Menhir dit la Grande Roche

Trip No.204  Entry No.238  Date Added: 5th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Loiret (45))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: To the west of the village of Pers-en-Gâtinais can be found this 2.5 metre tall menhir in a field beside the small road to Mérinville. It is in the middle of a freshly ploughed field, so I didn't go right up to it, but it is only 50 metres from the roadside.

Pierre de Minuit Menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.237  Date Added: 5th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Loiret (45))
Visited: Yes on 18th Feb 2007. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: I wouldn't have bothered with this one, but was told I should visit it by the farmers wife at Coinche. And my thanks must again go to her. It is a wonderful stone, the tallest menhir in the Departement of Loiret. It is almost 5 metres tall, up to 2 metres wide and very variable in thickness. The stone is half a sort of holed and pitted sarsen like stone, on the west face, while the east face is a puddingstone conglomerate of flints and gravel. Most lovely. Much of the puddingstone face is crumbling, and now makes wonderful shapes, with bits sticking out here and there.

Where the puddingstone layer is thin, there are a couple of holes right through the menhir. It is said that women wanting to become mothers should sit in the chair at the top of the stone. Fantastic. This stone can be found a kilometre or so west of the village, behind the Chaise farmhouse, and can easily be seen from the road.

Coinche polissoir

Trip No.204  Entry No.236  Date Added: 5th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Loiret (45))
Visited: Yes on 12th Feb 2007. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: About 80 metres from the menhir are several large rocks laying flat in the next field. One of these stones has three lovely polishing grooves in the top at one side, each about 50 cm long, and a big cuvette basin for polishing the flat sides. As for the menhir, these stones are in a cropped field, and not normally possible to find, but I was again taken to them. There were more polishing grooves elsewhere on the rocks, but these have been broken off when the rocks were partly broken several hundred years ago to build houses. Somebody has a house with polishing grooves incorporated in their walls !

It is now all very dry land round here, but in the past this was an area of swamp and marsh, which would have provided the water necessary for the polishing task. The ancient people didn't live here, but had a village a bit further down the valley.
Also found near here in the past was a portable polishing stone, which is now in the safe keeping of a museum somewhere.

These two stones would have been impossible for me to find and see had it not been for the kindness and help of the farmers wife. And although she spoke quick French, I gained a lot of information from her that I would otherwise never have been able to find out. She is obviously very proud to have these stones on her land, and interested in them. Many thanks to her.

Menhir de Coinche

Trip No.204  Entry No.235  Date Added: 5th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Loiret (45))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This menhir is in the middle of a cropped field just behind the farmhouse, down a track and then turn left near the wood. It is not normally possible to get right to it, but I was proudly shown the stone by the wife of the farmer. The field is full of sunflowers this year, and the stone was not visible from the road, and proved difficult to find, even for the farmers wife and daughter.

It stands in a little area left uncropped for its protection. It is a lovely multicoloured puddingstone menhir, perhaps 1.5 metres high and at least as wide, and about 0.5 m thick. Near to the top there is a hole which goes right through the stone. It is not known whether this is a much more recent modification to the stone or original. Beside the stone there are two smaller stones, one each side. I was told that it is thought that these two stones were used to place lamps on when ceremonies were carried out here.

La Pierre Pointue (Montacher)

Trip No.204  Entry No.234  Date Added: 5th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: A few kilometres to the south of the village of Montacher-Villegardin via windy unmarked roads, and about a kilometre walk to the west of the little road which runs south from the village, along farm tracks and you can find this menhir in a field. It is about 2.3 metres tall, and very pointed as its name would suggest. Around the stone are lots more rocks, whether broken from it or field clearance I cannot say.

Polissoir avec Plage

Trip No.204  Entry No.231  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A further 40 metres downstream from the second polissoir stone, is found a third. This one is a smaller stone, about 2 metres by 0.5 metres, and a nice smoothed crescent shape, hence the name. As well as the entire polishing "beach", there are at least three bowls for polishing, some of which are quite deep, and about 20 cm in diameter. This is quite some industrial centre, isn't it!

As I write this I am being watched by at least two deer, no more than 40 metres away from me. Oh well, better get back.

