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Sites TheCaptain has logged on trip number: 203 (View all trips) View these posts as a blog
Click here to view the sites TheCaptain would like to visit or view the most recent logs from everyone
Sites TheCaptain has logged on trip number: 203 (View all trips) View these posts as a blog
Click here to view the sites TheCaptain would like to visit or view the most recent logs from everyone
| Site Name (A/D) |
Site Type | Country (A/D) |
County/ Region | Visited? (A/D) |
Date (A/D) |
Cond | Amb | Acc | Comments | Trip Number (A/D) |
Trip Order |
| Alignements du Moulin N | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | There are two long roughly parallel lines running east west with a third less well defined row to the southwest running in a north south direction. The first row reached is the northernmost and consists of at least 14 large white quartz blocks with a few grey stones in it as well with an alignment of 099°. One of the large stones towards the western end has been used at some later stage as a part of a burial chamber with at least two burial cists... Read More |
203 | 1 |
| Alignements du Moulin S | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | There are two long roughly parallel lines running east west with a third less well defined row to the southwest running in a north south direction. The first row reached is the northernmost and consists of at least 14 large white quartz blocks with a few grey stones in it as well with an alignment of 099°. One of the large stones towards the western end has been used at some later stage as a part of a burial chamber with at least two burial cists... Read More |
203 | 2 |
| Alignements du Moulin W | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | There are two long roughly parallel lines running east west with a third less well defined row to the southwest running in a north south direction. The first row reached is the northernmost and consists of at least 14 large white quartz blocks with a few grey stones in it as well with an alignment of 099°. One of the large stones towards the western end has been used at some later stage as a part of a burial chamber with at least two burial cists... Read More |
203 | 3 |
| Demoiselles Piquées | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Three large white quartz menhirs one now fallen. The stone of the westernmost menhir is a really lovely thing with all sorts of coloured patterns and swirls within it. | 203 | 4 |
| Château Bû | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is now fenced off to prevent the massive erosion which was happening but clearly visible although becoming a little overgrown. Just what the heck is it ? A chambered tumulus with entrance to the east but with a stone circle on the top and also 3 or more large white menhirs. Most strange. Like nothing I have seen before at all. Sort of like three or four monuments in one all on top of each other. | 203 | 5 |
| Croix St Pierre east | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | A large long mound with two large dolmenic chambers within it opening to the side and also a smaller one near one end. This has been excavated and restored in 1990/91 and was dated to 3500 to 4000 BC. As with all of these chambers it is fenced off to keep the masses out. | 203 | 6 |
| Croix St Pierre tertre | Long Barrow | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Another long mound this time in an east west alignment with a sort of rectangular arrangement of stones sticking up from within it rather like the peristalith stones from an allée couverte. There is a single larger block of stone near the western end. | 203 | 7 |
| Dolmen Ouest de la Croix de Saint-Pierre | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Another fenced off but recently restored mound with a round cairn enclosing a chamber which opens to the east. | 203 | 8 |
| Le Tribunal | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | What is now an arc of 9 large white stones is the remains of what was once a 15 stone semicircle facing towards a single large white stone (the Judge) about 50 metres to the east. This is said to be an astronomical alignment of some kind. One of the stones at the southern end of the Tribunal is the most fantastically marked stone with black and white swirls everywhere.
I met some Americans here one of who asked if I knew anything much about t... Read More |
203 | 9 |
| Le Four Sarrazin | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | A little ruined allée couverte in a mound at the western end of the Saint Just megalithic wonderland almost overlooking the gorge down to the river. The chamber is aligned roughly east west on 109° with the entrance being near the east end on the southern side. There are three remaining fallen capstones one of which has a fine pattern of cupules in its underside. It has been dated to 2500 BC. | 203 | 10 |
| Croix Madame | Barrow Cemetery | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | At the western end of the village to the east of the Alignements du Moulin are the remains of some some bronze age burial chambers. At least four mounds are known, some of which have the remains of stone chambers within.
I did not find them initially and didn’t spend a lot of time looking for them on the way back as it was by now pouring with rain and everything was getting soaked. I expect that the humps and bumps seen in the ground here ar... Read More |
203 | 11 |
| Alignement dit le Rocher | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Saw from a distance | 13th May 2005 | To the east of Saint Just village I spent no time looking for this menhir as it was by now pouring with rain, although I thought I saw something near a farmhouse as I drove past. | 203 | 12 | |||
| Grotte-aux-Fées (Tréal) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | A fine lateral entry allée couverte at the top of a hill just to the northwest of the Saint Just megaliths and signposted from there. The main chamber is about 13 metres long 1.2 m wide and oriented 102°. The entrance is on the south side with a couple of laterally set portal stones near the east end. There are 8 capstones in place and all the stones get larger to the west end. The stones are made from the strange lumpy local Schist. | 203 | 13 |
| Demoiselles de Langon | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Found near to the stadium in the village of Langon and signposted from the main street These alignements consist of between 30 and 40 white quartz stone blocks in a field. Though I have read somewhere about them being arranged in two rows this most definitely isn’t the case. I have also read about them being astronomically aligned but to me they seem quite randomly scattered about! Many intersecting lines of 4 or 5 stones perhaps but nothing obvi... Read More |
203 | 14 |
| Gaudinais megalithes | Long Barrow | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 13th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | A signpost to Vestiges Megalithiques de La Gaudinais points down a gravel track to this from the main street on the west side of the village of Langon so I just had to go and have a look. I have no idea what I found or even whether it is the proper megalithic remains but I had a good look around.
What I found was a sort of embanked rectangle of stones in woodland a bit like a small version of King Arthur’s Hall on Bodmin Moor. The dimensions ... Read More |
203 | 15 |
| Dissignac Tumulus | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Signposted from miles around and it has its own little parking area picnic site bus stop and kiosk but when I arrived here (on a Saturday morning in mid May) it was all shut and fenced off and it looked pretty permanent. It’s a restored tumulus with two large passage graves inside with the chambers facing southeast. It was fairly substantially rebuilt at some point in the past which doubled the size of the mound and extended the chambers by 4 met... Read More |
203 | 16 |
| Sainte Marguerite Au Pé Dolmen | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | While at Dissignac there was a map showing a cycle ride which passed a cromlech a couple of kilometres to the south along Route du Cromlech so I went to have a look. Its easily found just north of the road junction and in a little piece of land between houses with its own signpost outside. It’s a little circle of stones about 5 metres in diameter and I suspect it’s the remains of a burial chamber indeed there seems to be an inner bit still with a... Read More |
203 | 17 |
| La Pierre de Gargantua (St Brevin) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 2 | 2 | 3 | I spent nearly an hour looking for this and eventually found it after asking a local. It is in a swamp just beside a large road junction and can be found by taking a dead end track then across some open land before dropping down into the wetlands in the corner of the road interchange.
Having found it it was not all that exciting being only abut a metre high and surrounded by tall grasses. Its hardly a Gargantua ! Perhaps its sinking into the ... Read More |
203 | 18 |
| Plessis Gamat Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Signposted locally this is a lovely pointed pale granite stone about 2.8 metres tall. It is found by going down a little track opposite the electric station then right into a field where its found in the bushes on the right. | 203 | 19 |
| Moulin Chevalier Dolmen | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | I am not quite sure what to make of this. It is either a fairly undisturbed dolmen still well contained within its mound or else it is a bit of a wreck ! The mound is about 8 metres by 4 metres and is found down a little track left at the edge of a field but there are no signposts. There is possibly a second mound close by. | 203 | 20 |
| Rossignols Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | In amongst the houses in this little seaside town this dolmen has its own plot of land with a picnic area and is signposted from various places in the vicinity. It has obviously been covered over by sand dunes as it is all in a hollow in the ground surrounded by trees. There is a massive capstone 4 by 3 metres and 1 metre thick but this covers only about half of the chamber which is surrounded by upright slabs many of which are still in position ... Read More |
203 | 21 |
| Les Pierres Couchées | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Now incorporated into a campsite of the same name I was expecting to find a fallen menhir. I was told the stone was round the back of the office building but I could not find it initially. Upon my return to the parking area later I found what looked to be some ancient stones right behind my campervan which had hidden them from me originally ! If what I saw was indeed the Pierres Couchées then it looked to me to be more the remains of some sort of... Read More |
203 | 22 |
| Pierre de Couche | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | In a little enclosure on the opposite side of the busy dual carriageway road from the campsite this stone is just over 2 metres tall in pale granite. It’s a nicely shaped stone but far too enclosed within the houses and noisy. | 203 | 23 |
| Menhir dit la Pierre Attelée | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | A more than 3 metre tall menhir in a clearing in the forest of Attelée amongst the sand dunes to the south of this pleasant seaside town. It was a nice cool lump of granite to find on this warm afternoon. | 203 | 24 |
| Menhir du Boivre | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 14th May 2005 | This menhir is supposed to be 3.8 metes tall and nicely shaped but I could not find it. I took both the high road (a gravel track ) and the low road through the farmyard of the same name looking but I didn’t even catch a glimpse of it. | 203 | 25 | |||
| Tumulus Des Mousseaux | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | This monument is signposted from all sorts of places and easy to find if approaching from the north but probably not so if coming from the south as the fortified harbour and seaside town of Pornic is a maze of small streets and indeed barred to a campervan. The tumulus is enclosed by houses and reaches right up to the roadside but does have its own little area with a sign telling about it but its all a bit busy and noisy. This is a superbly resto... Read More |
203 | 26 |
| Moulin du Motte | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | Nearby to the east of the tumulus des Mousseaux are the remains of two more burial mounds of which remains can be seen in various gardens in the vicinity. The large tumulus du Moulin du Motte is these days hardly visible behind a large garden wall and some new holiday homes but a bit further to the west down the lane some large stones can be clearly seen in a garden. These are the remains of the Trois Squelettes tombs three chambers which were on... Read More |
203 | 27 | |
| Trois Squelettes | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | Nearby to the east of the tumulus des Mousseaux are the remains of two more burial mounds of which remains can be seen in various gardens in the vicinity. The large tumulus du Moulin du Motte is these days hardly visible behind a large garden wall and some new holiday homes but a bit further to the west down the lane some large stones can be clearly seen in a garden. These are the remains of the Trois Squelettes tombs three chambers which were on... Read More |
203 | 28 | |
| Joselière Dolmen | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | As soon as I got here this nice quiet place was flooded with people either returning from the beach or a walk along the clifftop. It is superbly positioned in a field about 50 metres from the sea but it’s a shame about the wartime gun emplacement here also. This transepted burial mound has been restored recently and is in fine condition. It consists of a single entrance corridor which faces eastwards on a bearing of 112° with four internal chambe... Read More |
203 | 29 |
| Prédaire Dolmen | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 14th May 2005 | 2 | 5 | 4 | This much ruined transepted burial mound sits on a clifftop overlooking the sea to the south of the seaside harbour town of Pornic. I had chosen to spend the night at the campsite la Boutinardière and went for an evening stroll for 20 minutes or so northwest along the Sentier des Douarniers coastal footpath past some strange jetties with boat lifts jutting into the sea at the foot of the cliffs before reaching the dolmen as the sun was going down... Read More |
203 | 30 |
| Dolmen dit La Salle des Fées | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This was not at all like I was expecting to find so either the picture I had previously seen of this is of the wrong place or else this dolmen has had a nasty accident which has increased the remains !
I have to say it looks like a jumble of large rock slabs around a few trees in the middle of a field but it is possible to determine some side slabs and capstones of a long collapsed chamber. It is found just inside a field to the northwest of ... Read More |
203 | 31 |
| Pierres Folles du Follet | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | The Pierres Folle de Follet are two large menhirs both about 3.5 metres tall positioned one each side of a little lane like giant gateposts at the hamlet of the same name just to the south of the D19 a couple of kilometres south of the village of Rosnay.
There is a legend associated with them, which is printed on a little sign nearby, but which I cannot translate adequately. Something about Gargantua playing quoits here, and destroying houses... Read More |
203 | 32 |
| La Frise Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Couldn't find | 15th May 2005 | I could see no signs of this in the flat farmland, nor any signs or other indications | 203 | 33 | |||
| Celles-sur-Belle menhirs | Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature | France | Poitou-Charentes:Deux-Sèvres (79) | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | After a fairly long struggle to find these which are marked on my ign map I eventually found a sign pointing through the woods to menhirs 180 metres but not very close to the position on the map. The best I found was two big lumps of rock on a hillside which looked very much like they may be natural rocks to me. Its possible there is a third nearby. I could not get a gps fix in the dense woodland. | 203 | 34 |
| Dolmen de la Pierre-Pèze | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Deux-Sèvres (79) | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | After a long wet day of driving and getting frustrated by a lack of nice things to see and getting lost in a couple of big towns (Niort Fontenay) I needed this. On the D948 road just to the west of the railway station to the east of Limilonges (where there is lots of space to park) is a large sign to the dolmen which can be found a few hundred metres walk along the woodland path.
It consists of a massive vegetation covered triangular shaped c... Read More |
203 | 35 |
| Magnez Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Walk up a little track behind the farmhouse to the south of the road as it passes through the hamlet of Magnez (Magné) for a couple of hundred metres and you will see a large stone to the right of the trackway. This is the capstone to the dolmen which is full of holes with plants and flowers growing in them. It rests on a few supports but is collapsed on the side nearest the trackway. It’s a lovely rockery but not much of a dolmen. | 203 | 36 |
| Dolmen de La Pierre Blanche à Bessé 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 15th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | A couple of kilometres southwest of the village of Charmé along the D736 the dolmen is signposted along a trackway from the road. Its about half a mile walk to a little wood and the dolmen is within the field of crops adjacent. A large oval shaped capstone almost 2 metres thick sits on several small supports which can just be seen under the capstone amongst the crops. Theres a little noticeboard at the edge of the field which tells about the dolm... Read More |
203 | 37 |
| Tusson tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 15th May 2005 | There are four tumulus here to the east of the village of Tusson which lie in a line along the top of a ridge. One of the central pair is enormous and deserves further exploration. The Pierre Blanche and Magnez dolmens are on the same line to the north. | 203 | 38 | |||
| Vieux Breuil tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 5th Dec 2005 | There are four tumulus here to the east of the village of Tusson which lie in a line along the top of a ridge. One of the central pair is enormous and deserves further exploration. The Pierre Blanche and Magnez dolmens are on the same line to the north. | 203 | 39 | |||
| La Justice tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 15th May 2005 | There are four tumulus here to the east of the village of Tusson which lie in a line along the top of a ridge. One of the central pair is enormous and deserves further exploration. The Pierre Blanche and Magnez dolmens are on the same line to the north. | 203 | 41 | |||
| Tumulus de la Boixe B | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | This wonderful tumulus can be found signposted just to the west of the D.116 as it runs through the Forêt-de-Boixe. Said to be one of about 15 such tombs here in the 19th century, but now mostly destroyed.
