Dolmen de la Crête

Trip No.202  Entry No.39  Date Added: 28th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Mayenne (53))
Visited: Yes on 30th Apr 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: To find this allée couverte do not attempt to get to it from the east side through the forest (which looks to be easy on my map but most certainly is not) but proceed towards it from the village of Vautorte a couple of kilometres to the west. Signposted from the village (badly) when you get to near the site there is nowhere to park a camper van although a car may be OK.

This allée couverte is extremely well hidden in Mayenne Forest. The last signpost I saw vaguely pointed into the middle of the forest and any of three tracks could have been the right one ! This being my third attempt to find this (it’s well known from the excavations done here) I didn’t give up and after almost an hour searching I found it. It’s becoming well overgrown despite the fairly recent excavations. The main chamber is about 9 metres long by 1.5 metres wide oriented east west at 080°. Four capstones remain resting on the 11 stone uprights on the north side and 8 on the south side. The entrance is probably from the east end which is only one metre wide and less high and there seems to be a small antechamber at the west end. Some stones of its cairn remain around the outside.

Dolmen de la Creu de Falibe

Trip No.205  Entry No.91  Date Added: 5th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Pyrénées-Orientales 66)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This lovely restored dolmen can be found in the hills to the south of the village of Saint-Michel-de-Llotes. Travelling south, turn left at the village beside the Catalane museum, over the bridge. Follow this road for several kilometres, twisting and turning up into the mountains, to the Col de la Croix de la Falibe. Its further than you would think, and you even start going downhill again before you get there, but once there its obvious, and has a sign to the dolmen along the large track to the left, with plenty of room to park. If you're feeling adventurous, it would be possible to drive along this stoney track, as I was walking along it a car did in fact pass me.

Go about a kilometre along the track, and at the top of the ridge you will fond the dolmen, contained within its circular cairn. The chamber is rectangular, 2.5 m by 1.5 , surrounded on all four sides by upright slabs. The capstone is supported on the two long sides by the side slabs, while at the ends the slabs do not reach the top. The chamber is paved, and has a single capstone on top, which is only 2.5 metres by 1.5 metres, just big enough to cover the chamber. The capstone is heavily carved, and has many cupules, lines and crosses engraved into the top. The crosses are made by joining between 4 small cupules. Some of the cupules are quite large, up to 10 cm in diameter, and these larger cupules are linked together with larger engraved lines, making a sort of fish shape around the capstone. The whole top of the capstone is carved, and is most intriguing. The dolmen itself is contained within the remains of a stone cairn, about 10 metres in diameter, and with large stone edging all the way round.

This is a lovely place to visit, well worth the time, and the views nearby, although not from the dolmen itself, are splendid.

Dolmen de la Croix Blanche (Felletin)

Trip No.204  Entry No.179  Date Added: 21st Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Limousin:Creuse (23))
Visited: Couldn't find on 23rd Jul 2005

Log Text: To the east of Felletin, on the D.10 road to Crocq, is supposedly this dolmen, at the hamlet of Croix Blanche. I looked long and hard but found nothing except for a sign telling me about it, and how it had had a grant from various people for restoration in 1987-89. Apparently its an Angevin dolmen, but whether its in the dense woodland, or in the field of tall sweetcorn, I do not know! There was nobody around to ask.

Dolmen de la Faille

Trip No.203  Entry No.80  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 19th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: An out of the way dolmen a kilometre or so to the west of the village of Rouffignac along the D6 then just south along a lane by the rubbish dump. It’s on a slope in a fenced off field not far from the lane and can be seen from there. There is a brown capstone sitting on a few support stones becoming enclosed by trees.

Dolmen de la Ferme Brûlée

Trip No.202  Entry No.82  Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005

Log Text: Down by the banks of the river Eure are marked on my map a dolmen and polissoir. I couldn’t park close so parked and walked back from some distance away during which time I got soaked by a torrential downpour. I eventually found a house called Le Dolmen but with lots of keep out signs and security devices. Down the far end of the driveway I could see the dolmen and managed a long distance photo of it part hidden by a van. There was no way I could get any sight of the polissoir which was a shame.

Dolmen de la Fontaine au Son 1

Trip No.204  Entry No.109  Date Added: 3rd Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Yes on 17th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: There are two dolmens here, about 30 metres apart, near to the Fontaines de Son water treatment plant. The eastern dolmen is now fenced off, partly because of the water works, but probably also because it looks to be in a dangerous state, It is an Angevin dolmen with a 4m by 2.5 m chamber underneath a single capstone and its entrance to the east. Most of this is however now collapsed.

