Mont Joly

Trip No.202  Entry No.13  Date Added: 26th Mar 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This is a promontory site surrounded on three sides by the steep gorge of the river Laizon and the eastern end has been defended by ramparts little of which can now be seen between the church and water tower. The site has been inhabited and defended since Paleolithic times and artefacts have been found from all times since this. It is said that although little ancient remains can be seen they are everywhere underfoot and every molehill will contain several flints and pottery sherds. This region was a major supplier of flint tools in the past and there is much to be found here.

Langrais menhirs

Trip No.202  Entry No.12  Date Added: 26th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 23rd Apr 2005

Log Text: Two large menhirs in a field to the east of the village near Mont Joly but which are 500 metres from the road across a field surrounded by barbed wire and with very clear keep out signs. One of the two menhirs stands 3.6 metres high while the other is fallen.

In the region around here are many other large stones some of which may well be fallen menhirs and indeed perhaps a row can be determined in the lane called “Route des Menhirs”.

La Pierre Cornue

Trip No.202  Entry No.11  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: A very large menhir in disturbed ground which looks to be an old stone quarry just behind the Mairie which is just to the west of the main street a few hundred metres south of the church. The menhir is made of a strange sort of stony conglomerate and is a strange shape and contains many holes. It is more than 4 metres high 2.5 metres wide and over a metre thick at the base although the main part of the stone is about half a metre thick.

La Butte du Hu

Trip No.202  Entry No.10  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 23rd Apr 2005

Log Text: North of the village of Ernes several hundred metres up a farm track from the hamlet of Vey d’Ifs on the top of the ridge this large chambered tumulus can be seen just within a field growing crops so I did not enter.

Bretteville-le-Rabet

Trip No.202  Entry No.9  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Not marked on any map I was told of this place by a man who collects flint artefacts I met at Cairon so I went for a quick look. Nothing much to see but the fields here were freshly ploughed and within 5 minutes of looking along the edges of the fields by the roadside I had found 4 worked flint artefacts.

Pierre Tourneresse (Gouvix)

Trip No.202  Entry No.8  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 23rd Apr 2005

Log Text: Not marked on my ign map and finding no map within the village I gave up without really trying to find the supposed menhir near here. I believe it is in the grounds of the local chateau and wasn’t going to spend a lot of time being unable to find it.

La Hoguette

Trip No.202  Entry No.7  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 1 Ambience 1 Access 5

Log Text: Despite all records stating that this large round tumulus with 8 passage graves is no longer there the remains are quite easy to find within the village. It remains today as a green grassy area within a housing estate surrounded by roads called something like Rue la Tumulus and Rue La Hoguette. There is a large diameter mound with a slight hollow in the middle and remains of some form of signpost.

La Hogue

Trip No.202  Entry No.6  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 23rd Apr 2005

Log Text: Despite being signed from the main road and having a Bar le Tumulus nearby the excavated remains of this large round barrow with 12 internal burial chambers is fenced off within a field of rapeseed. What was once a guardian with a key to the site in the nearby house was today a lady who told me that “Il est fermée monsieur”.

Pierre Tourneresse, Cairon

Trip No.202  Entry No.5  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: I wasn’t expecting to find much here if anything at all as all the information I had of this site was a menhir symbol on my ign map. But as I was passing I decided to have a look anyway and luckily stopped to look at my map right by a little road at the east of the southern end of the village with a sign to “Pierre Tourneresse”. So I followed it down to the end of a little modern housing estate and parked. A further signpost at the end of the road points to Pierre Tourneresse 300 metres distant. Turn left here and stick to the back of the houses rather than go straight on up the hill.

What a lovely site this is. In a little dip down near the stream is a newly made and signposted enclosure which at the time of my visit was still under construction with a ring of trees being planted well around the outside of it. Inside the enclosure is the remains of a large approximately round cairn which has a diameter of about 19 metres and is edged all around with dry stone walling within which are two chambers.

The main chamber is large stone lined chamber in approximately the middle of the cairn which has a seven metre long entrance passage which exits to the east of the cairn at a bearing of 100° magnetic. The chamber is approximately rectangular dimensions about 4 to 5 metres in length by 3 metres in width and is made with large upright slabs with drystone walling between. At various positions around this large chamber there seem to be smaller alcoves or features. The second much smaller chamber opens to the west side and is positioned approximately opposite to the main chamber entrance with an alignment of 269°. It is about 3.5 metres long and opens up to about 2 metres in width at its maximum. It is made with drystone walling only and has a ledge of some sort along its northern side.