It’s a lovely tomb, which has been restored, with a chamber still contained fully within its cairn, which must be between 25 and 30 metres in diameter, with two walled and stepped rings around it. A large capstone is still visible from the ... Read More |
203 | 42 |
| Dolmen dit la Pierre du Sacrifice (Boixe) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | The remains of this monument can be found about 100 metres walk into the Forêt-de-Boixe from the parking place near the Tumulus de la Boixe, and signposted. These days it is basically just a capstone of a destroyed tumulus, once similar to Boixe, and is about 4 metres in length, 2 metres wide and a metre thick. It has some very straight channels in the top, which are so straight and even that they must have been carved, rather than randomly shape... Read More |
203 | 43 |
| Folatière tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 16th May 2005 | This tumulus is obvious it can be seen from miles around up on top of a hill all covered in woodland.I parked and walked up “Rue de Tumulus” but could find no way of closer inspection as its all fenced off private land. The tumulus is really massive though and dwarfs the nearby farmhouse. Shame as its marked on my ign map so must have something worth seeing. | 203 | 44 | |||
| Folatière Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Much wrecked remains of a dolmen, near to the hamlet of Bel Air, a couple of kilometres to the northeast of the village of Luxé in Charente. At first I assumed the dolmen would be part of the tumulus and so was disappointed that I could not get to see it. However later in the day having seen a detailed map of the area I saw that the dolmen was marked a bit to the northeast of the tumulus so I went for another look. This time I saw a large stone ... Read More |
203 | 45 |
| Tumulus de Chateaurenaud | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 16th May 2005 | Another big obvious wood covered tumulus up on the hills above the village. But to get to this one would have meant quite a long walk from anywhere I could have parked and there was no obvious way to it so I did not bother as there are many others to explore locally. | 203 | 46 | |||
| La Petite Pérotte | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | There are several dolmens marked along a ridgetop to the west of the village of Fontenille, so I went for a look. The whole area abounds with tumulus and mounds perched on the hilltops. The map may have only 4 or 5 marked, but there are many more here. As I was parking to go walking along the ridgetop track signposted "Dolmens", A white van parked nearby, and out got a little old man, wondering if I was looking for the dolmens. When I said yes, a... Read More |
203 | 47 |
| La Grosse Pérotte | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | There are several dolmens marked along a ridgetop to the west of the village of Fontenille, so I went for a look. The whole area abounds with tumulus and mounds perched on the hilltops. The map may have only 4 or 5 marked, but there are many more here. As I was parking to go walking along the ridgetop track signposted "Dolmens", A white van parked nearby, and out got a little old man, wondering if I was looking for the dolmens. When I said yes, a... Read More |
203 | 48 |
| Maison de la Vieille Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Further on along the track and to the south of where it crosses a perpendicular trackway can be seen a little wooded area inside a cultivated field. This is just where I had seen the dolmen symbol on the 1:25000 ign map I had earlier looked at in the shop so I went for a look. Having crossed the field to the little copse I found a bramble and bush covered mound the vegetation almost too thick to penetrate. But inside this can be seen a broken cap... Read More |
203 | 49 |
| Dolmen dit la Motte-de-la-Garde | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 4 | 5 | 3 | A bit further south along the trackway is a suspicious looking bit of woodland at the top of a hillock so I went to have a look. On venturing inside there is a socking great big stone mound perhaps 6 metres high and about 50 metres by 30 metres in dimensions. Walking further into the wood there are a few big stones and then Da Daaahhh ! A chamber which can be got down into. Its about 2 metres square with a massively thick crude capstone perched o... Read More |
203 | 50 |
| La Grande Motte | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 16th May 2005 | On the hill high above Fontenille can be seen another tree covered mound. This one was really tempting to go and walk to but it was a long way from anywhere I could drive to so I managed to keep away. Pity I didn’t get a good photograph as from certain angles its most impressive looking. | 203 | 52 | |||
| Ligné tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Yet another great big round tumulus within a wooded area in the middle of a field. The mound is approximately round about 30 metres in diameter and 5 metres high inside the middle of which is a dug out chamber which is all falling in and not in a very good state. There is an obvious entrance passage as well which has all fallen in or been dug out. There are still several side slabs in place in both the chamber and the entrance passage and indeed ... Read More |
203 | 53 |
| Le Gros Dognon tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | After the day I’d so far had finding these tremendous tumuli and dolmens where none are signposted I thought I’d go back to the big looking one as Tusson for a better look after all it has lots of signposts and looked fairly big so who knows what I might find. Although easy to find parking was a problem but I managed to find somewhere nearby at the edge of the lane.
What a monster ! This is really a big one. Enter into the wooded area and the... Read More |
203 | 54 |
| Dolmen de la Boucharderie | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 16th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This was a bit of a bugger to find what with road building schemes and diversions taking me miles away and then very narrow lanes with tight corners and no passing places through Cognac vineyard country. There was nothing obvious so I parked and asked people at the farm who gladly pointed me to some trees in the middle of a freshly planted field of maize. “C’est sous l’arbre un tres jolie photo”. I was assured it was OK for me to walk through the... Read More |
203 | 55 |
| Dolmen de Peyrelevade (Paussac) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | This is a nice little dolmen in a pleasant open bit of land with lots of orchids butterflies and lizards at the time of my visit on a sunny May morning. Its just off the D93 between St Vivien and Paussac 50 metres down a little track which is signposted from the road.
The dolmen consists of a strangely layered dark reddish brown/black capstone sitting on 5 limestone supports about 2 metres off the ground covering a chamber of dimensions appro... Read More |
203 | 57 |
| Peyre d'Ermale | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | Marked on my ign map as a menhir but signposted along a track from the road as Dolmen I parked and walked to see what I could find.
What I eventually found after about a kilometre walk was a strange lump of natural rock which has been shaped has a squarish cut out in one side and a round basin to the south with little channels cut in the surrounding rocks to presumably collect water.
I have no idea what this is meant to be and indeed no i... Read More |
203 | 58 | |
| La Pierre Levée (Brantôme) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This dolmen stands on a sort of village green thing just on the eastern outskirts of the delightful old town of Brantôme about 50 metres north of the D78 road. A single large capstone about 4 metres by 2 metres sits on 3 (or is it 4) support stones with the help of some modern building work about 2 metres off the ground. A couple of other stones remain fallen or broken nearby. | 203 | 59 |
| Peyre Levade (Condat) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 17th May 2005 | A couple of kilometres east of Brantôme is marked a dolmen on my ign map but despite trying hard to find it I saw no signs of anything and there was nowhere at all to park on very small country lanes to get out and have a proper look. | 203 | 60 | |||
| Beauroulet Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | A 4 metres by 2.5 metre capstone of strange dark reddish brown/black rock sits slightly off the ground on top of some fallen grey limestone support stones. Its in a field just opposite a factory near a roadside restaurant at a junction with the busy D939 Brantôme to Périgueux road. Despite being in such a busy noisy and unsightly place it somehow felt calm as I sat here on the stone eating my lunch. | 203 | 61 |
| Pierre Plantée (Lisle) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | As I was driving south along the D78 road coming into Lisle I saw a sign saying Pierre Plantée and there was a stone about a metre high stood just by the roadside. I cant be sure whether this is the actual Pierre Plantée referred to or indeed whether it is ancient but it isn’t new ! | 203 | 62 |
| Dolmen de Palus | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | In a field of Barley just beside the country lane from Douchapt to Ségonzac near the hamlet of Margot can be found the remains of this dolmen. Its not much more than a collection of four large brownish black rocks which I would guess are a capstone and three fallen supports. There’s still enough room underneath for the local wildlife to enjoy its shelter despite being ploughed right up to the stones. | 203 | 63 |
| Peyrebrune (Seyssac) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | A kilometre or so down a rough track called Chasse de Pierre Brune from the D109 near Segonzac can be found the remains of this rectangular chambered dolmen. The chamber has dimensions of about 3 m by 2 m and made with well positioned stone blocks. There is a capstone which only covers the western end. It’s a pity about the chestnut trees growing in it. | 203 | 64 |
| Pierre de Nautours | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | I wasn’t expecting this. I was just getting caught up in rush hour traffic on the outskirts of Périgueux when I saw this large brownish black megalith standing beside a busy roundabout. There was a bus stop conveniently right by it at which I was able to stop and have a decent look although I didn’t spend long here.
I assume its been moved here from Combe du Puy Gauthier wherever that may be and it was dedicated as a monument to somebody whos... Read More |
203 | 65 |
| Abri de Laugerie-Basse | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 17th May 2005 | 4 | Just to the northwest of Les Eyzies on the west bank of the river Vézère is found the ancient cliff settlement of Laugerie Basse. Gisements and shelters in the cliff face which have been inhabited since Cro Magnon man right up to this day. | 203 | 66 | ||
| Grotte de Grand Roc | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 17th May 2005 | 4 | Don’t know whether theres any prehistoric stuff in here but its supposed to have lots of natural wonders. In the same cliff face as Laugerie Basse. | 203 | 67 | ||
| Gisement du Pataud | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 17th May 2005 | 4 | There’s a museum built into the cliff face here and a covered area which looks like some sort of exhibition of an archaeological dig. Its between Cro Magnon and the Les Eyzies museum halfway up the cliff face. | 203 | 68 | ||
| Font-de-Gaume | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 18th May 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | Walk quickly the 2km from Les Eyzies to the entrance building for the cave, and am just in time to be a part of the 10:00 trip. Hooray. It is fantastic.
The colours don't seem so vivid as I recall, (probably from seeing pictures), but I am actually in the cave with these paintings, and could almost touch them if I wanted) strictly forbidden!) they are that close and available. They are said to date from 14000 years ago, dated by means of calc... Read More |
203 | 71 |
| Grotte des Combarelles 1 | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 18th May 2005 | 5 | 5 | 3 | Its good being here in mid May while its not very busy as I can get to visit places like this. Visits are strictly limited to a couple of groups of up to six people at a time per day and often have to be booked several weeks in advance. But I enquired in the morning and got to be on the afternoon tour. Brilliant.
A couple of kilometres north of Les Eyzies beyond Fonte de Gaume in the base of a cliff face is found this cave entrance which in ... Read More |
203 | 72 |
| Abri du Cap-Blanc | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 18th May 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | In this now walled up cliff shelter, there is a massive frieze of sculpted animals. It was discovered in about 1909, and still bears the scars of the picks used in the excavations, and some of the animals were destroyed. There are horses, bison and the main event, a 2 metre long horse and bison combined, the bison looking to the left, while the horse looks to the right.
This is a fantastic place to visit, but to be honest there is not so much... Read More |
203 | 73 |
| La Roque-Saint-Christophe | Ancient Village or Settlement | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 18th May 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | In the gigantic cliff face on the opposite side of the river Vézère to the delightful village of Le Moustoir is found this World Heritage Site. It's an entire troglodytic city which was inhabited continuously from 50000 years ago until a few centuries ago. It's massive. Even knowing it is five levels high and having visited it 27 years ago doesn’t stop it being mind blowing. It's really awe inspiring.
I guess most of what is seen today dates ... Read More |
203 | 74 |
| Abri du Moustier | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 18th May 2005 | 4 | In the cliff face right opposite the main square in the delightful village of Le Moustoir on the west bank of the Vézère is found this World Heritage Site. Things found here gave its name to an entire epoch the Mousterien. But late on in the day on a long bike ride and wanting to get back (and knowing there's at least one more big hill in the way) it looked like more fenced and walled off bits of cliff face. | 203 | 75 | ||
| Abri de Ruth | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 18th May 2005 | 4 | Just to the south of the village of Le Moustoir on the west bank of the Vézère is found this collection of caves and a museum of artefacts. .Supposedly a very important place from where the stratigraphy of the various eras was determined. But getting on in the evening very tired after a long hilly bike ride when its shut it looks just like a cave in a cliff face in a garden to me ! | 203 | 76 | ||
| Abri de Laugerie-Haute | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 18th May 2005 | 4 | Just to the northwest of Les Eyzies on the west bank of the river Vézère is found the ancient cliff settlement of Laugerie Haute. This was one of the biggest rock shelters anywhere and was inhabited since 50000 years ago. But much of the cliff roof fell down about 10000 years ago and wrecked the place. This had the effect of burying all the archaeology hence preserving it to the present day and preventing it being rebuilt and reused in the millen... Read More |
203 | 77 | ||
| Musée National de Préhistoire | Museum | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 5 | 4 | Recently completely rebuilt this is one of the must sees of the area. There are loads and loads of tools and lots of videos of people making and using them. On the second floor there are some nice finds and again more tools. I thought that there were too many tools on display and not enough other things it seemed to be an ancient tool museum rather than a complete prehistory museum but then again I guess that they are all we have to see. But ther... Read More |
203 | 78 | |
| Grotte de Rouffignac | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | This is a strange cave its all very bare and rectangular and seems more like a stone mine than a natural cave although it is completely natural and of which there are 10 kilometres of passage. The guided visit takes place in little electric trains which take you a kilometre underground. There are no stalagmites or stalactites to be seen anywhere but lots and lots of graffiti through the ages as this has always been an easy to access cave.
Of ... Read More |
203 | 79 |
| Dolmen de la Faille | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 80 |
| Pierre des Justices | Polissoir | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 19th May 2005 | Just off the main road from Perigueux to Les-Eyzies at the junction of the D32 west to Mauzens-et-Miremont is a little picnic and parking area. If you then follow this road west under the splendid railway viaduct after a few hundred metres pass the lavoir then take the little lane up to the left. Somewhere several hundred metres up the steep slope into these woods can be found the Pierre des Justices polissoir stone.
I was told by locals that... Read More |
203 | 81 | |||
| Abri de Cro-Magnon | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Up a little track to the side of the Cro-Magnon hotel along the road to the railway station can be found this sad little UNESCO World Heritage site where the Cro-Magnon man was discovered in 1868 by Francois Berthoumeyron as they were clearing the way for the road to the railway station.
