Mané Braz menhirs

Trip No.203  Entry No.403  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just the other side of the footpath to the Mané Braz dolmens, down the hill, is a line of large stones still standing, each about a metre high. There are many other stones. I have no idea what this may be. Maybe a wrecked tomb of some kind.

Mané Braz tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.401  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: I am surprised yet again. Up on a hilltop a few hundred metres from the Chemin des Megalithes trackway (use off road bike) is signposted Mané Braz, up a little footpath.

The first thing you see is a lot of stones, which upon inspection are a double transepted passage grave similar to Mané Groh dolmen. The main passage is about 7 metres long facing south east, and has 4 chambers at the northwestern end, which are about 2 m by 1.5 m each. Most of the capstones are in place, except for the largest central one at the junction of all the chambers. The main entrance is a bit low, and a crawl to get through, but entry is easily possible through the end of one of the side chambers. Terrific.

A bit further up the hill from Mané Braz dolmen 1 can be seen more stones. This is a more straightforward passage grave dolmen, with a 3 metre by 2.5 metre chamber covered with a large slab, and an entrance passageway curving off towards the south, about 5 metres long. The first capstone to the passage is still in place.

Just next to the Mané Braz dolmen 2 at the top of the hill, are two more, smaller passage graves, each with curving passages about 6 metres long, and smaller slab sided chambers. The third grave still has a couple of capstones on an extension to the original oval chamber, but they are very low. The fourth grave is an oval slab sided chamber and curving entrance, but it has no remaining cover stones at all. It is very low, only about 30 cm in depth.

Surrounding the area are several standing stones. I can only assume that these are various rebuilds of newer larger burial chambers as the years went on, the bigger newer versions getting progressively further east. I may well be wrong of course. I wonder if it was all in one big mound at some point. But what a fantastic place, Do come here.

Mané Keriaval

Trip No.203  Entry No.391  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Now this is a nice one, not only for the monument, but it is signposted and not being worn away by masses of visitors. Best of all, it has obviously been cleared within the last day or so of all the undergrowth which was here. About time I found one of these which was treated a bit better, and well looked after, although it must have been several years since the last time it was cleared judging by the size of some of the cuttings.

This must be the remains of a double transepted tomb with a main passageway about 8 metres in length, facing east at 115°. Off from this passageway are four side chambers, arranged in two pairs opposite each other, and each being about 2 metres square. The end of the chamber, and the two northern side chambers still have large capstones in place, and there are still substantial traces of a mound surrounding everything.

Mane Lud Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.352  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is just a few hundred metres away from the famed sites at the Grande Menhir Brise, but it is not visited by many people, yet I think it is a better site than the Table des Marchands.

Still within its large long cairn of stones, it doesn’t look much from the outside, just a large broken capstone at the western end of the long mound. But a closer inspection shows there to be a passage down past a little chapel which has been built onto the end of it, which allows access into a large chamber.

The chamber is about 4 metres by 3 metres, and high enough to stand up in, and has many decorated stones, with a carved floor stone with an axe or plough in raised relief. The passageway to the chamber is about 10 metres in length, with about 5 metres at the chamber end being still covered, while the first 5 metres are open and much altered by the building of the chapel.

Mané Roullarde

Trip No.203  Entry No.365  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 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: The remains of this monument are to be found on a hilltop site overlooking the yachting and seaside town of La Trinité-sur-Mer, now surrounded by expensive looking flats. There is an 18 metre long Allée Couverte known as Er-Groh, with only 4 capstones remaining in place, which faces southeast at 150°. Some of the side support stones have Pierres-Plates style engravings on them, but being exposed in this external situation, they are very difficult to make out amongst the lichens and moss etc.

At some point in the past it has had a wall built into it. There are also said to be several underground passages to be found here, which date back to Gallic iron age times, and of which the description reminds me of the Cornish Fougous. However, I found it impossible to find any of these to be seen amongst the undergrowth of the area.

Mané-Brizil Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.374  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 12th Jun 2005

Log Text: This dolmen is now within private property, but a few stones of what is possibly the dolmen with couloir can be seen inside the entrance of a large chateau like place, up the driveway entrance.

