Menhir dit la Roche

Trip No.204  Entry No.262  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 7th Aug 2005

Log Text: I had a good look around, but could not find this

Hertubise dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.269  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: On my ign map, there is a dolmen symbol just to the south of the village of Alluyes, but its on the opposite side of the river to where I could drive to. Between the road and the river are houses and gardens, with lots of trees and high hedges, which prevented me from seeing anything of the Hertubise dolmen. There was a farm here with the right name though, so the dolmen probably exists somewhere.

Polissoir de la Vieuville

Trip No.204  Entry No.271  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: I was told by the lady I met at Pierre de Beaumont that there is another dolmen in Vieuville, but she didn't know how to find it. I had a look around but could find nothing obvious myself.

Bonneval dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.272  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: I could find nothing of this, despite having a good look all around. There are likely remains of a round mound in the fields here though.

Baignon dolmens

Trip No.204  Entry No.274  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

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 du Baignon. Remains of at least 5 dolmens can be found in a field beside the river near to Memillon Chateau in the commune of St-Maur-sur-le-Loir. I have numbered the 5 dolmens in the order in which I visited them, which was roughly in an east to west direction.

Tréfoux deux menhirs

Trip No.205  Entry No.267  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Marked on my ign map to the southeast of Bagneux are menhirs. Driving along the little road that passes them is lots of what looks like natural stone outcropping, and perhaps the remains of a dolmen. However, near to a corner in the road are two standing rocks, which are clearly not naturally like that. One is about 1 metre tall, the other about 1.2 metres tall. Around them are many more rocks. It is not difficult to see what is perhaps an alignment of 5 or 6 rocks with others fallen. Or perhaps it is the remains of an allée couverte type structure. I am not sure exactly what is going on here, but it is a nice spot in the forest. A bit further along the road to the west is what seems to be the remains of another fallen menhir or two.

Pierre Levée (Liniez)

Trip No.205  Entry No.264  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just outside the village of Liniez, along the D.926 road towards Vatan, and to the right of the road can be seen the remains of this allée couverte. It was probably an Angevin type allée couverte, but there are no obvious remains of the porchway. The remains of the chamber are 10 metres long by 4 metres wide, and it was probably covered by four capstones, of which three remain in various positions, from still in place at the back end, sloping in the middle and flat on the ground at the front. Several side slabs remain, as does the backslab, and there is evidence of a possible internal partition, although it could be bits of broken capstone. The back cell of the chamber is still all nicely erect, making this a pleasant monument to visit. It is all orientated towards the east at 070°.

Pierre Couverte de Bué

Trip No.205  Entry No.269  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: A couple of kilometres to the southeast of the village of Bagneux near to the hamlet of Bué, can be found this dolmen in a lovely situation in the forest. The dolmen is well signposted from all around, and from a parking place at Bué it is about 400 metres walk. The large capstone, 6m by 4m sits on top of a chamber 5m by 3m. It has a backstone and six sidestones in various positions of uprightness. The capstone is between 1 and 1.5 metres above the ground.

It has got its own bench nearby on which to sit and contemplate, with falling acorns a hazard, and a woodpecker pecking away amongst other things. This really is a lovely spot, and so gets a 5 for ambience.

I will make this my last megalithic site on my 6 months trip round France, it really is a nice place to finish on, and an unexpected dolmen at that.

It is now 2:30pm, and I really ought to be getting on driving back towards my sister's. Romorantin, Blois (roadworks), Vendome (Roadworks, big crane, school traffic), St-Calais (terrible traffic), Le Mans (rain, traffic jams), Alencon (slow traffic), Argentan, Flers (dug up, closed roads, diversions within diversions). It takes forever to find Vire, now in the complete dark, St-Lo (more diversions) and finally back to Sara's at about 9:30pm. I was amazed I didn't get tired or dozy at all while driving. Parked with 117630 km on the clock, 545 for today. Sausages and eggs (yummy), large beer, then to bed after seeing a depressing news on the telly. I've not missed missing all the bad news from around the world while away in my campervan.

La Pierre Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.261  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: It was a bit of a struggle to find this, due to several of the roads being closed for some reason. However, take the D.23 road southwest from Moulins-sur-Céphons towards St Martin-de-Lamps. About midway between the two is the hamlet of La Pierre, and there are signs to the dolmen. It is about 800 metres walk from the road, round the back of the houses.

What I found is probably the remains of an Angevin dolmen with a large 6 m by 3 m chamber, made with a single backstone, two sidestones each side with two capstones, the rear one in place, the forward one broken and fallen into the chamber. There are signs of an entry portal, now all a bit broken. Some of the stones are massive thick chunks, not nice slim slabs.

La Pierre cromlech

Trip No.205  Entry No.262  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Couldn't find on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: While at the La Pierre dolmen, I could find no signs of any cromlech. Perhaps the form of the sideslabs of the dolmen was enough for this to once be thought of as a cromlech ?

Les Chateliers

Trip No.205  Entry No.263  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: At the village of Moulins-sur-Céphons is a reconstruction of an ancient Gallic village. I did not visit.

Liniez Tumulus elliptique

Trip No.205  Entry No.265  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: Just outside the village of Liniez, along the D.926 road towards Vatan, and to the left of the road about a kilometre beyond the dolmen is the remains of a large tumulus. I found it difficult to stop here, and there was lots of fenced off land and woodland, so I didn't get to see this directly.

