Toenno menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.565  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This little menhir now gets a drink most days at high tide, as it is situated in the marshes at the edge of the sea, and a high tide surrounds it. The menhir is less than 2 metres tall, but it is pleasantly shaped. It can be reached easily from a nearby track and carpark.

Dolmen de Lann Kerellec

Trip No.203  Entry No.564  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: This dolmen is situated in somebody's garden, but it can be seen through the fence and over the wall from the roadside. It is probably the remains of an allée couverte.

Parc-ar-Peulvennic

Trip No.203  Entry No.566  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This menhir can be reached only by getting wet feet at a very high tide, as it is right on the edge of the land in the marsh area near to Ile Grande. The stone is just over 2 metres tall, and has been incorporated into a wall, but it is a splendid stone to go and see. It is now incorporated into a local "Megalithic Trail", details of which can be obtained from the local tourist office.

Ty-Lia (Ile Renote)

Trip No.203  Entry No.568  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: This allée couverte is now a bit of a garden feature within the grounds of a large house on the island of Ile Renote, and is not on public property. Made from the lovely pink granite that everything is round here, the remains are about 8 metres in length and have only one capstone still in place, with another one fallen.

Closer investigation suggests that there may be remains of a lateral entry and peristalith but its difficult to tell. This place is surrounded by magnificent rocks and coastline, and a walk around this island is thoroughly recommended to everybody.

Trois-Tables-en-Place

Trip No.203  Entry No.563  Date Added: 3rd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 24th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: The Trois-Tables-en-Place is a bit of a monster allée couverte, on the little island of Ile-Milliau which is reachable by foot only an hour or so each side of low tide. It is situated on a low flat spot just behind the farm buildings, in pretty much the middle of the island.

It has three capstones still on top of the upright supports, hence it's name, and there is at least another one fallen at the eastern end. It is about 14 metres long by 2 metres wide, and more than 2 metres high, with more than enough room to comfortably stand up inside.

What a lovely situation this is in, out in the sea amongst all these rocks and islets. The island itself is now a nature reserve and the previous buildings are uninhabited. This is a smashing place, and well worth the effort of a visit. There are rabbits hopping around everywhere, but a pity it has started to rain.

Île-Coalen allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.577  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: The remains of this monument can be found at low tide on the beach at the southwestern corner of Ile Coalen, which is just offshore from the mainland at the northwest entry to the Trieux river estuary. The island can be reached by walking from the mainland when the tide is out.

It is the remains of an allée couverte, the chamber of which has an orientation of 155°, the length of which was indeterminate to me. At the northwestern end is the remains of a seperate cell a couple of metres in length. Several side slabs, plus the two cross slabs are still in position, but the rest of it is a bit of a jumble, and has been knocked about a bit over the years. There is possibly the remains of a peristalith around it, or perhaps its bits of broken capstone, I cannot tell.

I enjoy coming to these island places - much more fun to come to than a field wall or suchlike.

Tossen-Keler Cromlech (1964-2018)

Trip No.203  Entry No.573  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: For a reason unknown to me, the 40 metre diameter and 7 metres high Tossen Keler tumulus from Penvénan was excavated and totally removed in about 1960. The horseshoe of stones (cromlech) that surrounded it were moved to a position in a little public garden on the quayside here at the pleasant old port town of Tréguier. Much of the horseshoe is here, but there was once a few stones with engravings on them, which are now in some museum or other somewhere, and have been replaced here with more modern stones.

I remember this as a pleasant grassy park from my previous visit, but when I revisited in 2005, apart from the grass within it, it is in a massive dusty car and bus park, looking very unloved. Its a shame.

Menhir de Kermarker

Trip No.203  Entry No.572  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Couldn't find on 25th Jun 2005

Log Text: This menhir is suposedly right beside the road, but I could not find it. According to the map, it is just into the woodland, which is exceedingly densely covered in ferns, and inaccsessible.

Menhir de Kervéniou

Trip No.203  Entry No.570  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 2

Log Text: This little menhir, which I estimate to be about 2.5 metres tall, can just be seen in a private garden round the back of a house. It is difficult to get to see, if indeed it is what I saw.

Kerpeulven Menhir (Penvénan)

Trip No.203  Entry No.571  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This pleasant menhir is about 4 metres tall, and trapped in a garden about 250 metres north of the church along Rue de Menhir in the village of Penvénan. It is however only a few metres from the road, and easily visible from it.

Tour-ar-Varquez

Trip No.203  Entry No.576  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Two standing and one fallen stone make up this alignement of stones in a field wall to the northeast of Pleubian. The two standing stones are about 2.5 metres tall, but the fallen one is of indeterminate length and lost in the undergrowth. It is situated about 100 metres across a field beside the road north from St Antoine. The orientation is 065°.