Dolmen de la Fontaine au Son 2

Trip No.204  Entry No.110  Date Added: 3rd Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Yes on 17th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: There are two dolmens here, about 30 metres apart, near to the Fontaines de Son water treatment plant. The western dolmen is slightly bigger, and in a bit better condition. It seems to have a north south oriented chamber, with two capstones surviving, covering the southern part of the 8 metre long chamber. The northern end has collapsed. It is difficult to tell where the entrance would have been. Oddly, this dolmen has a well tended grassy area besides it, but the dolmen itself is right in the corner and quite overgrown. It is also right on the farm track out the back, and dangerously close to getting bashed with each passing tractor.

Dolmen de la Forêt (Gennes)

Trip No.204  Entry No.79  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 15th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: About half a kilometre to the northwest of La Pierre Longue, and at a junction of lanes can be found this dolmen, right beside the road. It's a typical Angevin dolmen, with its main chamber being 4 metres by 2.5 metres and rectangular, made with large single slabs along the sides and back. It has two capstones, and an internal partition stone which is possibly there to hold the capstones up, however there is a hole through this internal stone, linking the two parts of the chamber. There is a very nice entranceway looking to the east, with its two side slabs and the two door stones very nicely in position with their capstone on top. This could do with a bit of a tidy up.

Dolmen de la Forge

Trip No.202  Entry No.77  Date Added: 29th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Eure (27))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005

Log Text: Having failed to find this after several attempts yesterday, the next day I checked out the position of this dolmen on the ign 1:25000 map in the supermarket and it looked simple to find so thought I’d have another go. Its north of the town on the little road that runs on the west side of the Risle river. Just past the hamlet of La Forge it should be between the very small road and the river.

After I eventually found somewhere to park and walked back about a kilometre the dolmen is nigh on impossible to spot. But there it is in a very private garden with double barbed wire fences a large hedge and guard dogs the dolmen can be spotted through the trees about 70 metres away from the road.

Getting a picture is a different matter! It looks a bit like the one at Verneusses with a large capstone on several supports.

dolmen de la Garde Guerin

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 26th Oct 2009

Log Text: None

Dolmen de la Garenne (La Mothe)

Trip No.204  Entry No.143  Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Dolmen de la Garenne at Villedieu-de-Comblé is fairly easily found from the southern end of the village by following Allée du Dolmen up to the top of the hill and then walking along the footpath to the left into the woods. This is in all just a few hundred metres walk.

The dolmen is in a clearing in the woods, and still mostly within its mound. I cannot be totally sure what this is the remains of, whether it is one chamber with a long and angled passage, or more likely two chambers with entry passageways. The most obvious remnant is a 4m by 3m capstone still sitting above the ground on top of various crumbling support slabs. To the east of this are a lot more stones, which could be the entrance passageway, or the remains of another chamber. From here there is an entrance passageway going off through the mound to the south. It is possible that there are two chambers which both exit to the south.

However, there is just too much undergrowth here, and it has been too messed about with for me to be sure. There are deer in these woods here with me, which I can see as I sit and write this, watching me carefully.

Dolmen de la Grenouille

Trip No.204  Entry No.259  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: The remains of the Dolmen de la Grenouille are the most obvious of all the Dolmens de Chagné here beside the river Eure to the north of the village of Chagné, and stand only a few metres from the village sign.

It is a broken dolmen with two side slabs and a leaning capstone that does indeed look like a frog sticking its head out of water. The chamber is 3 metres in width, but hard to tell how long it would have been, although the capstone is about 6 metres in length. The opening was probably to the southeast, where the capstone sits on the ground.

Dolmen de la Haute Barde

Trip No.204  Entry No.301  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Couldn't find on 11th Aug 2005

Log Text: This dolmen is either in dense woodland, or else on private property for the large chateau, as I can find no sign of it anywhere.

Dolmen de la Jagartière

Trip No.200  Entry No.65  Date Added: 18th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Aude (11))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2000. My rating: Access 4

Log Text: Drive SE from Toulouse to explore Les Montagnes Noire. Revel, Saissac, Mas Cabardès, Chateaux de Lastours, Gorges de la Clamoux, Dolmens, Pic de Nore, Mazamet, Toulouse. These dolmens were up a steep hillside road from Villeneuve Minervois with a tremendous view

Dolmen de la Jagartière

Trip No.205  Entry No.100  Date Added: 9th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Aude (11))
Visited: Yes on 14th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: From the wine village of Villeneuve-Minervois, follow the little windy road northwards for about 4 kilometres into the hills towards Pujol-du-Bosc. This road up into the mountains is now a properly made up road, rather than the dirt track it was 6 years ago. Eventually you will find a parking area and a dolmen sign. Two little signposted walks are arranged, with all sorts of items of interest to see along the way, such as limestone ovens, shepherds huts, and many signs pointing out the various types of vegetation.

