Kerelcun Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.551  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just off the D.764 road by the hamlet of Kerelcun can be found this nearly 5 metre tall, 3 metre wide menhir, standing in a little green area with a picnic table. It is signposted from the village and easy to find.

Kerampeulven Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.549  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Just to the north of the village of Huelgoat, well known for its lake and strange shaped rocks, is this lovely menhir which is signposted from the road to Berrien, and is easy to find. Its about 5 metres tall, and a lovely shape, set in a little grassy area with some nicely shaded picnic tables. At some time in the past local quarrymen have engraved little pictures onto it. There is a house and several animals, plus a few other shapes and things. The animals are quite jolly.

St-Guinec menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.548  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Despite being nearly 6 metres tall, this beautiful menhir is becoming obscured from view by a large thick hedge around the garden within which it stands. This is a shame, as it really is a rather nice stone. It can be found just off the Huelgoat to Brennilis road, by the bridge over the busy north / south D.764 highway.

Ty ar Boudiquet Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.545  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: What a lovely monument this is! It's one of my favourites. It is easy to find, just at the northern edge of Brennilis village and clearly signposted, it has a little car park, a picnic area and it lives in a lovely large green and shady area, all very nicely looked after and with birdies tweeting away.

It is a rare dolmen in V form, which is thought to be a transitional stage between dolmens with entry passages (dolmen a couloir) and allée couvertes. It has been dated to about 3000BC.

It is almost complete, and has most of its earthern mound still with it, only a part of the back end has been destroyed by having a wall built through it. The chamber is about 14 metres long and varies in width from about 1 metre wide at the entrance, to nearly 3 metres at full width. The height also varies from about a metre to stand up height. The chamber opens at 125°. The main part of the is covered with three massive capstones, and has within it a standing stone which does not quite reach the roof. Perhaps a stele, but not smoothed and sculpted, or perhaps the remains of an internal wall.

Outside the chamber, the mound is almost complete, and even comes with most of its surrounding peristalith of stones. It is of an oval shape, approximately 17 metres long by 6 metres wide, and still up to 3 metres in height. Unfortunately the back end is cut by a wall and field boundary. The fairies house really is just that. A beautiful place for the little people to live.

Grand menhir de Saint-Eden

Trip No.203  Entry No.532  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This is the menhir that the chap I met last night was telling me about, right at the edge of the Grève (rocky shore), and unfortunately the sea has claimed it. It is now fallen and laying top down into the sea when the tide is in. Perhaps its one of those menhirs that came down to the sea to drink at midnight, had too much and didnt make it back. Or perhaps came down one night when the tide was not a big one, and fell over while trying to quench its thirst. Whatever, its a great pleasure to find this almost forgotten stone which is not marked on any map.

The stone is a lovely top heavy shape, some would say phallic, and about 8 metres in length. Its a pity it cant be re-erected somewhere, although obviously not in its original cliff edge position. There was an old farmer chap working in some fields nearby who told me that he could remember it standing, but he had no idea when it fell, but it was a long time ago. Fantastic.

Couinandré Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.536  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a nicely curved menhir just down a little track and signposted east of Plouescat. Its about 4 metres tall, but in a strange position, not on top of the hill or by the stream. Despite a little area set aside for it to live in, its getting very overgrown.

Menhir d'Irvit

Trip No.203  Entry No.534  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just below 4 metres tall, this tapered menhir has a sort of hook at the top of it. Perhaps it is intended as a washing line post! It looks to me, by the patterns in the lichen, that it had a sign attached to it for many years. It can be found down a track into a field just east of the D.330 road south of Poulfoen.

Kerivin Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.538  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Not far off the busy road between Morlaix and Roscoff, this Tee shaped allee couvetre is becoming very overgrown, and its difficult to make anything out at all now. It is also not far from a field corner where people have decided to dumpstuff, so overall its not a winner. I seem to remember this from about 10 years ago as being a good and interesting place to visit.

Menhir de Kergoarat

Trip No.203  Entry No.533  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: In contrast to its bulbous headed, thirsty neighbour, this fine chap looks to be wearing a pointy hat. He must be a good 7 metres tall and standing perfectly upright on this little headland beyond the beach. As with most of the stones round here, it is a wonderfully weathered rock, and from certain angles it has a face in it, looking out over the sea.