Despite all the hustle and bustle in Les Eyzies and all the attractions crying out for your visit this place does not even have a signpost. Its nothing much ... Read More |
203 | 82 |
| Abri du Poisson | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | Located in an open garden type area where there is a gap in the cliff face at the bottom of the Gorge D’Enfer on the south west side of the road out of Les Eyzies towards Périgueux about 1 kilometre after the bridge over the river and before Laugerie Basse. These days the abri is walled up and locked shut to enable people to pay to see inside and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Apart from the traffic going past this is a nice quiet little place ... Read More |
203 | 83 | |
| Abri de Lartet | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 19th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | This cliff shelter was discovered by Lartet in 1863 and is classed as a National Historic Monument. Its just a few metres up the valley side from its more famous neighbour Abri du Poisson. | 203 | 84 |
| Abri de la Madeleine | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 2 | You don’t actually really get to see the Abri de la Madeleine where all the prehistoric finds were made which gave their name to an epoch including the carved bison and the first harpoons. I guess to see this best you would need to canoe down the river but you can see the overhang and bits of it from the village and there is some display material in the visitor centre. | 203 | 85 |
| Village de la Madeleine | Ancient Village or Settlement | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | On a cliff face on the west side of the river Vézère near the village of Tursac is the Troglodytic village which has been inhabited since 50000 years ago and gave its name to an epoch the Madeleinian which was about 12000 years ago.
What you mostly see now for your visit money is medieval with several cliff houses built into the terrace on the cliff. There is also a couple of chapels and a gatehouse which guards over where there was a sort of... Read More |
203 | 86 |
| Source de la Madeleine | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | On a cliff face on the west side of the river Vézère near the village of Tursac is the Troglodytic village which has been inhabited since 50000 years ago and gave its name to an epoch the Madeleinian which was about 12000 years ago. What you mostly see now for your visit money is medieval with several cliff houses built into the terrace on the cliff. There is also a couple of chapels and a gatehouse which guards over where there was a sort of dro... Read More |
203 | 87 |
| Le Rigourdou | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 20th May 2005 | Within this cliff shelter just a bit up the hillside from Lascaux found in March 1954 had the discovery made on 22 September 1957 of a complete Neanderthal skeleton in it. Not only this but also several burials of at least 5 bears were found suggesting some strange bear cult or activity. These days its fenced off with a little visitor centre and bears. | 203 | 88 | |||
| Grotte de Lascaux | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | This world famous cave has not been opened for visitors since about 1962 after the paintings had started to seriously deteriorate. It was found in September 1940 by two boys out walking their dog which fell down a hole underneath the roots of a freshly uprooted tree. It is now fenced off and not even opened up to specialist groups since 2001. The fence of course has its UNESCO World Heritage site plaque proudly on display. | 203 | 89 | |||
| Grotte de Lascaux 2 | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | It’s obviously not the same as seeing the real thing but this copy of the two main chambers of Lascaux cave (which contains 90% of all the paintings) is pretty impressive. OK so it’s a concrete corridor built on the site of an old quarry a couple of hundred metres down hill from the real Lascaux but they tell you that it is nowhere more than 5 millimetres in error from the real thing and at least you can get to see it. It took about 20 years to b... Read More |
203 | 90 |
| Puy de Bon Temps Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | This dolmen can be found about a kilometre walk up a forest track from the D68 between Ajat and Cubjac just north of where it passes under the new motorway and opposite a quarry entrance. It is just about signposted from the road but they are very easy to miss and when the track gets to the top of the hill you need to turn left and then left again.
The dolmen is all a bit of a jumble with many of the stones fallen and broken but the main part... Read More |
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| Peyrebrune megalith | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 20th May 2005 | Near the hamlet of Rozas to the east of Saint-Orse is the farm called Peyre Brune where there are some megalithic remains. I understand it is a large menhir but with stories surrounding it that it is a meteorite which has crashed to earth. On the tiny roads in this area I could find nowhere to park or indeed turn round so gave up perhaps a bit too easily. | 203 | 92 | |||
| Pierre du Diable (Vitrac) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 20th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | What I found here was a tiny little dolmen right beside the road which is being incorporated into a garden wall a few kilometres south of Sarlat-le-Caneda on top of a hill towards Vitrac. The capstone is not 2 metres by 2 metres and sits on a couple of stones both less than a foot in size. Its probable that there was more to this dolmen which is now under some trees and in the garden wall. | 203 | 93 |
| Langlade Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | I spent hours looking for this after it looked easy on the 1:25000 map in the supermarket. To start with I was looking on the wrong ridge for a different stone called Cayrelevada. After asking some people logging in a forest they pointed me in the right direction which was several kilometres away ! The book says it’s a beau dolmen beside the road in a garden in the hamlet of Langlade. Try as I might I couldn’t find this. I even looked in the wood... Read More |
203 | 94 | |||
| Cayre Levat | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | I drove round all the lanes I could find north of St Amande looking for something here but other than signs pointing to the farm of the same name I couldn’t find that farm. None of them seem to have names. I saw a poste van and was tempted to stop it and ask the postman. I was not helped by long winding lanes with nowhere to turn and various road works. | 203 | 95 | |||
| Bonarme Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 21st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This was a pleasant find northwest of Belvès where there is a nicely arranged forest park area with a waymarked and signposted walk. The dolmen is still partially buried in its tumulus with remains of a stone circle or perhaps two still surviving around its outside. The capstone is about 3 m by 2.5 m and still covering a rectangular chamber which is completely dry which can be seen down below the level of the surrounding ground.
It has been d... Read More |
203 | 96 |
| Bonarme polissoirs | Polissoir | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 21st May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Further into the forest from the Bonarme dolmen are two polissoir stones dated to about 3000 BC which can also be found by following the marked and signposted forest walk for a kilometre or so. It’s a nice little spot on a hillside with an ancient spring below and some hut circles above. While I was there it was very humid and buzzing with insects.
One of the two stones has about 6 grooves in it with a natural basin for holding water a necess... Read More |
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| Cayra Levada | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 21st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Just beside a little road northwest of Belvès but fenced in a garden and becoming overgrown this 1.5 metre high dolmen had several polished axes found within it. There’s a raised capstone on a couple of supports but its difficult to make out much more. While sitting making notes here I got overrun and attacked by a lot of vicious little ants and am still paying the price for sitting down carelessly 12 hours later. Bastards ! | 203 | 98 |
| Allée couverte de Blanc | Passage Grave | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 21st May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | At last I have found one which is signposted and looked after. It’s a couple of kilometres south of Beaumont on the D.676 towards Villereal and is in a little signposted area with parking and lots and lots of orchids around everywhere. Its said to be one of the best preserved megalithic remains in the Perigord region and if that’s the case the rest aren’t much to look out for !
The original allée was supposedly 12 metres in length but its now... Read More |
203 | 99 |
| Dolmen de Peyre Nègre | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 21st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 500 metres to the west of the Le Blanc allée couverte in a field just beside the road to Naussannes this dolmen has become covered in brambles and bushes. It is still 2 metres high the large capstone resting on at least three big support stones of which at least one has collapsed.
This one is guarded by a tricky barbed wire gate which caught my shirt on the way in and on the way out I tripped on it and it ripped my trousers and leg to shreds... Read More |
203 | 100 |
| Dolmen de Case du Loup | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | This dolmen is supposedly 2.5 metres high and three metres long. But beware it houses a giant and monstrous wolf with eyes burning with fire. I spent hours in the hamlet of Larocale looking for this and asked many people who didn’t know until I fond a man out strimmering in the garden who did at least know of its existence. It turned out he was a Professor of Prehistory but of older stuff than megaliths. He told me where to find the dolmen “turn ... Read More |
203 | 101 | |||
| Dolmen de Pincanelle | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | I spent ages walking around many small lanes near the hamlet of Pincanelle looking for this 5 metre long dolmen capstone and asked an old lady in her garden but got nowhere. The lady apparently has no interest in such things and didn’t want to help although she was very interested in what I was doing ! | 203 | 102 | |||
| Le Breil Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | Could I find this ? Nope. | 203 | 103 | |||
| Dolmen de Pedorat | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | Could I find this ? Nope. | 203 | 104 | |||
| Menhir dit le Caillou (Boisse) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | Could I find this ? Nope. | 203 | 105 | |||
| Le Bourdil Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | Supposedly close to the D.19 but I couldn’t find it. Have to say that by now I wasn’t looking hard. Maybe tomorrow. | 203 | 106 | |||
| Dolmen le Roc del Ser (Faux) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 21st May 2005 | Supposedly very close to the D.19 is this 5 metre long stone the remains of a dolmen capstone but I couldn’t find it. Have to say that by now I wasn’t looking hard. It said that if you recite an Avé Maria to it the stone will turn nine times.
I really must try and find this one tomorrow. Its been one of those afternoons where I couldn’t find anything and became frustrated. Then it started to rain and then thunderstorms and I find I am driving... Read More |
203 | 107 | |||
| Dolmen de Baneuil | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 22nd May 2005 | The book says this one is close to the Mairie and I found that OK but no signs of a dolmen nearby. I spend a fairly long time walking round all the lanes and ask a couple of locals but they know nothing. I also checked in the nearby wood nothing was obvious. These Perigord wild goose chases are pissing me off. Decide its time to leave here and stick to those on the maps. | 203 | 108 | |||
| Dolmen dit la Peyrelevade (Beaumont) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 22nd May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | What a palaver it was finding this one despite being on my map and signposted from the road. The trouble is that’s where the signposts stop and its more than a kilometre walk to the thing. There is no way I would have found this had I not spoken to a chap at the farm out doing jobs in his shed who told me where to go and even then I was close to giving up on more than one occasion.
It’s down the lane till it runs out then continue on down the... Read More |
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| Point du Jour dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 22nd May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This one is signposted from the D104/D2 between Villereal and Montpazier and has a little picnic area by it. It was pouring with rain when I arrived and it looks for all the world to be in somebody’s private garden. In fact I think it is but they have been good enough to create a little sort of public area near it and a sign as well ! What Good people.
A single giant capstone 6 metres by 2 metres sits on top of about half a dozen supports in ... Read More |
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| Maison du Loup dolmen 1 | Passage Grave | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Couldn't find | 22nd May 2005 | The book I have says this one is 100 metres from the D.2 road near Marsalès at a place called Borie-Neuve so I thought this one was findable and worth a go. I found Borie-Neuve easily enough but no obvious dolmen. So I looked round all the lanes and tracks in the vicinity but still found nothing. There was nobody here to ask so I had a look in the forest here but its all thick undergrowth and there's no way of finding anything without knowing whe... Read More |
203 | 111 | |||
| Les Trois Pierres (Les Junies) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 22nd May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | What the hell am I doing here in the campervan ? It’s a road on my map and it starts off as a road with a “circuit des dolmens” sign so of course I followed it. It was very steep to start and lots of hairpin bends so was using first and secod gear only. It has to get better I thought. It levelled out a bit but then the tarmac disappeared. And the trees closed in. And the gravel surface gave way to bare rock and grass and puddles. Nowhere to turn ... Read More |
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| La Bertrandoune Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 22nd May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Further still round the “Circuit des Dolmens” after driving for miles along the rough stone mountain tracks and bashing my way through the undergrowth after several signposted things to see including several of the little huts they have round here and I come to this dolmen. By now I have realised that this “Circuit des Dolmens” is a walking circuit and not for driving round let alone doing it in reverse in a campervan and am getting desperate to ... Read More |
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| Le chaos de Roquebert | Rock Outcrop | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 22nd May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Not quite sure what to make of these. There are three massive stones (probably up to 7 metres high) within about 20 metres of each other looking for all the world like they have been stood upright surrounded by lots and lots of other stones. There is a signpost saying something about the prehistoric stones and area. I have no idea what they are and suspect that they might be natural a bit like the top of a tor but it doesn’t all look fully natura... Read More |
203 | 114 |
| Dolmen dit Peyrebru (Miers) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This one's a little beauty, about 50 metres up a track from the road between Miers and Floirac. Still sitting on top of its mound, 18 metres in diameter, it has a 2.5 by 1.5 metres chamber with a single slanted capstone. The chamber opens eastwards on an alignment of 118°. | 203 | 115 |
| Dolmen de Candare 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Tiny little dolmen sitting on the remains of its mound, under a bush just to the south of the road between Miers and Floirac. It has a rectangular chamber, less than 2 by 1 metre in size, with the entrance facing 060°. Not far from this dolmen is a peculiar, almost spherical black stone which looks most out of place. | 203 | 116 |
| Dolmen de Candare 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 23rd May 2005 | A few hundred metres further up the track beyond Candare 1 dolmen can be found the remains of this dolmen within its mound. It has no capstone. | 203 | 117 | |||
| Dolmen de Ressegayre | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | A slightly bigger than average dolmen for round here, and still mostly within its mound, this one can be found in a bit of scrubland just off the road between Miers and Floirac, although it took a fair bit of looking.
The capstone is about 3.5 by 3 metres, and is sitting only on some fairly basic supports, just off the ground. I cannot make out the chamber below, or its inside the mound still.
Its lovely here, with insects and birds chirr... Read More |
203 | 118 |
| Dolmen du Pech Cayrou | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | This one's a bit of a walk up a track and then into a field, but well worth the small effort. Its almost totally enclosed within its mound, with just the large 4 by 3 metres capstone showing above the ground, except to one side where the chamber has been dug into. Most of the chamber is obscured by a large sideslab which has fallen into it, so its difficult to make anything out here.