Men-ar-Rompet

Trip No.203  Entry No.575  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: The remains of this allée couverte, "the Giants Stones", sit within a field wall (which is no doubt the reason for its survival) just 25 metres from the sea at high tide, near to the entrance of the Tréguier estuary. The chamber is quite short at about 6 metres, probably due to the eastern end being destroyed. The western end is intact with not only a back stone, but also an internal dividing stone a couple of metres in. Three capstones sit in place, with another one fallen at the east.

This would be a lovely place to sit and watch the boats and birds on a nice day, but a sea fog has developed and is enveloping everything, so the visibility is lacking. So much for my plans to go to the big sand spit (Siillon de Talbert) later. Uh Oh, its now started to rain. This allée couverte is signposted from the nearby Kerbors village, and is just a few hundred metres walk from a parking place.

Allée couverte de Mélus

Trip No.203  Entry No.574  Date Added: 28th Oct 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Despite looking very difficult to get to on the maps, this allée couverte is actually very easy to find, as a new housing development has been made, with the roads through it signposted to the allée couverte, and then a little trackway made up to it. The monument is now contained within a little walled area in the fields, a couple of hundred metres from a parking area.

It is about 14 metres long, with an orientation of 110°, with the entrance on the southern side, about two thirds the way along from the western end. The passageway is about 1.5 metres wide and less than a metre high, and still covered with nine capstones. Traces of a mound exist, particularly at the west end.

It looks to me as though it has been messed about with substantially, and maybe rebuilt fairly recently, as lots of the stones have sharpish edges, and don't look weathered right. It is also suffering from being where it is, and it is now a bit of a childrens playground, with the rubbish and suchlike that that entails. Still, it is here with us today.

Caillouan Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.579  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a massive 8 metre tall menhir which is positioned very near to a spring. It is rectangular shaped at the bottom, but gets larger as its height increases. The front (southern) face is lovely and flat, looking down the valley.

It is well signposted, and lives in a little grassy area of woodland, and is apparently well looked after. Just below is another lump of stone which I thought was meant to have been broken from the top in the 1960's, but unless the remainder of the stone has been reshaped and well weathered, I cant see where it was broken from. Perhaps it was once a pair of stones.

Liscuis 3 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.581  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

This seems to be a V shaped dolmen rather than a pure allée couverte with its chamber widening from less than a metre wide to greater than two metres wide for the main part. Approximately 12 metres long, it has three capstones in place, and faces approximately west at 210°.

It is suffering very badly, not only from graffitti, but also official damage in the form of footpath sign paintings and markings. There is a separate cell at the back, with an entry doorstone, at an angle, making a triangular entrance.

Liscuis 2 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.582  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

A bit further along the ridge than the other two, and off the main path, this one seems to have suffered a bit less from the vandalism. It faces north at 010° and is about 14 metres long, up to 2.5 metres wide, and 2 metres high, with the southern 3 metres being a seperate cell, both ends narrow down to only a metre wide. It has a paved floor, but there is only one capstone remaining in place. It is still mostly within its mound.

Liscuis 1 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.583  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

Right beside the busy (on a June Sunday afternoon) GR37 footpath, this allée couverte is suffering badly from neglect and vandalism. The chamber is 11 metres in length, and oriented to the east at 070°. Just two capstones are in place on the chamber which varies from 1 metre wide at the ends, to 2 metres wide at the middle. Part of the surrounding mound survives. There is a terminal cell at the western end, and a doorstone at the eastern end.

Coët Correc allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.584  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A few kilometres to the east of Liscuis can be found this nice allée couverte. Once off the busy N.?? Road, it is thankfully signposted, as it's a bit of a tortuous journey to get there. From a parking place up a steep lane, it's then several hundred metres of walking, some of which is overgrown, to find the monument.

Once you get there, you are immediately taken aback by what has happened to it, presumably as an act of christianisation, as a large double staircased calvary has been built right over the end of the chamber ! A most interesting feature !

The prehistoric remains are of an 11 metre long allée couverte, facing east at 095°, but with a lateral entry on the southern side near the eastern end. The main chamber is about 1.5 metres wide, up to 2 metres tall, and is paved, but has only the two westernmost capstones still in place. There is a little vestibule arrangement south of the entry, which is blocked off with two doorstones, which have an oval entrance carved into them, which is only just big enough for me to squeeze through, a very nice feature. A pity it was all a bit overgrown though.

Tanouëdou tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.578  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a large bronze age tumulus, diameter 40 metres and height 6 metres, which once contained a tomb made of wood and stone within which were found many bronze weapons, gold studs and jewelry when excavated in 1865. It is signposted and found on top of a hill behind a farm to the south east of Bourbriac. There are several other smaller tumuli nearby.

La Roche (Uzel)

Trip No.203  Entry No.587  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This little menhir is probably about 2.5 metres tall, standing on the slopes above the road and stream, positioned just outside a wood, making it visible from the road. I thought this to be a strange place for a menhir, on a slope this steep.