Outside the cairn at a distance of about 15 metres in a northwesterly direction are two very large stones. I wondered whether these were once menhirs which marked the position of the cairn (these northern French cairns are often associated with menhirs) and which would explain the marking of menhir on the ign maps. Looking at these stones more closely however suggested that it is much too wide to have been a menhir so I wondered whether the stones were the remains of the chamber capstone. I spent quite a lot of time here the place seemed to give off a nice happy atmosphere which was probably helped by the fact that for once one of these much neglected ancient Normandy monuments is being lovingly cared for and looked after what was probably many years of neglect.

As I was leaving I met a man walking his dog and asked if he knew anything about the site. By an amazing stroke of luck I had met one of the few people in France who has an interest in these ancient sites and who collects flint artefacts ! Despite the language problems we talked for about half an hour about things. He told me that the cairn had been much more complete up until the war during which the Germans had used it as a shelter and gun emplacement. As they were leaving after the D-Day invasion they went about destroying it and the two large stones are indeed the remains of the capstone to the main chamber. He also told me that an excavation of the site was done 5 years ago and the restoration has been going on since then.

We got on to discussing other sites in the region and other than the various sites I knew about (he was surprised indeed to find an Englishman who knew anything about any of these places and seemed very interested when I told him I intended to write a book) and he told me of a menhir nearby he knew which was destroyed only a couple of years ago by a farmer who didn’t want it in the middle of one of his fields. He also showed me on my map a couple of places where he goes to find flint items one of which he called a quarry. He said that if I went to one of these places he showed me then if the fields were recently ploughed I would almost certainly find some worked flint items and that he had a collection of over 700 items. He also then told me in detail how to find the two polisher stones near Mont Joly which was of great interest as I would probably not have even looked if I had no detailed information to go on. It was very nice to meet a man like this particularly on my first real day of French stonehunting and it made me think that the whole trip is going to go well.

Menhir de la Demoiselle de Bracqueville

Trip No.202  Entry No.4  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 23rd Apr 2005

Log Text: Despite being marked on the ign map and having a description of how to find this 1.4 metre tall stone I could find no reasonable place to park down the farm track to Bracqueville before a 500 metre walk so didn’t bother. I could see no sign of the stone from anywhere in the vicinity.

Menhir dit Pierre Debout (Reviers)

Trip No.202  Entry No.3  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Couldn't find on 29th Dec 2005

Log Text: Despite being marked on the ign map and having a good look all around I could find no sign of any menhir here. Perhaps it is fallen and somewhere within a field of oilseed Rape.

Later note. Having seen the 1:25000 ign map of the area the menhir is marked fairly close to the corner of the road and farm track right where I was looking originally. As I suspected the menhir must be fallen and hidden within the crop.

Colombiers-sur-Seulles tumulus

Trip No.202  Entry No.2  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: A long barrow which has been excavated and destroyed several times in the past but which has recently been restored to some form of its former glory by local enthusiasts. It is situated about half a kilometre east of the village just beyond the menhir signposted in a little copsed area just south of the road.

The barrow is about 50 metres in length and about 9 metres in width at the narrow west end and 18 metres width at the wide eastern end with an orientation of 280°. It is about 5 metres in height at its maximum and has several drystone walled sections running around it. In the middle of the mound is a little circular burial chamber about 2.5 metres in diameter with its entrance chamber running from the north side at an orientation of 010°. The chamber is made using 6 large upright stones with drystone walling between them but how much is now original is not known. The view along the entrance chamber does not see over the local horizon which is just a hundred metres or so distant. At the smaller western end there is a pair of large upright stones set into the external wall and as far as I can find once formed the entrance to another smaller burial chamber.

This is obviously now a well looked after and cared for monument set within a fenced off area using rustic fencing and also within the area are a mock up of an ancient oven and some hearths. with drystone walling between them but how much is now original is not known.

Menhir des Demoiselles (Colombiers-sur-Seulles)

Trip No.202  Entry No.1  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Calvados (14))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just over 2 metres in height this menhir is set in its own little grassy area beside the road junction just uphill to the east of the village. It is a square pillar with several holes and indentations and has been broken in the past at both top and bottom (probably during the war) and is now remounted on a concrete post.