Apart from the by now normal orchids everywhere, there are ... Read More |
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| Dolmen dit la Pierre Levée (Lecusses) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Another beauty, this time almost completely still within its mound, which is about 25 metres in diameter and a couple of metres high. The single chamber is about 3 m by 1.5 metres, and covered by what must have been a shaped capstone, about 4 by 2.5 metres and very rectangular. This one is a bit of a long walk from anywhere, but it is signposted. | 203 | 120 |
| Dolmen des Barrières 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | This nice freestanding dolmen is to be found in a little tended garden like area near to the Barrières farm. There are no signs of a mound around it, no doubt all the stone having been used in construction of the farm and its walls. It was probably once similar to the nearby Pierre Levée, but is now just a 3 metres square capstone doing a balancing act on one side and one end stone from the rectangular chamber. | 203 | 121 |
| Gisement de Fieux | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Excavations are being done here, and planning permission for a visitor centre with shop and toilets applied for. I was not sure what is here while I was visiting, except for a big hole in the ground, and some little holes also. I later find out that it is an ancient settlement and encampment for mammoth hunters. | 203 | 122 |
| Dolmen d'Escurettes | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | I couldn’t find this dolmen originally, and wondered whether it had been destroyed, as the fields here have recently been substantially re-arranged. I wondered whether I had found the sad remains in one of the hedges, and was about to give up, before I looked through a gap in the hedge. On the other side of the hedge I found the dolmen, disguised as a large heap of stones by the fact that the thing is still mostly within its mound. A capstone sit... Read More |
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| Gouffre de Padirac | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 5 | Blimey it’s a big hole. Gaping Ghyll eat your heart out. I think this is the biggest natural hole in Europe. Its massive. No wonder the people were scared of it as being the way to hell until only last century. | 203 | 125 | ||
| Dolmen dit des Pendus 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 23rd May 2005 | After lots of trying from two separate start points I still could not find this one. Too many walls fences and thick hedges in the way and too much scrub to see through to see exactly where it is. The French Air Force is playing around above and having fun though. | 203 | 126 | |||
| Dolmen dit des Pendus 3 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 23rd May 2005 | After lots of trying from two separate start points I still could not find this one. Too many walls fences and thick hedges in the way and too much scrub to see through to see exactly where it is. The French Air Force is playing around above and having fun though. | 203 | 126 | |||
| Dolmen des Calcas | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | After what had started out a good day was turning to failure I needed to find this one. Just beside a track at the edge of a field it’s a basic rectangular chamber about 2.5 by 1.5 metres with no capstone. While sitting writing my notes there was all sorts of jangling noises going on which turned out to be bells on lots of young sheep gambolling around in the next field. Lovely. | 203 | 127 |
| Dolmen du Champ de Monsieur | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 23rd May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Try as I might, from the place that looks to be the nearest approach to this dolmen by road, I could not get a way through into the right bit of woodland to visit this double dolmen. There is much dense woodland here, and many big new fences. They obviously dont want people (or sheep and deer) getting in and out of here.
I had another go at finding this one from the west this time but it was still a bugger to find although success in the end ... Read More |
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| Fieux Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 23rd May 2005 | This should have been a banker before moving on late in the afternoon it supposedly being just a hundred metres from the road at a very recognisable corner. I found the corner and parked and went for a look. I searched and searched but the area has become overgrown with scrub thorny bushes brambles wild rose etc. In fact I almost got lost and couldn’t find my way back. This 5 minute banker had turned into about an hour of frustration getting ripp... Read More |
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| Grotte des Merveilles | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Saw from a distance | 23rd May 2005 | 5 | Saw the entrance to this at least the ticket office and shop. Does it have enough signs pointing to it ? | 203 | 130 | ||
| Champ des Courses Tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | To the west of the town of Gramat, along the D.15 road just before the hippodrome can be found this enormous tumulus. It’s a big one, perhaps 50 metres in diameter, and 12 metres high, and is in a swampy area beside a fishing lake, which is surprising for round here as most of the area is so dry. It must be an area of springs above an impermeable layer of rock.
There are a couple of limestone blocks visible at the top, and one or two more lar... Read More |
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| Bouyé Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | To the southeast of Gramat, a few hundred metres along the GR.6 south from the hamlet of Bouyé can be seen the remains of this double dolmen and its little mound. Its just to the side of the track, opposite a home with a swimming pool being installed. I could not get into the field for a close look, and thick hedges and trees made making out what is there, and getting photographs difficult. I could however make out that there were some large slab... Read More |
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| Gabaudet Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 24th May 2005 | There are supposedly a couple of lovely dolmens here in the woods. I had a good walk and look around, but could find nothing. I really needed to get the 1:25000 map this morning. They should be found about 600 metres to the east of the hamlet, in the forest to the south of the road. For the first dolmen, a 4 metre by 3 metre capstone sits on top of a 3.5 by 2 m chamber, with some remains of a vestibule. | 203 | 134 | |||
| Gabaudet Dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 24th May 2005 | In the forest 200 metres from the first dolmen can be found the second. A chamber 3 metres in length and 1.5 metres wide is covered by a large slab, now broken into three pieces. | 203 | 135 | |||
| La Pierre Martine | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Well, I had to come here, didn’t I. It is signposted from the main road, and places all around, to the northwest of the village of Livernon. It has its own little parking area, and the dolmen is found about 200 metres walk away across the fields and an intriguing limestone pavement.
This is the biggest dolmen in the departement of Lot, the capstone being 7 metres in length and 2 metres wide, held up on just two, equally long sideslabs, helped... Read More |
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| Rougié Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Just a hundred metres or two behind the Pierre Martine, beyond the fence and up the slope into the adjacent field, can be found this dolmen sitting in a field full of thistles, surrounded by brambles and scrub. Despite the many people who visit the Pierre Martine, hardly anybody knows of the existence of this dolmen. It is about 3 metres long with a capstone broken into two pieces, and faces 085° | 203 | 137 |
| Livernon quarry | Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 4 | Between the car parking area and the Pierre Martine is an outcropping of limestone pavement. This has in the past been used to extract slabs, which have been removed and used for building dolmens. | 203 | 138 | ||
| Belinac Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Three and a half metres tall, but only about 30 cm thick, this menhir can be found signposted to the southeast from the village of Livernon. It leans at a slight angle and has some strange markings on it. There are several horizontal lines, and many weird circular shapes. Signposted just off the large road up a small track, there is a little parking area nearby. | 203 | 139 |
| Dolmen du Puech Roussel | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 24th May 2005 | On my ign 1:25000 map, theres a dolmen marked right beside the road here, but could I find it ? I spent ages looking, but no, I did not find it. Studying the map closely after this, I don’t see how I could possibly have missed this, everything else matches exactly, even the swallow hole. | 203 | 140 | |||
| Garivals Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | To the west of the village of Assier, about 1.5 kilometres along the D.92 road, there is a trackway leaving at an angle to the north, nearby what seems to be a road repair depot. A few hundred metres along this trackway can be found the Dolmen de Garivals, much unloved, fenced in and with a wall built through it. The chamber is about 3 m by 1.5 m, and a single capstone now covers only half of it. Much of its mound remains, and there is a strange ... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Bois des Boeufs | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Blimey, how difficult can it be to find these places ? This dolmen is in the book, is on the 1:100000 map, with a name, and I have the detailed map also. Its to be found 200 metres from Garivals dolmen on a bearing of 025°, but can you walk in that direction ? No. I eventually found it after some long way round dead reckoning, and by going through some very dense bushy woodland. I wondered if I would get lost in here for ever, but it was worth it... Read More |
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| Mons dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | In the Champ de Belair, to the northwest of the village of Assier, on the opposite (northwestern) side of the railway to the previous dolmens, are supposedly 4 dolmens, 2 tumulus and a menhir to be seen. But they don’t get any easier to find. Follow the trackway along the northern side of the railway, in a northwesterly direction for about a kilometre from the station. The track gradually fades out into an overgrown grassy path, with bushes every... Read More |
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| Mons Dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 24th May 2005 | Supposedly another 500 metres along the path across the fields beside the railway can be found this nice little dolmen with a 3.5 by 1.5 metre chamber, within a round mound. But time was getting on, and there was no obvious way to get much further along into the fields without climbing fences and walls, and walking through cropped fields. This area was not proving very helpful for finding dolmens, so I decided to give up and move on. | 203 | 144 | |||
| Cloup des Périès | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | A little dolmen found down a track a kilometre or so to the south of the village of Grèzes in Lot. The dolmen has a single capstone sat on two side slabs, and is 3 metres long by 1.5 metres wide. It faces east, at 095°. | 203 | 145 |
| Custalou Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 24th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This is a nice looking dolmen in a field beside a farm near the village of Grèzes, although there was no obvious way in to the field to the dolmen itself. It looks quite large compared to most dolmens in this area, the capstone is unfortunately broken into three pieces, held up on two large side slabs. It has a back stone and the chamber opens to the east. | 203 | 146 |
| Mas de Greil Oppidum | Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Saw from a distance | 25th May 2005 | High on cliffs overlooking the Célé river this hill surrounded on 3 sides by high cliffs has been inhabited and used as a hilltop refuge since 5000BC. It doesn’t need much defending but there are 5 metre deep ditches across the neck of land attaching it to the high Causse. | 203 | 147 | |||
| Dolmen d'Aubin | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 25th May 2005 | Marked on the ign map with a pink square and right beside a good road I thought I’d take a look. Could I find anything ? Could I flip. No way. No signs at all. Nothing. Not a sausage. | 203 | 148 | |||
| Grotte de Pech-Merle | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 25th May 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | Superb. Not only for the prehistoric stuff, but also for the cave and its stalactites as well. There is some fantastic cave decoration in here, including pearls and a superb "spinninng top", and also some wonderful discs. Amazing.
The prehistoric stuff dates from all ages, 25,000 BC to 10,000 BC when it all got blocked off by a rockfall. The two famous spotted horses have been dated to 24,600 BC from their charcoal black. They are really fant... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Pech Laglayre 0 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 25th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Dolmens (plural) are marked on my ign map (and on the Michelin too) to the southwest of Gréalou near to the GR65 footpath so I went for a walk to have a look. The first I came to was nothing much more than a stone mound with a wall going over the top. But there was a collapsed chamber in the middle hence a depression and bits of capstone can still be seen. | 203 | 150 |
| Dolmen du Pech Laglayre 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 25th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | High up on top of this dry and barren hill is another mound on top of which can be seen a capstone when approaching. The remains of a central chamber 3m by 1.5 m are clear with its capstone on top. What is slightly less clear is what looked to me like a second chamber in line with the central one to the west and still with a capstone in place on fallen supports. You can see for miles and miles all around up here a place fit for a king but the fli... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Pech Laglayre 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 25th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | After passing various other inconclusive mounds I came across the third proper dolmen I found up here near to some woods and in the nice cool shade at the junction of a couple of track. This is what I call a proper dolmen with most of its mound disappeared for use in the nearby wall no doubt and so it is standing proud on the hillside. The chamber is about 3 metres long by 1.8 m wide and is oriented at about 130°. The capstone sits nicely on top ... Read More |
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| Genévrier Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Up on the causse above Salles-la-Sources are supposed to be 66 dolmens. There is supposed to be a dolmen trail with map and information available. But I found no such thing. I couldn’t even buy a 1:25000 map of the area (which is notably right on the corner of four. But there is a lovely cascade down over a cliff edge, with a splendid pool at the bottom, and caves going back into the rock. Theres lots of that calcitic stuff that you get like thos... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Jasse Rouge | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Amongst the undergrowth are several mounds of stones here, one of which has the remains of a chamber visible in one of its sides. The mound has been much messed about by farming, and field clearance, and it is difficult to tell what is original. The remains of the chamber are open, and not at all cared for. | 203 | 154 |
| Tumulus de Montaubert | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Above Salles-la-Source, to the northeast, are roadsigns to the supposedly nicely restored Peyrelevade dolmens, which I did not find. All I could find for sure while walking north in the scorching heat along the track towards Cadeyrac, was a small mound in a field to the west of the track, quite near to where I left the van. | 203 | 155 |
| Dolmen de Peyrelebade 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Above Salles-la-Source, to the northeast, are roadsigns to the supposedly nicely restored Peyrelebade dolmens. I parked the van and walked miles in the scorching heat along the track north towards Cadeyrac, but could not find the remains of the two dolmens. There are lots of possibilities for where they could be, but more signs are a necessity. | 203 | 156 | |||
| Dolmen de Peyrelebade 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Above Salles-la-Source, to the northeast, are roadsigns to the supposedly nicely restored Peyrelebade dolmens. I parked the van and walked miles in the scorching heat along the track north towards Cadeyrac, but could not find the remains of the two dolmens. There are lots of possibilities for where they could be, but more signs are a necessity. | 203 | 157 | |||
| Dolmen de Saint-Antonin | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Marked on the ign 1:100000 map with a pink square and right beside a good road with brand new roadsigns pointing to dolmens, I thought I couldn’t miss these dolmens. Again i walked for miles in all directions, but could I find anything ? Nothing. I am starting to get fed up with this. | 203 | 158 | |||
| Borie de Colombier 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Marked on the ign 1:100000 map with a pink square and right beside a good road with brand new roadsigns pointing to dolmens, I thought I couldn’t miss these dolmens. Again i walked for miles in all directions, but could I find anything ? Nothing. I am starting to get fed up with this. So I drove away from the area, going through Rodez to try and find the museum, which was very busy with nowhere to park, so I will come back later. | 203 | 159 | |||
| Dolmen de Saplous 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Just east of the village of Surguières there is a track to the south, signposted to dolmens. At the first junction, there is a dolmen sign in both directions, to the left takes you on a long walk to the dolmens de Cans. After a kilometre or so, you reach the dolmen de Cans 2, in a field to the right. Still in an oval tumulus, a 4 metre rounded capstone sits on top of a 4 metre long, by 1.5 metre wide chamber, which opens to the east facing 077°. | 203 | 160 |
| Dolmen de Saplous 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | A bit further along the track from Cans 2 is the remains of Cans 1 dolmen. It is a bit of a wreck, hidden under a tree and some scrub just beside the trackway, with just some stone visible amongst the brambles. | 203 | 161 |
| Dolmen de Saplous 4 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This one is a fair old hike from the village of Surguières, where there is a track to the south, signposted to dolmens. At the first junction, the track to the left takes you on a long walk past the dolmens de Cans, and going further, and then to the right across a couple of fields (signposted) you eventually come to the remains of this, in the corner of a field under some trees.
It is fairly wrecked and heavily overgrown, but worth a look, as ... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Surguières 4 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Just east of the village of Surguières there is a track to the south, signposted to dolmens. At the first junction, there is a dolmen sign in both directions, to the right is supposed to lead to the Surguières 4 dolmen. I looked for this first, and again later, but could not find anything. I did however get caught up in a herd of sheep being moved ! | 203 | 163 | |||
| Dolmen de Surguières 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Just to the south of the road which leads east to the hamlet of Surguières, about 800 metres west of the village, this dolmen can be seen by its mound. The capstone has slipped off to the side, and it is all a bit of a jumble, although the large side slabs are easily recogniseable. | 203 | 164 |
| Dolmen de Surguières 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | The wrecked remains of Surguières 2. At some point in the past, this has been turned into a little house, or a shepherds hut. It is in a lovely spot, with tremendous views over the valley to the south. | 203 | 165 |
| Dolmen de Surguières 3 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 26th May 2005 | Still further across the fields to the northeast of Surguières 1 and 2 dolmens, should be found the remains of Surguières 3 & 4. I had a good look around, and found a little shepherds hut, but could not find the dolmens. | 203 | 166 | |||
| Galitorte Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This one is a nice find in the evening sun towards the end of a long and mostly fruitless day, and is signposted from several places around.
