Menhir des Verdons

Trip No.211  Entry No.1  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Rhone-Alpes:Savoie (73))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Feb 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Is this an ancient menhir which has been re-erected, or a more modern stone ? I don't know. I can find nothing out about it. But here it stands, proudly at the Verdons lift complex, near the bottom of the La Saulire cable car. The stone itself stands about 2.5 metres tall, and certainly looks the part. I'm guessing a re-erection.

Ste-Mère-Eglise Borne Gallo/Roman

Trip No.211  Entry No.2  Date Added: 16th Aug 2026
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 14th Jul 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: In the main square around the outside of the famous church (with D-Day parachutist hanging from the tower) can be seen this tall stone column. A small sign states that it is a Borne Gallo/Roman, a marker stone of some kind. The things you find when not looking!

Grosse Pierre de la Bergerie

Trip No.211  Entry No.3  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 6th Oct 2011

Log Text: Tried to visit this stone while driving from Le Havre to Sara's, and drove to a place to the south where some tracks were marked on the map which would lead to the orchard. However, once we got to the orchard, we found it had been newly and securely fenced, with no way in. Even the view to where the stone should be was obscured by a trailer. Looking at Google, it seems that there is a second fallen menhir to be found nearby, and a third one half a mile to the south. Something for the future.

La Loge aux Sarrasins

Trip No.211  Entry No.4  Date Added: 26th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 9th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Having gone to Vire for a Vide Grenier and country show, persuaded Trevor and Sara to visit this stone for another look. Followed the same path as last time, and this time, once at the corner of the garden, the dolmen was clear to be seen in the back garden. At Last!

Its a lovely looking little dolmen. I can only assume that last visit there was a shed in the way, preventing it being seen. To get a better view, went back to the cornfield, and walked along its edge and up along outside the garden. I noticed that a bit further to the west, behind the garage, there was a separate standing stone, a couple of metres tall.

Montchauvet Alignements

Trip No.211  Entry No.5  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Rather than dozing in front of the telly on the Monday afternoon, decided to try and visit these stones with Dad, now I knew where they are. A very pleasant area, with empty winding roads and rolling countryside. The stones are on top of an east west ridgetop at the hamlet of La Plumaudiere to the southeast of the village of Montchauvin. Although not signposted, the stones are in a clear area behind farms and houses, with a parking area and an open trackway to walk along to the stones. The grass was long and wet, with lots of chestnuts to be gathered, and several friendly little ponies in the neighbouring field. There are nine large stones in the field, mostly flat to the ground, but one or two upright. In the corner of the field, the largest, The Pierre du Hu stands just under three metres tall. The stones are all a sort of quartz like stone, and strangely seem to be covered in a sort of tarry substance - perhaps bird droppings after too many blackberries. As well as the nine large stones, there are several other smaller bits of stone in the field, some marked by sticks , presumably so that any grass cutting machinery is not damaged. I could make out no pattern to the stones, perhaps they were in a couple of rows, but they seemed to make a sort of large arc. Nice to see that these very unknown stones are being looked after and made available to visit, I wondered if it was a condition of the new houses built here.

Pierre du Hu

Trip No.211  Entry No.6  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: At the northeastern corner of the field of the Montchauvin Alignements, the largest, The Pierre du Hu, stands just under three metres tall.

Pierre Dialan

Trip No.211  Entry No.7  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Following a successful visit to the Montchauvin alignements, decided to proceed north and have another look for the Pierre Dialan. This third visit, and the stones were easy to find, no hunt going on in the woods, and no snow covering everything! Park in the little picnic area at the top of the hill and walk along the track eastwards into the woods and then along the top edge of the quarry right into the woods. The visit was made easy, as the woodland has been marked out and fenced, presumably for sale or more quarrying, and signs to the Pierre Dialan were nailed to various trees. I guess that in future, this will be a very different place, although it looks like a good area around the stones is being left alone. The stones now stand on what is a little headland jutting into the nearby quarries, but are well surrounded by trees. The headland has been crossed by a couple of ditches, but as to whether they are ancient, or more modern (wartime?) I do not know. I was expecting just a large rocky outcrop, but in fact there are many stones here, and it looks like they have been arranged into a sort of rectangular enclosure. The main large stone lies on top of several smaller ones, and it would be possible to get underneath if you really wanted to! Have to say I couldn't really figure it out at all, could it be the sort of remains of an allée couvert, adapted from the natural? Or is it possible that much of the surrounding rectangle of stones is the remains of perhaps a wartime lookout? I dont know. But a fine place to visit.

Pierre au Rey

Trip No.211  Entry No.8  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 10th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Thought a visit here was in order again, on the way back to an early evening ferry at Cherbourg, and it would be nice to see the west coast for a change, on a reasonably pleasant day. Since my first visit, there have been some new roads constructed, presumably to take people to work at the nuclear plant, and a park and ride bus service for them. However, follow the signs to Semaphore, and its still pretty easy. Not much more to say about this monument, several large rounded boulders perched one on top of the others, which prompted Dad to say something along the lines of "I've not seen one like this before"! The cafe is now a restaurant, with no bar or cafe facilities, but it is still possible to view the stones behind it. Closer inspection shows there to be many more stones here, which maybe once formed an entrance and surrounding kerb. We took the time to walk north along the clifftop path for a while, and I was hoping to be able to see the strangely smoothed and curved rocks, but I did not find anything. Amongst the granite outcrops, it was possible to imagine remains of menhirs and hut circles, but I guess this is usually the case in a granite world like this. Turns out this whole area is a bronze age camp, Camp du Castel.