From the parking area, take the path to the right from the car park, and after a few hundred metres you will find this splendidly restored dolmen, sitting with wondrous views over the Minervois countryside and the Aude valley to the south. As I sit and write this, theres lots of shouting and horns blowing, is there a hunt on, or is it just shepherds moving their flocks ? The slab sided chamber, 3 metres by 2 metres, is covered with a single large capstone, and has an entry looking over the valley to the southeast at 160°. There is a small cairn surrounding the chamber, of which the excavations showed it to be of diameter only 8.5 metres, with an encircling circle of stones.

It really is superb up here! There's Canigou in the distance to the southeast, and the Meditterranean sea can be seen shimmering on the horizon.

Dolmen de La Madeleine (Carnac)

Trip No.203  Entry No.370  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Blimey, this dolmen is not hidden in dense woodland ! It is to be found in an open field at the top of a little raise, but the field was closed off with an electric fence, so I didn’t go in to see the dolmen at close quarters.

Dolmen de la Madeleine (Gennes)

Trip No.204  Entry No.75  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen 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: What a monster this is, its bigger than my house ! Easily found just to the south of Gennes, beside the D.69 road to Doué, at the top of the hill. Cannot be missed. It's a fairly simple thing, but the proportions are enormous.

The rectangular chamber is 11 metres long, 4.5 metres wide and 3.5 metres high inside, made with massive slabs. Three 5.5 metre wide capstones are held up on three side slabs each side, with a fourth added on the north side to help hold it all up.

The back slab has been cut to make access, and its not to any surprise this has been lived in in the past, and it has an internal wall and large round oven type thing. The chamber faces east, and has unfortunately suffered much vandalism - it is obviously used as a den by people - many fires are in evidence, and graffitti. Overall its a bit too industrial for my taste !

Dolmen de la Madeleine (Gennes)

Trip No.204  Entry No.91  Date Added: 20th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 16th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Went back as my photos were out of focus, having forgotten to switch off the macro function yesterday.

Dolmen de la Madeleine d’Albesse

Trip No.205  Entry No.97  Date Added: 8th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Aude (11))
Visited: Yes on 14th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Walk just more than a kilometer southwest along the track along the top of the ridge from the bends in the D.3 road to the north of Monze. The dolmen can then be found in a bank to the left of the trackway, on top of the ridge.

I couldn’t be sure whether the dolmen was made on a natural ridge, or whether there is a large mound built around it, its probably a bit of both. The chamber itself is quite large, but a bit of a wreck these days. It looks to be a sort of V shaped chamber 6 metres in length and up to 3 metres wide and is open to the east at about 118°, which looks right along the valley below the ridge. Its quite a high chamber too, and there would be plenty of room to stand up within it. Unfortunately, although the sides are well defined, there is only one capstone, and this is dislodged to one side, near to the back of the chamber. A few metres to the east of the main chamber is a slab lined pit in the mound, about a metre square and the same deep. Whether this was another part of the original tomb or not, I cannot tell.

I have to say it was a pleasant walk along the ridge despite the intense heat, through lovely smelling pine and juniper scrub, with very pleasant views of rocky hills and vine rich valleys below. There is also lots of exotic insect life up here too, I disturbed a praying mantis at one point, which flew off in a flash of green. Just to the northwest of the dolmen and mound, it looks like there may well be another artificial mound, but this one is very overgrown and impossible to get onto to have a closer look.

Dolmen de la Maison-Trouvée

Trip No.204  Entry No.14  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is an Angevin type dolmen with a massive rectangular chamber still mostly buried within its tree covered mound. The chamber is about 4.5 metres by 2.5 metres and is topped by a massive 6 metres by 3 metres capstone. As often seems to be the case with the Angevin dolmens I have seen, the side slabs are accurately shaped so that they fit together extremely well, and the whole chamber is very straight sided and regular. Unusually, the portal doorway opens towards the west. I cannot tell how high the chamber is, or whether there is a floor, as the thing is still half buried. The circular mound, about 20 metres in diameter, has lots and lots of white quartz stones in its makeup. It has been dated to about 3000 BC. It is signposted and easily found from the village of Monterrein.