The dolmen stands proud on the eastern end of a long oval mound, its chamber made with two enormous side slabs each 4 metres long by 2 metres high. The capstone sits nicely on top, but is not as long as the chamber below, which faces east with a bearing of 102°. Perhaps more importantly than the bearing ... Read More |
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| Buzareingues Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a lovely little dolmen sitting on top of a nice little mound, which is still a couple of metres high, but which is not much larger than the by now standard chamber 4 metres long, 1.8 metres wide, facing 104°. It aligns directly to a significant hill, the Puech de las Fadès, which has a significant cliff face and what looks to be a shaped top, to which many legends are attached. It is quite easily found, and signposted, but there isnt anyw... Read More |
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| Buzareingues dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 26th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | This dolmen is a wreck, just really the broken remains of a capstone, although the remains of one of the side slabs can be made out. As with its much better condition neighbour, it aligns towards the east, facing directly to a significant hill, the Puech de las Fadès, with a cliff face and what looks to be a shaped top. | 203 | 169 |
| Puech de las Fadès | Hillfort | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Saw from a distance | 26th May 2005 | A significant hill of the region, which at the top has some significant cliff faces, making it an obvious place for a defended settlement in ancient times. Puech de las Fadès means Hill of the Fairies in the local Occitain language, and many stories and legends abound about the fairies who live on the hill, who are said to have built the nearby Buzareingues and Galitorte dolmens. | 203 | 170 | |||
| Dolmen de Bel-Air 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This dolmen is in the middle of a field of barley, so I didn’t get right to it. It looks a bit of a mess, and not much more than an overgrown bump in a field. | 203 | 171 |
| Dolmen de Bel-Air 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 27th May 2005 | No obvious signs of this one, but it is supposed to be a bit of a wreck with no capstone, under some trees the far side of a little ravine. I gave up fairly easily. | 203 | 172 | |||
| Dolmen de Souque | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 27th May 2005 | The book says its 1.3 km down the little track towards Randels, and then somewhere on the left, hidden by undergrowth. I went for a look, but there was nowhere to park a campervan, and I could see nothing obvious, so gave up after a couple of drivebys. | 203 | 173 | |||
| Sermels menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | I was not expecting this one as I drove past on the way west along the D.2 road. It is a lovely menhir, 3 metres tall, on the edge of a valley. There are some interesting holes in it. | 203 | 174 |
| Pèira Levada (La Glène) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | High up on the windswept, sunbaked plateau, not far from the D.911 road north of Millau, this is one heck of a big dolmen which has sadly collapsed on one side. The views to the southeast over the river Tarn are astonishing, with the new motorway snaking its way down the distant hillside adding some interest.
The giant capstone must be 6 metres by 4 metres, and was sitting on two 4 metre long by 2 metre high side slabs, the eastern of which h... Read More |
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| Dolmen de la Tâcherie | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 27th May 2005 | Not much time to spend looking for this before I have to meet Ellie in Millau, so only a quick look to see if its obvious. No way, its well hidden a couple of hundred metres into an oak forest, so so I leave this one for Another to find. | 203 | 176 | |||
| Azinières Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This little 3 m by 2 m dolmen sits right beside the busy D.911 road a few kilometres to the north of Millau, continuously passed by masses of heavy lorries which I guess do not like to pay the toll charges for the new motorway. There was once another one here, destroyed when the road was made bigger. | 203 | 177 |
| Dolmen de Combets 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | In a field just to the southwest of St Michel-de-Larzac can be found this dolmen with a chamber 4 metres long by 1.8 metres wide. There is not much sign of a mound, but the chamber floor is below ground level of the field surrounding it. It is still enclosed on all four sides, and faces towards east at 100°. The capstone is broken, with a further two metres of stone a bit to the west, which would have made a 5.5 by 2.5 metre capstone originally. ... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Combets 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 27th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Too windy to write anything as I visited this one, it was blowing my book and everything away, so only small notes !. There is not much left of this dolmen, just a single large sideslab and one end stone. There is no sign of any capstone remaining, and its mound has been well eaten into with ploughing. There are the remains of many other mounds to be seen nearby. | 203 | 179 |
| Tiergues Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 28th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Near to the village of Tiergues, in Aveyron, this is a lovely dolmen, as used in postcards and much Aveyron tourist publicity. It is not far from the D.250 road and signposted from the main D.992 road nearby.
The dolmen is 4 metres long, and 2 metres in both height and width, it has two good long side slabs, with a broken and falling back stone. On top of these there is a good capstone, which is very level, covering a chamber which opens to t... Read More |
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| Roquefort menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Couldn't find | 28th May 2005 | Menhir near to the famous cheese village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, Aveyron. If you have time between cheese tasting and touring the various caves, there is a little walk signposted from the village which takes you down to the river and a menhir. The scenery here is really spectacular. | 203 | 181 | |||
| La Baraque Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 28th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a nice little dolmen still well contained within its mound which can be found about 150 metres down the footpath to the north of the road to Baraque Farm / Gite about 150 metres before you reach it. The chamber is only about 2 metres in length, 1 metre wide and 1 metre high, much smaller than a lot round here, but it is very neat, and has a little information sign. | 203 | 182 |
| Musée Fenaille | Museum | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 29th May 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | This magnificent museum is found in the old city of Rodez, inside a beautiful old building which is as much part of the museum as all the collections of items within it. The museum is perhaps best known for its superb collection of statue menhirs, extremely well presented on the top floor, but there is much more besides. | 203 | 183 |
| Dolmen de Perignagols | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a nice dolmen with a lovely shaped and pitted egg shaped capstone, about 4 metres by 4 metres sitting on the top of two three to four metre long side slabs. The chamber is a healthy 4 metres by 2 metres internal dimensions.
The dolmen is signposted up a track to the top of a little hill just to the north of Rodez airport runway, but the atmosphere here is spoiled a bit by all the road straightening and widening going on nearby. There ... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Seveyrac (Salles-la-Source) 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Walking westwards along the ridge from Pérignagols dolmen, there are several other mounds which are passed, one of which can be seen to have a couple of large stones on the surface at the eastern end of a long oval shaped mound. Fantastic views, made all the more impressive by the approach of a massive rainstorm. | 203 | 185 |
| Musee Rouergue | Museum | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 5 | In the village of Salles-la-Source can be found this museum of Rouergue life. Amongst much old farming machinery and suchlike the museum has a prehistoric collection. | 203 | 186 | ||
| Dolmen du Bois del Rey | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is quite a nice dolmen but starting to deteriorate badly, supposedly mostly over the last 100 years. The 4 metre long by 3 metre wide capstone has now broken into two bits, still sitting on its two crumbling 4 metre long side supports. It has a nice backstone and remains of a front entry stone, with the chamber facing east at 110°. It is found a couple of hundred metres along a signposted footpath in a lovely oak forest. | 203 | 187 |
| Bassin de Bois-del-Rey | Rock Art | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Just a few dozen metres from the Bois-del-Rey dolmen, and thought to be connected in some way to it, can be found a 40 cm diameter 10 cm deep circular basin cut into a slab of rock, for unknown purpose. | 203 | 188 |
| Dolmen du Bois Galtier | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | A hundred or so metres further along the signposted walk from the Bois-del-Rey dolmen can be found the Dolmen de Bois-de-Galtier. This nice dolmen is still sitting within the remains of its mound, and has a 2.5 metre diameter round drystone walled chamber at its west end rather than the usual closing stone. It is probably a more recent shepherds hut been constructed here. The main dolmen, which acts as its entrance, is about 3.5 metres long by 1.... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Devès des Gleyettes 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | A few more hundred metres round the signposted footpath is this dolmen with no name sign. Still in much of its long mound, the capstone is broken into three pieces, and partly fallen. The chamber is 3.5 metres long by 1.5 metres wide, and faces southeast at 125°. | 203 | 190 |
| Cloup de Layrou | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Just 50 metres further away from the Cloup de Layrou dolmen, is found a depression in the ground with a couple of cave like shelters. It has a signpost and was no doubt used by ancient man. | 203 | 191 |
| Dolmen de Maire-Gaillard | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Aveyron (12) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Driving along a little lane to the north of Bois-del-Rey dolmens, I saw a little sign to dolmen, and so just had to follow it. A few hundred metres down a track into the forest from the small lane (with difficult parking) can be found the remains of this little dolmen, not much more than 2 metres long by 1.2 metres wide. There is still a bit of its surrounding mound remaining. | 203 | 192 |
| Dolmen dit de Pajot | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This dolmen can be easily found in a field beside the D24 road south of the village of Limogne-en-Quercy. Of typical size for round here, the chamber is 3.5 metres in length, and 1.5 metres wide, and is covered by a capstone which is larger in all dimensions. The northeast side has collapsed slightly, giving a good lean.
The dolmen is used for storing of some ancient farming equipment (ploughs and suchlike) which look to have been in there fo... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Pech-Lapeyre | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 30th May 2005 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Signposted as dolmens from the centre of the village of Limogne-en-Quercy, this dolmen is more than a kilometres walk along a trackway. The dolmen is still partly within its mound, and is notable for the thickness of its capstone, which is a rectangular 3 m by 2 m in size, but is a metre thick. The chamber is 2.5 metres by 1.5 metres in size, and opens to the southeast at 121°.
Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of rubbish here, with remains... Read More |
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| Joncas Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | A kilometre walk west of the village of Limogne-en-Quercy along the GR.65 long distance footpath and signposted, you come to this dolmen. Still sitting largely in its mound, the chamber is 3.5 metres long by 1.5 metres wide, facing to the east at 108°. The capstone is unfortunately broken, and only part remains covering the chamber.
When I was here, the surrounding area is covered in flowers of all shapes and colours, on a lovely warm sunny m... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Ferrières-Haut | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a very high dolmen which can be found a hundred or so metres south of the GR.65 footpath besides the farm of the same name. Unfortunately one of the side slabs has been broken by a tree growing through it, and it has been dry stone walled at the back end at some time in the past to act as a shelter. The chamber would have been 2 metres long by 1.8 metres wide, and it is a good 2 metres in height, facing 115°, with a 4 metre by 4 metre ca... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Mas de Coti | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Sat in a field just beside the D.65 road to the northeast of the village of Varaire near to the Calvarie can be found the remains of this dolmen. It is 4 metres in length, by 1.5 metres wide and 1.5 metres high, with the long capstone broken into two pieces, facing eastwards at 074°. It has in the past been used as a shelter, and a bit of a wall has been built at the back, and the gap in the capstone covered over. As is often the case, there is a... Read More |
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| Dolmen des Sanguinades | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Just off of the GR.36 footpath a couple of kilometres to the southeast of Varaire, in a field full of orchids can be found this little broken dolmen, which has the remains of its capstone fallen off the front of its side slabs. | 203 | 198 |
| Dolmen de Peyco Levado | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 5 | 3 | 4 | Just to the south of the D.55 road between Beauregard and Laramière, and signposted, this dolmen is sat in a little clearing beside a trackway. Much larger than the average round here, this dolmen has a 6 metre by 4 metre capstone sitting on top of a 5 metre long chamber facing east at 100°. The dolmen still sits in the remains of its mound, which possibly still has some remains of a surrounding circle of stones. On top of the capstone, above the... Read More |
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| Marsigalliet Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This dolmen is found a couple of kilometres to the northwest of Laramière, along the GR.36 footpath, but which for this stretch is a driveable track. It is then a hundred or so metres walk into the forest, but signposted.
This is another much larger than average dolmen for round here, still mostly contained within its mound. Unfortunately, at some time in the past, the capstone and chamber ends have been broken and incorporated into a wall. T... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Quatre Routes | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Just to the west of the D.19 road to the north of St-Jean-de-Laur, this initially looks to be a small dolmen, but upon closer inspection is probably just half of the remains of one. It is well fenced off, and proper acces to investigate it fully cannot be obtained. | 203 | 201 |
| Aubiac Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Just beside the little road which runs off the D.19 to the north of St-Jean-de-Laur towards Les Cabranes, can be seen the remains of this dolmen. Three metres long, by 1.8 metres wide and 2 metres tall, the chamber has only one side slab, but is kept together with a drystone wall on the northern side. It has in the past been used as an animal shelter, and there are masses of ants everywhere. | 203 | 202 |
| Aubiac Dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Unmarked on any of my maps, but just at the junction of the D.19 and the little road which runs north towards Les Cabranes, can be seen a mound. Closer inspection shows it to have the remains of a reasonable dolmen chamber within it, 3.5 metres long, 1.2 metres wide and with a capstone covering only its eastern half. It makes me wonder just how many more dolmens and burial mounds like this there are around here. | 203 | 203 |
| Dolmen de Pech Linar | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 31st May 2005 | This dolmen marked on the ign 1:25000 map is a longish walk up to the top of a steep hill in a densely wooded area so on this very hot afternoon with lots of other possibilities to visit I didn’t bother to try and find it.
