I wasn’t going to see the stone. I assume it is on private land, and he wasn’t going to give me permission to go have a look. I have found information which tells that the stone is 3 metres high, with a base width of 2,5 metres, made of schist. It is situated in the middle of a field in a little valley.

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.

Pierre-Pointe

Trip No.204  Entry No.217  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Côte-d'Or (21))
Visited: Yes on 4th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This menhir, about 4 metres tall, can be seen around the back of an out of the way farmyard, just to the north of the N.6 road between Aunay and Saulieu. It is not easy to get to, but can be clearly seen from the lane leading to the farm, at a distance of about 50 metres. It is up on top of a hill with commanding views over the valley and plains below.

Pierre-Levée du champ de la Fa

Trip No.204  Entry No.200  Date Added: 26th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Near to the medieval village of Brancion, beside the D.14 road, can be found this nice menhir, which has a fine view to the west. It stands about 4 metres tall with a cross on the top in a field close to the turn off to Pierre-Levée farm, on a bad corner. It was raining horribly while I visited.

Pierre-Levée (Chiroux)

Trip No.204  Entry No.162  Date Added: 20th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Atop a little hill overlooking a pond can be found this fine dolmen, 150 metres from the road and signposted with a little parking area. It's chamber is a sort of Vee shape, about 5 metres long and up to 3 metres wide, with its entrance to the east, on a bearing of about 100°. The single large capstone sits about 1.5 metres high on top of two sideslabs each side, and with a single large backstone. There are many other boulders around on the ground nearby, probably natural rocks fallen from the hilltop.

Pierre-Fritte (Villeneuve-sur-Yonne)

Trip No.204  Entry No.221  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 4th Aug 2005

Log Text: I could find nowhere to stop and look for this menhir, which is somewhere between the busy N.6 road and the river Yonne.

Pierre-Fritte (Jumallene)

Trip No.204  Entry No.321  Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: To the south of the village of Préviere along the D.6 road, and after a couple of kilometres is a signpost to Pierre Fritte. From there it's about 500 metres walk along the farm track, taking the left turn at the crossing of tracks. It's a very nice menhir, 5.2 metres tall and shaped so that it is flat on the eastern face and pointed at the top. It has also been Christianised or vandalised, according to your viewpoint, with a cross carved with an inscription, and a niche carved with a china virgin placed inside. Both of these alterations are on the menhirs flat face. An appalling bit of metal grill has been very crudely bolted over the niche, presumably to protect from vandalism the statue of the virgin. It's all a bit of a shame really, its completely spoiled what would have otherwise been a splendid menhir.