Pierre Levée de Boisy

Trip No.205  Entry No.268  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Couldn't find on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: The village of Bagneux has a signposted footpath of length 5.5 km which takes in three megalithic sites. One of these sites is this menhir. I didn't have time to do the full walk, and without a detailed map, and no obvious signs to the menhir, I didn't really know where to look. I have since found this menhir marked on a detailed map, and it would have perhaps been a fairly simple few hundred metres walk from the Bellevue farm.

Pierre Percée (Draché)

Trip No.205  Entry No.8  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: A few kilometres to the south of the village of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine along the N.10, and this stone is signposted, less than a kilometre to the west along a minor road. The stone has its own little parking area and explanatory signpost, and is set in a nice open grassy area.

The stone is about 3.5 metres tall, slightly leaning and pointing skywards. About two thirds of the way up is an intriguing hole through the stone, oval in shape, about 25 cm by 20 cm, which is perhaps natural.

This menhir has many legends associated with it, and it is said that if children or babies are passed through the hole, they will be cured and immune to various diseases. There is also a legend that the stone was used for sacrifices, and that all of the parts of the sacrificial body must be passed through the hole. It is thought that it may originally have been some form of marker stone for a nearby ancient cemetery, now no longer to be seen.

La Pierre Fondue

Trip No.205  Entry No.9  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This dolmen can be found about 100 metres up a track behind the hamlet of Bommiers, which is a couple of kilometres to the south of the village of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine down the N.10. It is about one kilometre to the north of the Pierre Percée. Once you reach the hamlet, it is signposted, and sits in a field which had been harvested when I was here, so was able to visit the dolmen properly.

The dolmen has a single capstone sitting 2 metres high on top of two large side supports and a backstone, and seems to have been moved to the back where it overhangs a lot. The rectangular chamber is about 4 metres by 2.5 metres in size, and faces almost due south. There are a few other stones at the southern end, suggesting either a continuation of the chamber, or perhaps an Angevine portal entrance, but these are fallen and it is not easy to tell what.

Pierre Chaude

Trip No.205  Entry No.10  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: About a kilometre to the east of the village of Neuilly, on the road to Paulmy, can be found this nice dolmen, about 50 metres to the south of the road in a hazlenut grove, and signposted.

The dolmen has a large single capstone which is now broken, sat on top of 6 support stones making a rectangular chamber about 3 metres by 3 metres internal dimensions, and almost 2 metres high at the top. The entrance to the dolmen is through a cut side stone at the eastern side, which has the opening made at the top.

The dolmen was excavated in the 19th century, and several skeletons were found, along with animal bones, polished stones, flint items and pottery. Nearby is the permanent spring of Fonteny, about 200 metres to the south.

Coeur de Birette

Trip No.205  Entry No.12  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: In the gardens of the Chateau de Grand Pressigny are, amongst many other things, a polissoir stone called (I believe) the Coeur de Birette ???.

Grand-Pressigny Musée de la Préhistoire

Trip No.205  Entry No.11  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Museum Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Museum of prehistory contained within the remains of the ruined Chateau de Grand Pressigny, this is a wonderful place to visit. In a little village on the edge of a plateau, the castle is on a steep sided headland with a huge ditch cut to protect it from the fourth side. This place has been lived in and defended since the year dot. For €4 entry fee, you not only get to visit the castle, but also a fossils exhibition, the prehistory museum, and any other temporary exhibitions that may be held here. The castle is excellent, with curtain walls and towers, dungeons, an excellent gatehouse, a superb keep, a large tower and some magnificent cellars and underground passages crossing from one side to the other, all of which can be visited. In the gardens are, amongst many other things, a polissoir stone (called the Coeur de Birette?) and a bit of an iron age stele.

The chateau is right in the middle of one of the greatest prehistoric regions in the world, where people have lived since before people existed. Cave shelters etc have been identified which go back millions of years. And then there is the silex (flint) for which this region is world renowned. This is a yellowish kind of flint which occurs in huge nodules (livres de beurre), which can be split into many fine and long blades, and which have been worked here for an eternity. Blades up to 30 cm long have been found in the region, and they were traded to places all over western Europe. This is one of the most important places in the western world until the advent of the bronze age. In the prehistory museum, there are some wonderful items, ranging from the ancient paleolithic up to the iron age and then the coming of the Romans. Superb.

La Grotte aux Fées

Trip No.204  Entry No.299  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 11th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This fine dolmen can be found just to the north of the village of Mettray. Follow the road beside the sports stadium along the railway line for about a kilometre, and it is in a bunch of trees across a field to the right, down a little track and with a parking area. It's a large monumentwith a main chamber about 10 metres long by4 metres wide, with three large capstones sitting on top of three side slabs each side, and a single large backstone. The central capstone is massive, and is almost 2 metres thick on the south side. The chamber faces almost due east at 095°, and there is one stone standing, and one fallen stone in place of what is most likely an Angevin porchway. At the back of the first set of stones, there is an internal stone dividing the chamber into two parts, as is often the case with these large chambers. It is a shame, but as is often the case with these nocely presented dolmens, it is much abused, and suffers from the usual collection of broken beer bottles, graffitti(lots of heavy metal stuff in this case) and bonfires, one of which has obviously been lit inside the entry chamber and made a horrible mess. Just what is up with these people ? Although the double ring of trees around the dolmen make for a nice shady area, they do prevent decent photographs from being taken.

Dolmen du Château de Pierrefitte

Trip No.204  Entry No.298  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 10th Aug 2005

Log Text: It's difficult to get to see this dolmen, as it resides in the grounds of a big private chateau, and cannot be visited. However I was just able to catch a glimpse of it from the front gate of the house. It is in the parkland at the east side, with trees around it. It looks a nice tidy dolmen with capstone still in place.