Driving from here down the little road to the Lot valley, a large Eagle suddenly swooped into the hedge at the side of the road in front of me, and emerged after a struggle carrying a 4 foot long snake. Still struggling wit... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Pech Grillé | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | The remains of this dolmen can be found just beside the D143 road to the north of Limogne but is a bit of a wreck. The capstone has split in two along the length of the chamber with the two pieces falling one to each side of the two side slabs. As a result it now looks something like 4 parallel slabs of stone with only one half of the capstone leaning against its upright. The chamber would have been the average 3.5 metres long by 1.2 metres wide. | 203 | 205 |
| Peyre Gagès Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This dolmen can be seen just about 20 metres to the east of the D143 road a few kilometres to the north of Limogne. It stands in a field with traces of its mound still around it and can clearly be seen from the road. The field had a herd of cows in it at the time of my visit and was well fenced so I didn’t go to inspect it at close hand. It looks to be a bit smaller than the average dolmen in these parts. | 203 | 206 |
| Agranel Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 31st May 2005 | This dolmen marked on the ign 1:25000 map is at the top of a hill in a well fenced off area of scrubland with no obvious parking place so I didn’t bother too hard to try and find it. | 203 | 207 | |||
| Mas de Labat 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Once the lane through Mas de Labat has been found this one is fairly easy to find as it is given away by the mound at the top of the hill amongst some scrubland in a field. Having said that it seems to be becoming very overgrown and indeed is not much more than a mound at the top of a hill now. At the centre of the mound a small 2 m by 0.7 m chamber can be seen between two side slabs visible amongst the bush. There was no sign of any capstone. | 203 | 208 |
| Mas de Labat 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This is an odd dolmen incorporated into a wall. The small entrance below the capstone opens up into a typical 3m by 15 m chamber. The capstone itself is piled high with stone. Its not an easy dolmen to find with lots of windy lanes to negotiate before getting anywhere near the place and after that it took a bit of searching around in scrubby area round the back of a house and across a couple of fields. | 203 | 209 |
| Dolmen de Cuzoul 1 (Lalbenque) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 31st May 2005 | Near to the Balach farm a couple of kilometres south of Lalbenque along the D6 I could find no easy way through to this dolmen with the fields being electrically fenced to keep a herd of bullocks in and a barley crop growing in another field so I gave up after a reasonable try. | 203 | 210 | |||
| Dolmen de Cuzoul 2 (Lalbenque) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Couldn't find | 31st May 2005 | Near to the Balach farm a couple of kilometres south of Lalbenque along the D6 I could find no easy way through to this dolmen with the fields being electrically fenced to keep a herd of bullocks in and a barley crop growing in another field so I gave up after a reasonable try. | 203 | 211 | |||
| Dolmen dit la Pierre Levée (Pélissie) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 31st May 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Just to the south of the crossroads at Pélissie on the D6 road 50 metres up a little track and into a small woodland area can be found the remains of this dolmen. The 4.5 by 2.5 metre capstone sits on not much of the crumbling side slabs but is nicely covered in moss. | 203 | 212 |
| Peyre Levade (La Borie Rouge) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 17th Jan 2012 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Remains of a small dolmen in a garden just to the north of Lalbenque. It is not well cared for and has had a large hedge planted between it and the roadside to presumably stop people like me having a look. In fact it looks as if one of the side slabs has recently been split. | 203 | 213 |
| Fontaine des Chartreux | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Midi-Pyrénées:Lot (46) | Visited | 1st Jun 2005 | 4 | Cross the wonderful Pont Valentré from the old town of Cahors, contained within its loop of the Lot river, and walk south along the riverside for a few hundred metres, and you will find this huge spring in the cliffside, with the crystal clear water surging out. Two thousand years ago, the Fontaine des Chartreux was used for the worship of Divona, or Divona Cadurcorum, "Divona of the Cadurci," a Celtic people of Gaul before the Roman conquest i... Read More |
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| Giverzac Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 16th Jan 2012 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Remains of a little dolmen now outside the gates to the Banque de France’ Giversac Enterprise Centre and it shelters a couple of floodlights. The capstone is about 2.5 by 2 metres broken at one end and it sits on a few various support stones. I suspect it’s been jumbled about a bit.
Finding this involved some extremely steep and narrow lanes up the vertiginous sides of the Dordogne river from Vitrac and getting away again after was just as ba... Read More |
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| Grotte de Bernifal | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 4 | This was closed to visitors when I arrived but nevertheless it was a nice walk through splendid woodland with a little stream running nearby up to the entrance. The cave was discovered in 1905 and contains engravings of humans as well as the more usual animals. | 203 | 216 | ||
| Roc de Cazelle | Ancient Village or Settlement | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 4 | This place has been inhabited since 40000 years ago right up until the 1960’s when the last farmer and his wife moved on. It is an overhanging cliff with several levels of caves and shelters and these days is a little visitor park showing life in the troglodytic fashion since prehistoric times with many little scenes recreated and artisans demonstrating their trades and crafts. | 203 | 217 | ||
| Grotte de la Mouthe | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Saw from a distance | 2nd Jun 2005 | Now closed to the public this cave was discovered in 1895 and was pivotal in the argument for the decorations being of ancient origin. Apparently there are artworks from many different periods of the prehistoric past in here from the Gravettian through Mousterian to the Magdelenian. This cave is up a very windy rough track from Les Eyzies which I very nearly got stuck up due to a narrowing of the track on the way down the other side between a cou... Read More |
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| Grotte de Bara-Bahau | Cave or Rock Shelter | France | Aquitaine:Dordogne (24) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 4 | This cave (cave of the bears) was only discovered in 1951 features many engravings dated to 14000 years ago and also many bear claw marks. Up the hillside and well signposted from Le Bugue it was closed for lunch when I visited. | 203 | 219 | ||
| Peyre Lebade | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | While looking at the village map by the Mairie to see if it marked any of the supposedly local ancient stones I noted an area called Peyre Lebade so of course I went to have a look. In the corner of the road junction here to the west of the village centre can be seen a small standing stone fenced in to a little grassy garden area. It cant be much more than a metre tall and is well weathered so I assume it’s a proper menhir. | 203 | 220 |
| Pierre Levée (Salles-de-Castillon) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This one comes with its own wine! While driving from Peyre Lebade towards Clotte I saw this stone standing at the entrance to a farmhouse wine producer and noticed that the farm was called Chateau de la Pierre Levée.
I stopped to have a better look and a man on his tractor in the vineyard came over to me so I tried to ask him about the stone. Apparently somewhere in his garage he has an archaeological panel with some information on it which h... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Puy Landry | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | The old chap at Chateau Pierre Levée knew of this dolmen's existence but the chap at Puy Landry winery didn’t but he pointed me in the direction of a menhir on the top of Puy Landry hill about a kilometre to the north but ce n’est pas grand.. I initially thought it was too far to go walking to in the intense heat and suspected he was pointing me to the Clotte menhir on the ridge but having driven nearby to have a better look it didn’t seem so far... Read More |
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| Menhir de Clotte | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Couldn't find | 2nd Jun 2005 | I found both a Chateau de Clotte and a Moulin de Clotte but not the menhir. | 203 | 223 | |||
| Pitray Allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Well what a find this was. I found Pitray on the village map outside the Mairie and when I got there I found a long driveway up to a chateau with a couple of men working logging in the woodland who told me that they knew of the dolmen and that I should go and ask at the chateau. In the grounds surrounding the chateau a charming lady looking after her baby grandson came to talk to me who spoke good English and told me that she knew of the dolmen w... Read More |
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| Curton Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 2nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | As I was driving towards Bellefond I saw a sign to Dolmen de Curton so I had to follow it but it’s a pity the large signs do not follow the one at the road junction up. There are one or two very small signs after this which I at first missed and these lead into a vineyard before they give up totally. Following the track on by foot for about 600 metres and you eventually reach the dolmen.
It is a little allée couverte on the reducing remains o... Read More |
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| Sabatey Dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Not the easiest dolmens to find, but they are signposted from the village of Bellefond to some degree, although a fair bit of guesswork is needed at certain junctions. Just to the left of Sabatey Farm, a gate opens into a field, from where you walk across to the woods, where the two dolmens can be seen on the right.
The first you find is Sabatey dolmen 2, which seems to mostly consist of a large pile of moss covered stones, with the remains o... Read More |
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| Sabatey Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 5 | 4 | Not the easiest dolmens to find, but they are signposted from the village of Bellefond to some degree, although a fair bit of guesswork is needed at certain junctions. Just to the left of Sabatey Farm, a gate opens into a field, from where you walk across to the woods, where the two dolmens can be seen on the right.
Sabatey dolmen 1 is about 25 metres into the woods, and although it at first appears to be a similar jumble of stones, the remai... Read More |
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| Pierre du Maine du Prieuré | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | This is a big menhir stood at the edge of the roadside, at least 3.5 metres tall, and the top has been broken off. Not very well looked after, it is surrounded by junk, although by the marks on it, it looks to have been fairly recently re-erected. | 203 | 228 |
| Roquefort Allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 1 | This is a fantastic find, in the grounds of Roquefort Chateau, which is a very private area. I asked at the village about the allée-couverte, and got directed to the Chateau, which is still a very busy wine producer, so I went and asked there. I got taken by the owner to see the monument, and he also found and let me photocopy some documents and details they had about it.
Its a very big allée-couverte, especially for round here, still contain... Read More |
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| Roquefort Settlement | Ancient Village or Settlement | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Saw from a distance | 3rd Jun 2005 | Not far from the Chateau, on a wooded promontary in the river, are the remains of a bronze / iron age promontary fort and settlement. | 203 | 230 | |||
| Dolmens de Bignon | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Saw from a distance | 3rd Jun 2005 | I knew things were going too well this morning. I found Frontenac, and from there I eventually found Bignon, but after much searching and some very difficult to understand directions from an old lady living near the farm (they are very big, and only 800 metres away) I could find no signs of the three dolmens here. Supposedly there is one large allée-couverte and two simple dolmens to be found, and I must have spent over an hour looking along all ... Read More |
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| La Palanque de Peyre | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Couldn't find | 3rd Jun 2005 | I had a look all around the region here, but with nothing marked on any of my maps, and nothing signed from the village, I gave up, as after all the time I had spent looking for Bignon I had to move on. | 203 | 232 | |||
| Peyrefitte | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Aquitaine:Gironde (33) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | Signposted from all around, and with a little parking area, this huge and nicely shaped menhir stands in a little field amongst the vines. This is the largest standing stone in southwest France, and it is 5.2 metres tall, 3 metres wide and less than a metre thick, with the bottom part of it chipped away to make the distinctive shape. There is a little hollow in the bottom of it, apparently made for offerings to be placed in during the middle ages... Read More |
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| La Pierre Folle (Montguyon) | Passage Grave | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This superb monument is signposted to the north of the town of Montguyon, and has its own parking and picnic area. It is a double monument, with an Aquitaine allée-couverte combined with a dolmen.
The allée-couverte part is massive, with a double chamber internally measuring 8 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and up to 2 metres high, facing east at 080°. The big capstone at the west end is 3 metres off the ground, 1.5 metres thick and is estimate... Read More |
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| Pierre Folle (Négrignac) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Couldn't find | 3rd Jun 2005 | This I couldn’t find, and I could find no mention of it in the village. It is somewhere to the southeast of the village. | 203 | 235 | |||
| La Pierre a Cerclet | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 1 | 2 | 5 | This dolmen is a complete wreck, and can be found beside the D.134 road south of Charnac. It has had a little area of field left unplanted around it, but there's not much to see. There is just what seems to be a broken capstone and a few other bits and pieces laying about. I have since found out that this dolmen was destroyed as recently as 1978, | 203 | 236 |
| Saint Fort Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Signposted from the town of St Fort-sur-le-Ne, it is found about 1 kilometre to the east on top of a small hill amongst the Cognac vines. It is a real monster, looking like the skeletal remains of a dinosaur robot or something.
The chamber is 5 metres in length, by 2.5 metres wide, and the single, one metre thick capstone more than adequately covers that. It is held 2.5 metres high in the air by three large upright support stones, with the ou... Read More |
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| Courades Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 3rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Probably once very similar to the St Fort dolmen, but this one has collapsed, probably fairly recently, and the capstone is now in several fragments on the ground. The chamber was once 5 metres by 2.5 metres, with a big closing stone to the west, and the entrance to the east. It seems to have carved stones paving the floor area, with the side slabs fitted closely to these.
It is easy to find, and is signposted about 600 metres along a track f... Read More |
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| La Motte a Poljeau | Chambered Tomb | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Saw from a distance | 3rd Jun 2005 | To the north of the Couvoisier town of Jarnac, near the village of Métairies is marked a tumulus. I thought I'd found a massive tumulus in about the right place in amongst some trees, but a closer inspection didn’t show there to be an obvious tumulus there. It was getting late, so i didnt look too much harder, as its time to stop for the day. | 203 | 239 | |||
| Garde Epée Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 4th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a big dolmen, the chamber of which is about 4 metres in length by 3 metres wide and 2 metres high. It has a single large backstone, with two side stones on the south side, only one on the north (the other is missing) and one at the eastern end. The capstone is two pieces, the larger western stone having several delightful holes in it and a warning sign saying not to climb onto it or stand underneath, as the stone is cracked and ready to b... Read More |
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| Sechebec Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente (16) | Visited | 4th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This dolmen comes with its own block of flats, "Residence du Dolmen", which is currently for sale, in the western outskirts of Cognac, not too far from the big sports centre.
The 4.5 by 2.5 metre chamber is covered by a single large capstone, held up on 8 external support stones and with another stone on the inside, but it is not very high off the ground. It would not surprise me at all if this has been somewhat modified for safety reasons, a... Read More |
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| La Pierre Levée (Sablonceaux) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 4th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Signposted from the D.XXX road to Sablonceaux, this dolmen is about a kilometre walk along a track through the forest, but there are no more signs and it’s a guess as to which way to go at several junctions. I kept to the biggest track at each option, and eventually there it was to the right of the pathway. It has a little noticeboard, but there is not much more to see, just a pile of three stones in a little hollow. While I was here, the area ar... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Bois de la Grosse Pierre (Sainte-Radegonde) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Couldn't find | 4th Jun 2005 | I had a good look around for this one, down into the woods from at least two tracks, and got told some directions on how to find it, but it is well hidden in thick woodland somewhere, and I thought there are better things to do with my time than wander round in the forest for hours on end. | 203 | 243 | |||
| Dolmen de la Pierre Levée (La Vallée) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 4th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a bit more like it. Signposted to the north of the village of La Vallée, behind the churchyard along Rue du Dolmen, this dolmen is lovingly looked after in a nicely tended little area of grass on its mound amongst some trees.
It seems to be the remains of a large double chambered tomb, the main chamber being about 4 metres by 3.5 metres at the east of the mound, with a massive capstone now on the ground amongst the remains of about 10... Read More |
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| Buffletizion Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Couldn't find | 4th Jun 2005 | I found Buffetision just to the southeast of trizay, but there were no signs of any dolmen. Perhaps it is in the grounds of the chateau. | 203 | 245 | |||
| Soubise Dolmen 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Couldn't find | 4th Jun 2005 | These two dolmens are within the confines of an airfield, which has a big military base on the northern side of the runway, and a little flying club at the south. I could not get to very near to where the dolmens are marked on my map, so didn’t try very hard to get close enough for a photo. | 203 | 246 | |||
| Dolmen d'Ors dit la Piare | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 4th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Remains of a once fairly large burial mound with several chambers contained within it, now fairly well destroyed, on the southern tip of the Ile d’Oleron, within the community of Le Château-d'Oléron. The remains of this dolmen are easily found, but not signposted, right beside the seawall in a little picnic area right at the southeastern tip of Ile d’Oleron where the road bridge makes landfall. If you get to the first building (a restaurant) fro... Read More |
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| La Pierre Levée (Oleron) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Couldn't find | 4th Jun 2005 | I looked all around the Pierre Levée farm, but could see nothing obvious, so I asked. I was told that there was once a dolmen here, but that it had been destroyed, and nothing remains of it today. | 203 | 248 | |||
| Pierres Closes de Charas 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Its an odd one this, an oval shaped chamber about 1.7 metres long, 1 metre wide and 0.7 metres high has been carved out of a big block of rock. On top of this is a limestone capstone full of holes and cavities filled with lichens and wild flowers.