Mané-er-Hroëck tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.354  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Blimey, whatever next ? This is a large mound of stones, just to the south of the village of Locmariaquer. A path leads up between the houses to the top of the tumulus, of which the shape and size are indeterminate due to the houses all around it. Once on top of the tumulus, a set of relatively modern steps cut downwards into the heart of the mound through the stones. Down it goes, round a corner, and then, 10 metres in and 5 metres down, there is an entrance into a chamber.

It is a simple chamber, about 5 metres by 3 metres, but not quite high enough to stand up straight in. The walls are largely drystone, with a couple of large capstones forming the roof. I could not make out if there were any carvings, but it was dark and my lamp was fairly feeble. This is another fantastic find, and again passed by and missed by the masses. Take a good torch.

Mané-Groh Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.398  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Now this is more like it. Signposted and kept tidy in a pleasant forest glade with a nearby carpark, this tomb is found a few hundred metres to the northeast of Crucuno village. It is a large transepted dolmen with a central entry corridor 7 metres long, and two pairs of side chambers, each being about 1.5 metres by 2 metres, at the rear, western end. Each of the side chambers, and the entry passageway is covered, but unfortunately the large capstones over the main chamber between the sides have gone. It is still on the remains of quite a substantial mound, and has been built on top of an earlier, smaller chamber, another of which can be seen just 20 metres further behind the big dolmen.

This is right at the start point for a signposted "Megalithic walk" so I have decided that I will now follow this trackway on my bike. My first notebook is now full up, and my camera memory card also. Thankfully I was expecting this to happen, and have both another notebook and picture card with me in my bag. Signing off from book 1, and its over to book 2, which is unfortunately not in a ring binding form.

Mané-Kerioned Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.392  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This monument is in the process of being cleared of undergrowth at the time of my visit, so despite cutting and strimmers working around the place, I will get to see it. Perhaps the authorities are just starting on a major clear up of many of the ancient sites after years of neglect.

Much has been written about this place and the finds excavated here in the past, so I will not write much. This site has a collection of three passage graves, once all contained within a large oval mound, some of which still remains despite the road cutting right through it. Two of the passages are aligned north south, with the entrances at the south, while the other is situated between these, and aligned east west with its opening to the east.

The central and western chambers are now largely fully above ground, but the eastern chamber is almost completely still below ground level in what remains of the mound. Entry to this passage is down some modern stairs, and a torch is necessary to see the insides properly. Within this tomb, there are many finely carved stones, with unusual chequerboard designs on them, as well as some more standard serpents and axes, but unfortunately my camera seemed to be playing up again.

At various places surrounding the site are several menhirs remaining.

Mane-Rethuel Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.353  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: I thought I had seen some pretty impressive megalithic constructions before, but the Locmariaquer ones are making me think again. This is a massively long passage grave, built in at least two different ages. The first stage is a 3 metre by 2 metre oval chamber at the end of a 10 metre passage opening at a bearing of 108°. At least one large ex menhir is used in the capstones of this passage.

Then at a later stage, a second 4 m by 3 m oval chamber was added at the back end, using part of a massive broken menhir, 11 metres in length, from near the Grande Menhir Brise as its capstone. This stone has a 6 metre long carving on its underside which gives evidence of its previous usage. Inside the first chamber are carvingss of axes, ploughs etc, and a stele, probably also moved here from elsewhere. Whoever built this monument must have employed a right bunch of cowboy builders, although their construction has stood the ravages of time well.

Manémeur 1 menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.423  Date Added: 21st May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 14th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir is right in the central square of the hamlet of Manémeur. It is about 3 metres high, 2 m wide and 0.5 m thick, and has several cupules in its southern face. It is nowadays kept within a little circular flowerbed, unfortunately squeezed between roadsigns and parked cars while I was here, making pictures difficult.

Manémeur 2 & 3 menhirs

Trip No.203  Entry No.424  Date Added: 21st May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 14th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4

Log Text: These are two good sized menhirs just inland from the Cote Sauvage, up a slight rise. The two of them are about 20 metres apart, the bigger one being higher up the slope. It is about 5 metres high, 3 metres wide and tapers upwards. Its smaller companion is about 3 metres high. Both have some lovely lichen growing on them.