Créac’h-ar-Vrenn

Trip No.203  Entry No.535  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: I am not 100% sure that I found this. What I possibly found is just some natural rocks. I looked all over the place and asked a couple of people, who both pointed me in the other direction away from their house towards the others. Despite signposts to it down the same lane as the menhir, there was no further evidence for it down there, but the new house being built is probably where the path went.

What I did find, behind the house at the top of the hill beside the water tower, was two rounded looking granite blocks, but it is possible that they have been placed there. With all the fences and undergrowth it was impossible to see if the stones were resting on any kind of supports, but these stones are certainly in the right position for where it is marked on the map.

Porz Ar Stréat menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.531  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a nice menhir in a field not far from the harbour, only a couple of hundred metres from the main village centre. Its over 4 metres high and a sort of square section, but tapered at the top, and it has a nice lean.

I cant get right up to it for details though, and its a pity about all the refrigerated lorries at the fish plant nearby making a racket, and a very smelly farmyard.

Prat Meur menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.530  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a pleasant enough menhir, probably 2.8 metres tall and nearly as wide, but less than a metre thick. It is stood in a field beside a trackway at the end of the lane from the port to Prat Meur hamlet. It is nicely weathered at the top.

Somebodies air force is out and about, looks like F.16s so it isn't the French. Probably on holiday at Landivisiau. Suddenly there's a commotion, and a dog barking. A large rabbit or hare flashes past me about 5 metres away, with a dog hotly in chase about 15 metres behind. The rabbit is across a field of artichokes and into a hedge before the dog, and it all goes quiet, before a man is out and whistling to the dog. An interesting little episode.

Barnenez Cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.539  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This magnificent large cairn, is now signposted from miles around as Le Grand Cairn (de Barnenez). It costs €4.60 to get in, and there is a little visitor centre and shop, with replicas of some of the carved stones on display. Unlike 12 years ago, or whenever, you cannot go into many of the chambers, which are now walled off fairly crudely and unimaginatively, which I think really spoils the place. Its not just that you cant get in, but the way its been done really detracts from the view of the cairn and all its many entrances.

Only two chambers and passages are now open, these being the two beehive construction open chambers, but these seem to be cracking and breaking up. I was told by the man in the centre that they are not, and that they have been like that since their discovery. Perhaps its my memory, but I wonder if the 1960s restoration work is not lasting anywhere near so long as the original 6,000 year old work!

It's still a mighty impressive and imposing tomb sitting on top of its headland, and I think that more land has been cleared around it, allowing much better views over the Bay of Morlaix on one side, and Anse de Terenez on the other, which during this visit were full with a high tide, making the whole place seem truly wonderful.

I got talking to the men in the shop, and they were interested to hear about what I was doing, and one of the guys suggested a couple of places that I shouldn't miss. Commana allee couverte near Roche Trevezel, and Chapelle des Sept Saints near Lannion - a chapel built on top of a dolmen, which can still be seen.

Kerider stèle

Trip No.203  Entry No.537  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a nice tapered Iron Age stèle which can be found near the hamlet of Kerider, a few kilometres to the east of Plouescat. It is easy to find, just to the north of the D.10 road to St Pol-de-Léon near to the roundabout. It is about 2 metres tall, and nicely octagonal in section.

Guinivrit

Trip No.203  Entry No.529  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This really is a nice place to visit, certainly when its quiet and the sun is out. I had hoped to see it with the tide well in tonight, but one thing and another and its now gone 8:00, and the tide is already gone out for two hours, and the water has gone from around it. However, there is still a lot of water flooding out of the bay, and I certainly wouldn't want to try and get a boat in here, as its going at running speed.

The allée couverte is easily found down beside the little harbour, and nowadays is signposted. Its not far at all from the little campsite where I stayed. Despite the fact that it has no capstones, and that some of the large side stones have been broken so it could act as a mole in the water for mooring and protecting boats in the past, it really is surprisingly complete. Most of the stones are still in place, not only of the main chamber, but also the peristalith, which is suitably boat shaped. In fact the whole thing looks rather like a boat pulled up onto the shoreline.

The main chamber is about eleven metres long and 1.5 metres in width, but with the outer stones the full size of the monument is more than double that, perhaps 30 metres by 6 metres. There is both a forward and aft extension to the compartmentalised chamber. Fantastic.