It can be found just to the northwest of the historic Naval town of Rochefort, amongst the marshes of the Charente river estuary. Not signposted, but marked on my ign map, I drove along some windy l... Read More |
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| Pierres Closes de Charas 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | About three or four hundred metres away from the first Pierres Close, in the middle of a field planted with sweetcorn on a bearing of 295°, can be seen a second large stone. After walking most of the way round the field, I could gain access from the far side. It is another large rock with an oval chamber cut into it, but this time there is only half of the chamber and no capstone remaining.
Two good interesting finds to start the day, I have ... Read More |
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| La Pierre Levée (Ardillières) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is a nice pleasant simple little dolmen, just into a field of wheat about 30 metres from a farm track to the south of the village of Ardillières. The capstone sits proudly atop its three upright supports, making a chamber about 2 metres long by 1.5 metres wide and almost 2 metres high. It sits almost at the top of a little hillock in amongst the marais, and can be seen for miles around. On the inside of the chamber, the western side support ... Read More |
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| Dolmen dit la Pierre Fouquerée | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This dolmen is not so easy to find as its neighbour, La Pierre Levée, but is in the middle of a field of maize to the west of the farm of Bois des Mottes near the village of Ardillières. The 3 metre by 2 metre limestone capstone sits at an angle on top of one full support stone, and several other broken stones. The chamber is very neatly rectangular, about 3 m by 2 m, and the builders of this one did a very fine job of squaring and lining up the ... Read More |
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| Dolmen dit la Pierre-Levée (La Jarne) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Poitou-Charentes:Charente-Maritime (17) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This is a nice little dolmen sitting at the edge of the playing fields just outside the back of the church in the village of La Jarne. I am not sure exactly how original this dolmen is, as it looks like it might be a relatively modern reconstruction, and is stood in a gravel area with tell tale plastic sheeting under the new gravel surroundings. I could find no information about it. | 203 | 253 |
| Pierre Levée de Chenillée | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a nicely smoothed and shaped menhir, which must be about 4.5 metres tall, 2.5 metres wide and 1 metre thick. It is just off a farm track beside the road, and is signposted. | 203 | 254 |
| Petites Jaunières | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Inside a field just to the west of the D.85 road south of Le Givre, but very difficult to get at or take a picture of because of the ditch, fence and hedge surrounding its field ! I estimate it to be about 3 metres tall, and sort of pointed. | 203 | 255 |
| Menhir dit le Champ du Rocher | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | All I could find where this stone should be was a fallen smoothed stone at the roadside, but I could find nowhere to safely stop and have a good look around. It's about 3 metres long by 2 metres wide. | 203 | 256 |
| Dolmen des Pierres Folles du Plessis | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This possible Angevine dolmen resides in a little wooded picnic area beside the lane to the south of the busy D.949 road to the east of Avrillé. The chamber would have been 5 metres long by 2 metres wide, but the eastern end has collapsed and broken badly, so its difficult to tell. The remains of a 4 metre by 3 metre capstone lie fallen into the chamber, although it is still supported at the western end. The mass of jumbled stone at the east end ... Read More |
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| Cour du Breuil Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Right by the roadside, this is a pleasant dolmen to find, with the large skeletal remains standing slightly hidden by a surrounding hedge, from where they suddenly jump out at you as you pass.
The main chamber would have been about 4 metres by 2 metres, but the single remaining capstone covers only half of this, balanced as it is on 3 side slabs at 1.5 metres above the ground. There are plenty of other stones laying around, and the remains ar... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Savatole 3 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | I was not expecting to find these, as I had no previous information about them, and they are not marked on my map. However they are signposted just to the north of the village of Le Bernard, where there is an Ecole des Dolmens! Excellent.
Right beside the little lane to the north of the village, this dolmen would appear to have an oval chamber 3 metres long by 2.5 metres wide, with a single capstone covering it. There are also other stones whi... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Savatole 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Like dolmen number 3, this dolmen was excavated in 1906 and has been restored. It is a simple dolmen with a 2.5 by 2.5 metre chamber with a single capstone, these days supported on 3 side stones with remains of a couple more.
Strange thing here is the carved floorstone, which has been cut down to make a flat floor, a bit like the Pierres Closes. I had seen this effect at a couple of dolmens in the Cognac region, but assumed then that it was a... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Savatole 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | The remains of this dolmen are in the middle of a field of barley, and are not easy to get to, but following some tractor wheel marks it was possible for me to get to it without doing any damage to the crop (and I was not the first).
This dolmen is larger, but less complete than the first two dolmens here. What would appear to be a 4 metre by 2.5 metre chamberis only covered at the western end by a capstone resting on three support stones. As... Read More |
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| Frébouchère Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | Easily found and signposted to the north of the village of Le Bernard, this wonderful dolmen has a little parking and picnic area. Ooooh, it’s a whopper, and absolutely fantastic !
It is a large Angevin dolmen with a main chamber 6.5 metres long by 3.5 metres wide, covered by a single massive capstone (now cracked into two parts) 2 metres high off the ground. There are three side stones along each side, and a single massive backstone at the ... Read More |
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| Menhir de la Boilière | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This 4 metre tall menhir fell in 1964, but has been re-erected only with the help of two cranes in the 1980s after they had failed to put it back up manually. It is a nicely shaped stone, and has at its foot another stone, which has several cupules and other markings cut into it. It is well signposted from the village of Avrillé, and is a pleasant evening stroll. | 203 | 264 |
| Camp de César Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 5th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | This large menhir is the only survivor of what was until the last century three stones here, set in an arrangement like the surviving Alignment de la Pierre. At 8.7 metres tall and nicely shaped and dressed, the stone, known as Le Roi des Menhirs (King of the menhirs) is so big that it was not destroyed, and has now had a municipal park created around it.
It is right outside the back of the local Mairie, and is a nice central feature to the g... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Grand-Bouillac | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This is a mid sized dolmen with entrance passageway. The main chamber is about 3 metres square with its single capstone slightly fallen. As with many of the dolmens around here, it has a smoothed limestone slab as a floor. There are a couple of entrance passage stone pairs, one of these still with its capstone.
There is a sign which states that until a century ago, there were many menhirs within a few hundred metres of this dolmen, which was ... Read More |
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| Pierre qui Vire (Russelet) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | The Pierre qui Vire is a nice lichen covered stone, about 4 metres tall, 3 metres wide, and made from Gris rock - the only large menhir in this region which is, all others being made from granite.
The Pierre qui Vire, or the turning stone, is said to turn around each night, either at midnight, or the first call of a cockerel. I thought I'd found a stone row here, but it turns out that the other stones lined up with it in the field are relativ... Read More |
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| Pey de Fontaine | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | The largest prehistoric monument in the departement of Vendée, this is a large stone cairn which contains two dolmens with entry passageways. Estimated to be 6000 years old, the cairn is rectangular, about 35 metres by 30 metres and is built with several drystone wall steps. The two chambers each have entry corridors of 20 metres length, opening out to the southeast.
However, the monument is not much to look at at present, as it is undergoing... Read More |
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| Menhirs du Plessis | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | At this site, there was once an equilateral triangle of three large menhirs, each 100 metres apart, but now only two remain after the eastern one was destroyed in 1860. They are easily found and well signposted in the locality.
The northern stone is a lovely dressed menhir 7.5 metres tall. It fell and was re-erected in 1977.
The southern menhir is much smaller than its neighbour, at about 4 metres high, but again is a very nicely dressed ... Read More |
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| Créchaudes Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Unless I somehow missed this dolmen, it is a wreck, not much more than several stones in a field. Alternatively, it may still be in its mound, of which there is an overgrown example at the side of the field. | 203 | 272 |
| La Sulette Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | This is a pleasant find, as it has been fully excavated and restored in 1989 to 1991, and is now found completely within its mound. It is a small Angevin dolmen, with a 2 metre by 2 metre chamber made using 4 side stones with drystone walling between them. It has a single capstone, and again, it has a smoothed slab on the floor. The chamber opens to the outside at the east, where there is a small entrance portal. | 203 | 273 |
| Menhirs du Bois du Fourgon | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Couldn't find | 6th Jun 2005 | There are several sets of alignements to be found in the grounds of the Chateau, of which you have to pay for entry to be able to get in and see them. I didn’t have tome to do a tour of the Chateau, so was not able to visit these stones, of which at least three rows exist. | 203 | 274 | |||
| Alignement dit de La Petite Pierre | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | Just outside the grounds of the chateau, along the little lane which runs to the south west from Avrillé, can be found this nice setting of three stones at the roadside in a little grassy clearing. Two 2.5 metre tall stones are positioned either side of a 5.5 metre high monster. All have been shaped, and the back face of all three stones is very flat. Thinking about this, it is probably the front face of each stone which is flat, and these face t... Read More |
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| La Garnerie menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Saw from a distance | 6th Jun 2005 | 4 | 2 | This is a great big menhir in a field of barley, and there was no way I was going to get to it. I would estimate it to be 4 to 5 metres tall and it is nicely rounded. My gps position is to the field gate from where it can be seen. | 203 | 276 | |
| Fontaine Saint Gré | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | This is an ancient spring and little pond in amongst some large granite blocks. The spring water seeps into the little pond from out of a fissure in one of the granite slabs at the side, from quite well above the water line.
There are two menhirs, a tumulus and ruined dolmen within a hundred metres of the spring, although they are quite difficult to determine amongst the natural stone in the area. The Fontaine is signposted from nearby and in... Read More |
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| Fontaine Saint Gré tumulus | Chambered Cairn | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | Not far from the Fontaine Ste Gré spring is the remains of a large long mound. At the eastern end of this mound is a large granite slab, which is the remains of a burial chamber. | 203 | 278 | |
| Fontaine Saint Gré menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | In the hedge beside the little lane which leads to the Fontaine Ste Gré, just beside the entrance to the field within which the spring is, can be found this menhir. It is about 2.5 metres tall, but very well hidden and overgrown within the hedge. The other menhir is somewhere in a hedge beside the big pond below the spring, inside a private garden. I couldn’t find this one. | 203 | 279 |
| C.A.I.R.N. | Museum | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | What a nice find this is. In an area of numerous menhirs and dolmens is this lovely “living” museum which is easily found and signposted from all around. CAIRN (Centre Archéologique d'Initiation et de Recherche sur le Néolithique) is not only a museum with the usual displays of things and exhibitions but is a research and learning centre which delights in demonstrating ancient ways to people especially children.
When I Visited there was a fa... Read More |
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| Puy Durand menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Couldn't find | 6th Jun 2005 | They sell postcards of this menhir, and it looks massive. I found Puy Durand, and had a good look all around, but could not find any signs of the menhir. There are lots of private and fenced off areas here, so the menhir is probably inside one of these. | 203 | 282 | |||
| Les Pierres Jumelles | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 6th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | The Pierres Jumelles, or twin stones, are set into a little area beside the old road (which has now been bypassed twice) opposite to the aptly named Chateau Pierre Levée. The two stones are both about 4 metres high, but that is where the similarity between them ends.
One of the stones is a rounded block of lovely pink granite, while the other is a tall pointed grey stone. They are set about 6 metres apart from each other. The pink stone reall... Read More |
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| Menhir dit la Conche-Verte | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | In a little forest clearing amongst the sand dunes to the north of Olonnes-sur-Mer, this 2 metre tall granite menhir is easily found due to the signposted footpaths. It leans slightly and has a pointed top. I suspect that there are others around here buried under the sand dunes. | 203 | 284 |
| Menhir de la Crulière | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Signposted from the road, 0.5 kilometres walk, and having a little white signpost at the field entrance, I somehow walked right past, and took ages before I turned round and came back. How on earth did I miss it ? I probably wasted almost an hour here ! The menhir, 2.4 metres tall, and a triangular block of white granite, is in a field which is well fenced. The sign tells me that it is the last of four megaliths which existed in the commune of Br... Read More |
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| La Meinge du Diable | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Couldn't find | 7th Jun 2005 | I found a signpost to this one, but despite walking along every track and footpath in the vicinity, I found no semblance of any menhir. I wish that when there are signposts from the road, they are followed up later. I must have walked many miles in the baking hot sun here. At least it should be doing me good. | 203 | 286 | |||
| Pierre Levée de Soubise | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | I cant see much of a future for this poor little dolmen, which is currently pleasantly situated on a little mound on some sandy heathland. Marker tape and trenches are set out around it, with diggers and other heavy plant, and I would think that before too long this whole area will be a building site for yet more holiday homes in this very popular beach and holiday area.