Polissoir avec Cuvette

Trip No.204  Entry No.230  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: About 50 metres from the Pierre à l'Eau, and thankfully signposted through the tricky forest, can be found a second polissoir stone. This one has a large water filled basin, and as far as I can make out, only two two large flattish basin like polishing areas. I guess this stone was used for the flat faces, while stone 1 was used for the edges.

Pierre à l'Eau

Trip No.204  Entry No.229  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is much more like it, a lovely polissoir stone, with its own source of water in the form of a couple of deep basins which I assume are natural, and it is not far from a little stream. The stone is sort of triangular, about 2 m by 1.5 m, and has five well worn grooves and a couple of flat basins for polishing. It is found from the D.110 road through Lancy Forest, south of the Pavillon-de-Lancy. There is a parking place and signposted walk of 650 metres from there to the east.

Lancy Polissoir

Trip No.204  Entry No.228  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: About 350 metres to the north of the D.110 road through Lancy Forest can be found this polissoir stone. Park at the Pavillon-de-Lancy picnic site, and the stone can be found down the track along the edge of the forest from there. Luckily it is signposted, as without them I would never have found it.

As polissoir stones that I have seen go, this is not very impressive. Its a nice stone in the forest, about 2.5m by 2.5 m laying on the ground, with a couple of polishing grooves and a basin which can be determined. The basin is actually very nicely polished. This seems a slightly strange place for a polissoir stone, as I can see no natural source for any water nearby, although the stone itself has a large hollow which could have been used as a reservoir. And it is raining !

Lancy Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.227  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Now this is more like it. In the Foret-de-Lancy, a couple of kilometres to the southeast of Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes can be found this nice looking little dolmen. It is signposted from the road through the forest about 700 metres south of the parking place at the track to the Traînel dolmens, and is a 700 metre walk from the road along a forest track.

The dolmen is in a little clearing, 10 metres from the track, and easy to find. The forst thing you see is the obvious dolmen with a 3 m by 2 m capstone sat on top of two side supports, about 1.2 metres off the ground. Closer inspection shows there to be a backstone, and a fallen stone at the large front opening. Just to the southeast is another large stone standing upright, and there are plenty of other large stones laying about nearby. There would appear to be the remains of a round mound within which the dolmen was once covered.

I wonder whether there was a second chamber at some point, or perhaps a circle of stones around the mound. This is a very pleasant spot. Strangely, there are many hand prints painted on some of the stones.

Petit dolmen de Trainel

Trip No.204  Entry No.226  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: About 15 metres to the north of the Grand Dolmen along the slope of the hill, and perhaps in what was once the same mound can be found the Petit Dolmen. It doesn’t look much more than a medium sized rock sat on the hillside, but closer inspection shows there to be a 1 metre by 0.5 metre slab sided cist underneath the 1.7 m by 1 m capstone.

Without the signpost right beside it, I very much doubt that I would have found this, although it is right beside the path. There are hundreds of better more dolmenic looking rocks in this forest ! I cant believe I spent the best part of three days and 700 km of driving to get here ! Lets hope for better to come, but I wont hold my breath. Dammit, now its raining. Lots of deer about though, and just sitting writing this I can sense them watching me from behind the trees.

Grand dolmen de Trainel

Trip No.204  Entry No.225  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are two dolmens here in the Traînel forest, signposted a couple of kilometres to the west of Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes. Where the road bends, park in the forest car park and walk for a kilometre to the north along the forest track, and the dolmens are signposted from here.

The Grand Dolmen is a bit of a mess of large stones with the remains of a bit of a mound around them, built into the hillside in the forest. There is one obvious capstone of dimensions 2.5 m by 1.5 m sitting on top of some support stones, with a 2 metres long by by 1 metre wide chamber underneath. Besides it is the remains of what was another small chamber and it is possible that there were once more. It's all a bit of a muddle though, not helped by the badgers that have made it their home.

La Borne-Percée

Trip No.204  Entry No.222  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 4th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: In the Houssaye forests, high above the Yonne river southeast of Sens, and near to the village of Les Auberts can be found this menhir at a junction of forest tracks. Its very small, only 1.3 metres tall, but mounted on a plinth and easy to find. Near to the top is a hole which has been cut through it, to which legends and stories are aplenty.

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.