While here, I met a chap out for a bike ride, and we got talking about why I was here and ancient stones. He said he has always lived in the area, and as a boy used to play in the Goazvenn dolmen. He went on to tell me about a large fallen menhir that is almost forgotten, and that nobody ever talks about, and which seems to be in no historical records. He told me how to find it by walking around the coast path, and showed me where it was on my map, fallen onto the rocky shore. I decided that this was one place I had to visit, finding these forgotten stones has much more of a thrill than seeing the well known ones.

Ile Guénioc

Trip No.203  Entry No.519  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 1

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda, and due west of Ile Tariec, can be seen Ile Guénioc (Ile Gaignog). This island, which is difficult to get to, has on it three massive cairns with their multitude of chambers and dolmens within them. In order to get here a boat is needed, and I think that landing on the island is controlled, so I am not going to manage it now, as there is nobody about with a boat who I can try and persuade!

Through my binoculars from where I am sat on Ile Tariec it looks superb. The southernmost cairn seems to have about half a dozen entrances in the eastern side and facing towards me, but it isn't a very high cairn. The middle cairn is even larger, but it is slightly obscured by a rise in the land in front of it. Several large dolmenic structures can be seen, with slabs of rock in places. The northern cairn is even higher, and looks to have about 4 entrances.

I feel that I really need to get out onto the island to have a proper look. I must come back one day with a small boat. Oh well, the tide has turned half an hour ago, I'd better start making my way back, I don't want to be stuck out on this little island for the next ten hours !

Ilot Roc'h-Avel

Trip No.203  Entry No.515  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda are a few small islands which can be reached at low tide, upon which there are stone monuments. Ilot Roc'h-Avel is one of these, which can be easily walked to from the beach at Kerennoc when not high tide tide.

Towards the western tip of the islet is the fascinating remains of a cairn which is now half on the island with the other half now taken by the sea. At the seaward edge can be seen a drystone walled chamber - only the northern half of which remains. A few large stones lie dotted about on the shoreline, which with a bit of imagination can be placed into position for some sort of chamber.

Just inland and up a bit from the cairn cut in half by the sea is another cairn, again of which certain edge set stones suggest remains of a chamber.

There are lots of children out on the beach below, obviously a school visit. All sorts of fun and games are going on, girls shreiking when their feet touch weed or shells! Brilliant. AAaaaaaaarggghhhh - its a crab !!!!!!

Île Tariec menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.517  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda are a few small islands which can be reached at low tide, upon which there are stone monuments.

Ile Tariec is one of these, which can only be walked to for a short while each side of low tide, and the island became split into two parts in about 1876. The part of the island nearest to the mainland has the remains of a twelfth century hermitage on it, and the island was used to house dead and ill people in the past when suffering from plague, cholera etc.

On the outward part of the island are the remains of a dolmen and a small menhir. The menhir is only about a metre high, a rock tapered towards the top, but in its position near the top of the island it can be clearly seen from all around.

I was told by the camp site man that the midsummer solstice sun rise, when seen from here with your chin resting on the top of the menhir, supposedly rises between the legs of a dolmen on the main headland, but which has now unfortunately fallen in the dunes. Its a pity I wasn't here 4 or 5 hours ago, as I could have checked the theory. However, from a quick bit of reckoning and I don't think so, the mainland doesn't seem to stretch far enough to the north, but who am I to question the story? The northernmost tip of the mainland is at a bearing of about 075° from here.

Dolmen de Vourch

Trip No.203  Entry No.520  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st Jun 2005

Log Text: Supposedly the remains of this dolmen can be found near to the coast path just outside the municipal camping. It is said that if you stand with your chin resting on the menhir out on Ile Tariec, then the solstice sunrise used to rise between the legs of this dolmen. It is not marked on any of my maps, and despite now being fallen, I was told that I should be able to find it. However, despite spending well over an hour looking (and enjoying the walk) I could find no sign of this. It could easily be there somewhere in amongst the bracken and the dunes, which are all up and down, and riddled with wartime bunkers.

Île Tariec cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.518  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Just to the north of the menhir on this little island which can be reached at low tide, is the slight mound of a cairn. Its about 15 metres in diameter and 2 metres in height. I could see nothing in the way of structure under all the grass and stuff.