Marchain Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.20  Date Added: 14th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Yes on 31st Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: To the west of the village of Lathus-Saint-Rémy, in the fields near to the hamlet of Marchain, can be found this dolmen. It can be seen across the fields by the crossroads to the south of the hamlet, but I could find no obvious way to get to the dolmen, all the fields being fenced off. It looks to be a fairly simple little dolmen, with a capstone set on top of a few support stones.

Marden Down East

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Heading southwest up to the top of Mardon Hill, and about halfway up there is a recently cleared area by the path, with the clear remains of a ring cairn which I was not expecting to see from my quick look in Butler before heading off for the day, which basically states that there are probably other cairns on the down, but the whole hill is overgrown with gorse and bracken making everything hard to find! This pattern held for the rest of my visit, as the local commoners have taken it upon themselves to hunt down and clear the large amount of archaeology there is to be found here, from cairns and the stone circle, through reaves, right through to mortar pits, trenches and even railway making exercises carried out by the American soldiers based here before the D-Day invasions.

Marden Henge

Date Added: 8th Oct 2020
Site Type: Henge Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Yes on 18th Jul 2002. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: None

Mardon Down Cairn 1

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Just south of the circle is what at first looks like a pile of large stones, but upon investigation is the remains of a cairn with much of the remains of a circle of surrounding stones, and with four large blocks at its southern side, and a large slab just on the outside, probably once the capstone to an internal cist. This is a nice monument. I continue on southwards to get a look at the wonderful views from the edge of the hill all the way round from the east through the deep valleys to the south and out to the west with the heights of the main bulk of Dartmoor. There are a lot of fires out there today, I suspect from burning off of the gorse and bracken.

Mardon Down Cairn 3

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just south of the Giant's Grave is a smaller, but much more clear to see cairn, about 10m diameter and still with some semblance of a retaining circle of stones.

Mardon Down N

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Approaching from the hilltop ridge path down to the northern circle, and the standing pillars of it make a splendid sight against the distant fields and forests. I am not sure what to make of it, is it a stone circle, a cairn with a surrouding circle of stones, or perhaps even a large roundhouse with large pillars incorporated ? There seems to be a double faced ring of edge set slabs, with half a dozen upright pillars incorporated. Now I am home and reading my Butler, it seems he is not sure what to make of it either, stating "it is unparalelled among the numerous cairns on the moorland massif only a short distance to the west, emphasizing the very localised nature of some cairn designs." Whatever it is, its a nice thing to visit, and i sit here listening to the skylarks and buzzards for a while before heading back down to a sandwich at the car and decide what to do next.

Mardon Down Ring Cairn

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: A bit further south along the ridgetop pathway is a large open green area to the west, with the fairly clear remains of a large 20m diameter ring cairn, looking much like a saucer. Much of this cairn has been ruined, but in places there are some semblances of structure. On the eastern side of the pathway here is another recently cleared area which looks to have a cairn located within it, a circular pile of stones with a deep hole in the middle, surrounded by a bank of earth and stones, which all looks too recent and certainly not prehistoric, unless it has perhaps been recently excavated and left without backfilling. I wondered whether it was perhaps a shooting hide, but learned later that it was a mortar pit, made by troops based here in the build up to D Day during the second world war.

Mardon Down S

Date Added: 28th Sep 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Devon)
Visited: Yes on 26th Feb 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Further south along the ridgetop path, and I arrive at a large wide open green area, where I can see the remains of the stone circle extending around the exterior. The first part I get to has another of what looks like a little cairn right on the circumference of the circle, but again the hole in the centre looking too deep and recent. I initially wonder whether I can see the remains of a sort of cist capstone at one place, but which later I wonder whether it is one of the remaining circle stones fallen and buried here. The circle is the largest on Dartmoor at 38 metres diameter and clear to see, but in a very ruinous state, with only 2 or 3 stones still standing of what was probably once between 60 and 70. There is still a nice arc of stones on the southeast side, with one still standing and a large fallen block. Opposite to this on the northwest side is another good arc, with one very interesting shaped large slab still standing, and a couple more a bit further round. I dont get great feelings here, probably as its all pretty much wrecked, and too easy to find. Perhaps it would have been more atmospheric it it was all still hidden and lurking within the gorse. This gorse was still surruounding the whole circle, preventing seeing any of the fabulous views available from elsewhere on the hill.