Dolmen dit la Pierre-Brûlée

Trip No.204  Entry No.212  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Côte-d'Or (21))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just to the south of the D.17 between Meloisey and Pommard, near to the crossroads with the D.23, this dolmen is to be found within a field which when I visited was well fenced off with electric fencing and full of sheep, so I didn’t go in. The remains of a mound can be seen, with a capstone sitting on the top.

La Pierre qui Vire (Rochepot)

Trip No.204  Entry No.208  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Côte-d'Or (21))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: High up on the ridge to the south of the village of Rochepot, with its fantastic chateau and well known wines, can be found this stone which turns. There's not much left to see, except the big capstone which is sort of triangular shaped, 4 metres by 3 metres. There are traces of a mound, and a chamber underneath, but nothing really substantial remains.

There are supposedly several dolmens and an allee couverte in the Rochepot community, but if this is the only one on the maps, I doubt I will find any of the others, so decide to give up now on looking for more.

Cul Blanc Dolmens

Trip No.204  Entry No.205  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cul Blanc 1: Still within most of its tumulus, this dolmen is on the northern slopes of Mont des Troix Croix, high up above the village of Dezize-les-Maranges at a junction of the tracks. The circular mound is about 15 metres in diameter, and the dolmen is in the middle. The chamber is about 2.5 metres in length by 1.3 metres wide, open to the south and covered with a triangular limestone capstone, of dimensions 3m by 3m by 3m. It was very difficult to find my way to, lots of roads shut for maintenance, and a complete absence of any signs except for all the local vineyards. Supposedly one of two dolmens here.

Cul Blanc 2: Ah, yes, here it is. The second one is about 40 metres further down the hillside, and still completely within its mound, making it very difficult to see amongst the bushes. Probably similar to the first dolmen, the chamber cannot be seen, just the top of the capstone is exposed.

Menhirs d'Epoigny

Trip No.204  Entry No.204  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Just to the south of the D.978 road, a few kilometres north west of Couches, is a sign to menhirs, which I of course followed. About a kilometre from the main road is a little road junction, and several menhirs can be seen in the fields. It's hard to make out exactly what the menhirs represent, and how accurate they are is open to question, as they have all been re-erected in concrete bases fairly recently.

Near the side of the lane is a row of three superbly sculpted menhirs, the southern one being 5.5 metres tall, with several carved lines and cupmarks. The central menhir is about 4.5 metres tall, but has lost its top, while the northern menhir is fallen and broken (in actual fact it looks to have been cut up) and would perhaps have been bigger than its neighbours. The three menhirs are evenly spaced about 7 metres apart, and are aligned NW to SE at about 125°. Forty or fifty metres away to the north, are another pair of menhirs, both about 4.5 metres in height, and again they are superbly shaped and dressed. These are spaced at about 10 metres from each other, and align NE to SW at 025°, and any intersection passes through the row of three but not at any stone. Of this pair of menhirs, the southern one has a few cupules carved into it, while the northern one is decorated with lines, cupules and at least one axe, and a few more serpent like lines. Just outside this field, beside the road junction, is a sixth menhir, this one only about 2 metres tall and broken, and which does not align with any of the others.

It is thought that there was once more menhirs here. This feels like a very powerful place, up on this hill. I feel all trembly here, and in awe of the stones, and find it hard to leave.

Pierre Guénachère

Trip No.204  Entry No.203  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a large granite blockdeep in the forest near a little stream, about one kilometres walk from the farm of La Madeleine, just to the west of St Emiland. Take the track beside the farm, keeping left, and after some distance it is signposted.

The stone is a granite block, 4m by 3m by 2m high, which has got several strange carvings in it, particularly large circles. On the north side there are three circles, between 70 cm and 1 metre in diameter, while on the south side there is a straight line and a large, deeply cut circle, more than one metre in diameter. These symbols seem to have been very roughly hewn with stone tools, and it is thought that they are prehistoric. There are many legends associated with this stone, of which I don't know any.

Pierre-aux-Fées (St-Micaud)

Trip No.204  Entry No.202  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 3 Access 5

Log Text: This is a very large menhir right beside the D.28 road in front of a large house in the village of St-Micaud. I would estimate it to be about 7 metres tall, but its not easy to tell as it is in the private garden and surrounded by a hedge. The menhir is of rectangular shape, nd has very uneven surfaces, and has perhaps got some carvings on it.