While I was here it was sunny between the clouds there was a bike race going on past the stone and an old warplane flying above which all added to a nice French rural scene

Allée Couverte d'Haye d'Ectot

Trip No.201  Entry No.20  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd Nov 2004

Log Text: To the south of Moitiers d'Allonne is the community of La Haye D’Ectot, which supposedly has its own Allée Couverte, which is often confused with the above. Not marked on any maps I have, I called in at the village admin centre, at this time of day now closed. Outside this was the community map and footpath guide with places of interest marked on it, but I could find no reference to any megalithic monument.

Autel des Druides des Moitiers d'Allonne

Trip No.201  Entry No.19  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: To the east of Moitiers d'Allonne, just a few miles northeast of Barneville-Carteret, can be found “Autel des Druides des Moitiers d'Allonne”, also known as the Allée Couverte de Grand Breuil. Situated near the top of a hill along a small road north of the D.902, this monument can be found signposted down a farm trackway, but finding anywhere to park in the vicinity was not easy. It is also signposted from the village of Les Moitiers d'Allonne.

Approximately 20 metres in length, and on a north – south axis, this Allée Couverte was rebuilt in the 1960’s after having been partially buried and used as a cattle shelter. The width between the two rows of stones is about 1.5 to 2 metres, and there are at least 6 capstones in place with a height of about 1.5 metres underneath. When I was there, the Northern half of the Allée was clear of vegetation and open to get inside, while the southern half was in a very overgrown state. The surrounding field had been ploughed right up to the edges of the monument, and in some places at the south end damage had occurred.

Pierre au Rey

Trip No.201  Entry No.18  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Perched high on the cliff top near Cap de Flamanville can be found this strange antiquity, situated in the small garden behind a café, right on the cliff edge. Easily found to the west of Flamanville, just follow signs to “Semaphore” and where the road runs out there is a car park and picnic site as well as the café.

It consists of four large rounded rocks, and doesn’t look like any other dolmen I have ever seen. At first, the rocks look like natural big rounded pebbles, in some kind of pile, but how did they get there like that ? Closer inspection reveals several other stones on the landward side, obviously placed in their position, which would have at one point formed some kind of entranceway to the main chamber, which consists of three large rocks forming a triangular shape, with the fourth rock balanced on top.

A couple of the large rocks have carvings on them, including a human form on the top boulder, but it is unknown as to whether these carvings are ancient or from more modern times, when it was used as a lookout point by the customs men. Some theories suggest that this is not a dolmen in the usual sense of the word, but some kind of ancient seagoing navigational mark.

There were in years gone past, other megalithic monuments in this area, in the form of large menhirs now destroyed, but of which the names and records survive. One of these called La Pierre-aux-Serpents, was 9 metres in height, but was destroyed around 1725 during construction of the chateau. Another, to the southeast at Percaillerie, was 5 metres in height but destroyed in 1890. It is also thought that there may once have been another of these cliff top dolmens at Corb to the north, destroyed before 1880 and of which no trace remains today under the nuclear power station.

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.

Fort Joret allée couverte

Trip No.201  Entry No.16  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: In a field overlooking the sea, with splendid views over the rocky beach, can be found the remains of this very ruinous Allée Couverte. It is about 500 metres along the coast path to the southwest of Fort Joret, in the Commune de Fermanville, just a few miles east of Cherbourg.

Estimated to have originally been about 17 metres in length, it runs in a north to south direction. The northern part of the remains are very ruined, with only a few stones here and there laying on the ground. The southern part of the tomb is in much better, but still very ruined and overgrown condition, and difficult to get to see in detail. The width of this part is much greater than the northern part, of the order 2.5 metres, and several large slabs remain in position.

Pierre Plantée (Cosqueville)

Trip No.201  Entry No.15  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: In a field to the south of the road running east out of Cosqueville can be seen this large menhir, 3 metres in height. It is possible to park nearby, and I walked round the edge of a field to get a nearer view of the stone which is in the middle of a field beside a quarry. It is a nicely shaped stone, looking to be wider at the top than the bottom, with a sort of nob on the top, and with grooves running down its sides, probably due to rain erosion.

La Haute Pierre (St-Pierre-Eglise)

Trip No.201  Entry No.14  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: In a field to the northeast of St-Pierre-Eglise can be seen this large menhir, almost 3 metres in height. It is probably possible to get to fairly nearby, but it would have meant walking through an absolute stinking swamp caused by cattle at the field gateway. So I satisfied myself with a long distance view from the higher road beside a small chapel, a distance of about 100 metres for my photograph.