Camp du Castel

Trip No.211  Entry No.9  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 11th Oct 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: We took the time to walk north along the clifftop path for a while, and I was hoping to be able to see the strangely smoothed and curved rocks, but I did not find anything. Amongst the granite outcrops, it was possible to imagine remains of menhirs and hut circles, but I guess this is usually the case in a granite world like this. Turns out this whole area is a bronze age camp, Camp du Castel.

Menhir des Demoiselles (Colombiers-sur-Seulles)

Trip No.211  Entry No.11  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Dec 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Driving slowly past, and noticed that the stone now has a signboard, so stopped for a closer look. The village has made up a walk, with various of its historic features noted. This is now number 4. Its nice to see that these old stones are perhaps now becoming more noticed and better looked after.

Menhir des Planches

Trip No.211  Entry No.12  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Dec 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This was a completely new stone to me until I checked on the Portal a couple of days before this trip, and as its only a mile or so from the big tumulus just had to check it out. About a kilometre to the south of Columbiers-sur-Seulles, cross the river and pass the chateau, the road bends right then left, slightly rising as it passes another big place, where there is room to park. From here the stone can be seen clearly against the skyline, although it is not on the top of the hill. Its a few hundred metres walk up between the fields (very muddy today) to the stone, which is less than 1.5 metres tall, and shaped into about six smooth flat sides, although very irregular. There are several holes and nicks in it, within which are living many small snails, which reminded me of the Drift stones in Cornwall. I have read that there are some cupules in the stone, perhaps there are remains of a couple on the north side, but I am not too convinced by any others. On top the stone is rain worn, and indeed has a large circular hole in the middle, which I think is more likely to be a mounting for an old cross rather then a prehistoric cupule.

Dolmen du Bois de la Plesse

Trip No.211  Entry No.13  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 9th Oct 2010. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Lovely sunny afternoon, so visited here again for a walk with Dad. I was not so sure that this was an ancient dolmen this time round, although the circular surrounding stones were still looking like something not natural or as a result of quarrying.

Les Grosses Devises (E)

Trip No.211  Entry No.14  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd Dec 2011

Log Text: After a coffee and a walk around the harbour at Courseuilles, decided it was tile to go and have a look for these two stones, again which I found recently added to the Portal by Rida. From the maps, it looked easiest to find these stones by going to Thaon (tremendous ancient church "lost" down by the river) crossing the river to the east, then driving up a farm track from Barbieres. The plan sort of worked, and after a mile or so along dirt track between freshly ploughed and sowed fields, the first of the stones, and then the second of the stones can be seen across the fields to the left. But this morning, everything is soaking wet, and trying to find a way across the fields to the stones would have been knee deep in sodden sticky mud. I was content to have now seen both of these stones (and is there bits of others?) across the fields, and to have got pictures of some sort. Can always have another visit at another time. So now on to the ancient church, then to Sara's.

Les Grosses Devises (E)

Trip No.211  Entry No.16  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 27th Dec 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: On the way back to the Ouistreham ferry from Christmas at Sara's, it was a lovely sunny day, and we had made good time, despite a late start out. So after a sandwich for lunch, decided to try and get to these stones from the other side, by walking from the village of Colomby-sur-Thaon. Parked by the Mairie, and walked south west out along a farm track which looked to lead right to the eastern stone. But just a few hundred metres short, the trackway stopped, and we were left at a freshly ploughed and sowed field. After almost a week with no rain, the fields were now much drier, although still sticky and wet in places. I thought I could see a way around the sown field, which would lead to the assumed trackway between the stones, and although we walked this way, it turned out to be horribly muddy, and there was no trackway between the stones after all, just a row of marker plates and stones! However, after a long detour, got to the western stone, which is not much more than a metre in height, and took some pictures. There are other bits of stone here, which may have been broken from the menhir, or maybe just field clearance, or perhaps even remains of other broken stones (I believe that four were recorded in 1912). Not a particularly exciting visit, but nice to have got there. No way of getting to the western stone today from here, so thats one for the future. Back to the car straight across the ploughed field along some tractor wheel marks was much simpler than around the edges, and no muddier.

Les Grosses Devises (W)

Trip No.211  Entry No.17  Date Added: 18th Aug 2026
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Dec 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: After a coffee and a walk around the harbour at Courseuilles, decided it was tile to go and have a look for these two stones, again which I found recently added to the Portal by Rida. From the maps, it looked easiest to find these stones by going to Thaon (tremendous ancient church "lost" down by the river) crossing the river to the east, then driving up a farm track from Barbieres. The plan sort of worked, and after a mile or so along dirt track between freshly ploughed and sowed fields, the first of the stones, and then the second of the stones can be seen across the fields to the left. But this morning, everything is soaking wet, and trying to find a way across the fields to the stones would have been knee deep in sodden sticky mud. I was content to have now seen both of these stones (and is there bits of others?) across the fields, and to have got pictures of some sort. Can always have another visit at another time. So now on to the ancient church, then to Sara's.