The dolmen is a simple thing, with its 2.5 by 2 metre capstone sat at a ... Read More |
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| La Pierre Folle (Commequiers) | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Once a very nice example of an Angevin type dolmen, this has now mostly collapsed. Only three support stones are left standing, with a part of the capstone on top of them. The chamber would have been rectangular, 5 metres by 3 metres, and over 2 metres in height. The entrance is as usual to the east, and only the eastern part of the dolmen is still standing, with the rest of the stones being a bit of a jumble, although the basics can still be mad... Read More |
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| La Palissonnière | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | In a field of barley, just to the south of the D.82 road to the northwest of Commequiers village, can be found this menhir. However, as is often the case, there is a way through to it by following through some tracks made by the tractor wheels. It is about 2.5 metres high, 2 metres wide and has one or two strange shapes in the grey stone. | 203 | 289 |
| Pierre Levée de Soullans | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Visited | 7th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | In a little forest clearing beside the busy D. 69 road to the south of Challons, I found this stone because of the restaurante of the same name. It is a big stone, 4 metres high, more than 3 metres wide and 1 metre thick. It suffers badly from vandalism and graffitti, including lots of hippy crap in English. Nearby is a Rue de Pierre Levée, and a sign to menhir which I followed thinking that there might be another. I couldnt find anything, and so... Read More |
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| La Pointe de l'Herbaudière dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Couldn't find | 7th Jun 2005 | I camped for the night at the large campsite which now occupies most of the northern point of the Ile Noirmoutiers, but could find no signs of any dolmen. The chap running the campsite said he had no knowledge of any dolmen there. There are however, lots of concrete bunkers, blockhouses and gun emplacements, no doubt built by the Germans in World War 2 as part of the Atlantic defenses. These have no doubt been built on and destroyed any dolmen wh... Read More |
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| La Table Submergée | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85) | Saw from a distance | 8th Jun 2005 | Out in the sea and mudflats, a kilometre or two off from the northeastern coast of Ile Noirmoutier, is a dolmen which can be seen at low tide. I reckon I can see it through my binoculars, there's a very table like rock out there, and nothing else to be seen. There is a boat moored nearby, probably fishing. | 203 | 292 | |||
| La Pierre Le Matz | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a nice shaped menhir, about 4 metres tall. It is signposted up the D.5 road north of Chauvé, and in a little fenced off area. | 203 | 293 |
| Platennes Menhirs | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | A bit further on past the Pierre Le Matz up the D.5 road north of Chauvé, these menhirs are signposted on the right. It is hard to tell exactly what was once here, but it was probably pretty impressive. The first thing you see is a lot oof broken stones, which was once a menhir which has been toppled and broken into many pieces. Then just the other side of the lane are seen three more menhirs in a row, now all fallen, and facing towards the broke... Read More |
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| Chevanou Menhir | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Still further north up the D.5 road from Chauvé, is he Chevanou menhir, right by the roadside. This one is quite famous for its bottle shape, but this is only apparent in one view, from edge on. The stone is over 4 metres high and 3 metres wide, and from this view it is more sharks fin shaped than bottle shaped in profile. Just beside it is another large stone. A fallen menhir companion maybe ? Its hard to say for sure. | 203 | 295 |
| Le Riverais 1 | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Just beside the road in the hamlet of Riverais, to the west of St-Père-en-Retz, can be found this menhir beside a farmyard entrance. Its about 2.5 metres tall, but looks like the top has been broken off. | 203 | 296 |
| Megerie Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This is a nearly 3 metres tall menhir, signposted down a little track at the hamlet of La Mégerie, in a field full of cows. It makes a strange hollow sound when I tapped it, perhaps its cracking apart, or perhaps its magic ! | 203 | 297 |
| Les Pierres Blanches (Corsept) | Standing Stones | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | At first I thought that there were three small menhirs here, not much more than a metre in height or fallen, but upon closer inspection (from a distance due to them being in a farmyard with a very active guard dog) it looked more like two menhirs and a pile of stone. There are perhaps others nearby. | 203 | 298 |
| Menhir dit la Pierre Bonde | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 8th Jun 2005 | I found a signpost pointing down a track to this menhir, but could only park the campervan by blocking the lane. Following the track, it divided into three, and there was no indication which way to go to the menhir. I had a quick look along two of the possible directions, but I found no stone before I decided I had better move on. I have since found that the stone may be quite some distance walk along one of the tracks, but which one I still do n... Read More |
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| La Haute Gedeliere Dolmen | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 3 | I don’t think they want you to see this dolmen, although it is signposted from the road and again at the site. Firstly, I had to contend with a "Danger, Taureau" (danger, bull) sign, and then after this a couple of barbed wire fences. The dolmen is about half a kilometre across the second field, and in the end of a garden backing onto it, with masses of bushes and brambles guarding it. The poor remains are in a right old state, and seem to be use... Read More |
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| Cassis Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | In the middle of a field of Barley, this large menhir is signposted from the village. | 203 | 301 |
| Pierre Pointue (Paimboeuf) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | In the southeastern area of the town of Paimboeuf, amongst a housing estate, can be found a Rue de la menhir. Following this road from the main road, there is a right angled bend to the right, and a couple more older houses before you get to a building site for new houses. The menhir is somewhere down here, but well enough hidden that I couldnt find it. I asked an old gent who was out in his garden where the menhir was. He was delighted that I wa... Read More |
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| Menhir de Couëtcas | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 8th Jun 2005 | At the village of Avrillac, near St-André-des-Eaux, is marked a dolmen and menhir on my maps. I parked my van and had a good look all around, including a 3 kilometre walk around various lanes, but I saw nothing, and there was nobody to ask. Whatever megalithic remains there might be here are either in somebodies garden, or hidden away out of sight in the large wooded area.
Having just crossed the Loire, I am now in Brittany, and I thought tha... Read More |
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| La Grée Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 8th Jun 2005 | At the village of Avrillac, near St-André-des-Eaux, is marked a dolmen and menhir on my maps. I parked my van and had a good look all around, including a 3 kilometre walk around various lanes, but I saw nothing, and there was nobody to ask. Whatever megalithic remains there might be here are either in somebodies garden, or hidden away out of sight in the large wooded area. Having just crossed the Loire, I am now in Brittany, and I thought that fi... Read More |
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| Croix de Sandun Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Despite asking, this dolmen was a difficult one to find. I parked and walked up Rue de la Butte expecting to find it there, but all I found was a natural rock outcrop with a cross on top However, the dolmen remains are about 50 metres to the north of this hillock, well hidden in the undergrowth.
There is not much to see of what was once an Allee Couverte, just a couple of stones left standing. There is the backstone and one sidestone standing... Read More |
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| Rocher Du Rohain | Rock Outcrop | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 8th Jun 2005 | 1 | 4 | 3 | I spent ages trying to find this, and in the end found what was a natural granite outcrop on a little mound, up a trackway round the back of some houses. It looked to me like a couple of stones have been moved and sculpted, and may be the remains of some form of burial monument. However, I later found out that the proper dolmen here is not at the rock outcrop, but somewhere to the northwest of it. I went back in the morning for another look, but ... Read More |
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| Keralio Croix Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This is a tall thin menhir sculpted into a cross, mounted on a nice flower filled pedestal on the village green at Keralio. The stone is probably about 2.5 metres tall, and obviously well looked after. | 203 | 307 |
| Kerdanestre Menhir Christianisé | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a smallish menhir which has been sculpted into a cross and mounted on a pedestal at an ancient road junction. The stone is about 1.5 metres tall above the pedestal, and sparkles beautifully in the sunshine. It looks to have probably been recently restored. | 203 | 308 |
| La Pierre Blanche (Kerbourg) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 2 | They really don’t want people looking at their megaliths around here. There are no signs, nowhere to stop, and everything overgrown and behind double barbed wire fences, with hedges and brambles growing in between them. The menhir can be seen from the roadside across the far side of a field, but there seems to be no way to get near it. | 203 | 309 |
| Kerbourg Dolmen 1 | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is what looks like a little allée-couverte, and is actually signposted and with a little clearing around it for visits. It is to be found just behind the Moulin a Fée, a prototype wind generator built inside an old windmill, and looking just like an old windmill except with a modern whirring sound rather than the old style noises which would be expected.
The chamber is about 6 metres long by 1 metre wide, and faces southeast at 125°. The... Read More |
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| Kerbourg Dolmen 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 9th Jun 2005 | I thought there was another dolmen to be found here and there is. Its just that I thought it was between the first dolmen and the windmill whereas it’s a bit further on down the road I was mixing the two up with their positions on the map. Damnabbit. | 203 | 311 | |||
| La Pierre De Len Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 2 | This was a tricky one to find. Not only is it in the middle of a swamp, but the road leading towards it from St-Lyphard was closed for rebuilding work. However, I persevered, expecting to find a nice big stone. But after quite some walking along farm tracks and aacross boggy marshy swampland, it was in fact quite small. It must have sunk into the swamp, which is what happened to me when I got quite near to it, and ended up with soaking wet smelly... Read More |
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| Dolmen Du Riholo | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a nice site, up on top of a mound surrounded by forest, although it was difficult to make out what exactly remains here. It seems to be a T shaped arrangement, perhaps an east west oriented chamber with an additional northern part ? I must try to look it up somewhere. Basically, what remains are lots of stones on top of a big mound, with one or two capstones still in place. | 203 | 313 |
| Roche Aux Loups | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This dolmen is signposted from the main road, but when you get there down the farm track, its fenced off in a field with no access signs, but you get a good view across the field. It’s a simple dolmen with a capstone which looks to be precariously balanced on just two supports, although a view from further down the lane confirms there to be a third support stone. | 203 | 314 |
| Soriniere Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Couldn't find | 9th Jun 2005 | Not far from Bergnon are two dolmens marked down a little lane. I walked down the lane but couldn’t really find anything, although I was assured by a passing chap on a bike, that it is possible to access both dolmens. But the barriers, crops and hedges here made it all too much effort for probably little gain, so I didn't try too hard. The first dolmen to be accessed is on the left side of the lane under a thick hedge across a field of barley, wh... Read More |
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| Karlane Dolmen | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Saw from a distance | 9th Jun 2005 | Not far from Bergnon are two dolmens marked down a little lane. I walked down the lane but couldn’t really find anything, although I was assured by a passing chap on a bike, that it is possible to access both dolmens. But the barriers, crops and hedges here made it all too much effort for probably little gain, so I didn't try too hard. A bit further down the lane, a few stones which are probably remnants of the second dolmen could be seen on top ... Read More |
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| Le Fuseau de la Madeleine | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is another one that, despite being signposted from the main road, and from several miles away, is inside a double fenced and ditched field, with no obvious access. It is a nice stone this, and must be about 5 metres high, with a possibly shaped outline, pointed at the top, and is covered in nice yellow lichens. | 203 | 317 |
| Dolmen de la Barbière | Passage Grave | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This dolmen appears in all the tourist literature, and is signposted for miles around, yet when you get there it is fenced off in private land, although in this case easy enough to access to nearby.
As with a few other dolmens around here, I struggled to identify just what it is the remains of. There are lots of big stones on a little hill top, with one large capstone sitting on three support stones nearest to the road, but there is much more... Read More |
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| Revin Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Saw from a distance | 9th Jun 2005 | I found nowhere to stop near here on the horribly busy road with everyone rushing home from work in St Nazaire. However, I don’t let it beat me that easily, and eventually found somewhere to stop and wallk back to where the dolmen is marked on the map. Once I got there, I could see no way into the field, but could see lots of stones in a heap on top of a mound. | 203 | 319 | |||
| Menhir de Condé | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique | Visited | 9th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | In the midst of an industrial estate, sandwiched between a quarry and France's equivalent of Middlesbrough, with all the chemical works beside the Loire estuary, and not to forget the nearby airport and motorway, this poor stone doesn’t seem to stand a chance. However, here it still is in a hayfield amongst all the noise. The stone is probably three and a bit metres tall, with the top almost certainly broken off. | 203 | 320 |
| Dolmen de Méarzenne | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 9th Jun 2005 | I had a long walk around the coastal path here, after parking the campervan for the night, but I could not find a way to access the wood within which this dolmen lives, as there are lots of big holiday homes and houses with big fenced gardens surrounding it all. | 203 | 321 | |||
| Pointe de Cofréneau cairn | Cairn | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 9th Jun 2005 | I had a long walk around the coastal path here, after parking the campervan for the night, but I could not find any sign at all of this. It is probably in a garden or underneath lots of thick gorse and undergrowth. | 203 | 322 | |||
| La Pierre Blanche (Trehiguier) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Trehiguier menhir, or Pierre Blanche, is a large white quartz block found down Allée de Megalithe, and at the left just before the end of the road at a boatyard, or fish factory. It is about 2.5 metres high, and 1.5 metres square at the base.
About 10 metres away is a large grey slab with some holes, and many other stones. I dont know whether these other stones are the remains of anything ancient or not. It looks to me like it could be two fa... Read More |
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| Dolmen de la Pointe du Scal | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | This site, nearby the Pierre Blanche, is now marked by the ign as a seperate burial chamber besides the Pierre Blanche menhir.
Trehiguier menhir, La Pierre Blanche, is a large white quartz block found down Allée de Megalithe, and at the left just before the end of the road at a boatyard, or fish factory. It is about 2.5 metres high, and 1.5 metres square at the base. About 10 metres away is a large grey slab with some holes, and many other s... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Crapaud | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 4 | Perched on its clifftop, overlooking the sea and a nice sandy beach, from certain angles this does indeed look like a toad poking its head up. Much of the original tomb is no longer with us due to erosion of the cliffs, and what remains is a capstone perched on top of a few small uprights. The capstone is less than 2 metres by 2 metres, but it is in a really splendid position.
The dolmen can be found by walking to the east along the coast pat... Read More |
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| Dolmens des Grays | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 4 | Walking to the west along the coast path from the big carpark near the beach at Penlann headland, and you get to the remains of this large cairn after about 500 metres. It is difficult to make anything out nowadays, other than there are lots of large rocks on the remains of a large mound, overlooking the Villaine estuary. Closer inspection shows this to have once been a large 30 metre diameter cairn, with at least three passage tombs within it, t... Read More |
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| Dolmen dit Lannek-er-Men | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This is a little dolmen sat on a green area outside a very pretty house. It has a little oval chamber, 3 metres by 2 metres, with an entrance to the east where there was perhaps once an entrance passageway. The two capstones sit on several side slabs, and the floor is paved with large stones also, but it is only about half a metre in height. | 203 | 327 |
| Kermaillard Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | This 5.2 metre tall menhir, which was re-erected in 1988, stands in a pleasant little grassy area with an information sign. The stone is flat on one side, rounded on the other, and has been shaped to a point at the top. There are carvings on the stone, many small cupules, and near the base of the flat side, a very clear square with a crescent shape protruding from one corner, which reminded me of a saucepan. | 203 | 328 |
| Tumiac tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | As driving towards this from the east, it suddenly appears from behind something, before you arrive at the parking area and information sign beside the road. Whoooa, it’s a biggun ! It is said in legend that it is the place from where Caesar watched a great naval battle out to sea to the south of here, but there is not expected to be any truth in this, although from the top there is a tremendous view all around.
The mound is 86 metres in diam... Read More |
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| Dolmen du Grah-Niol | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This initially looks to be an allée-couverte type monument, but which has been dated to about 5000BC, so is much older than a standard allée-couverte. It is still largely within its mound, but was restored in 1936 with the help of lots of concrete.
It is about 11 metres long, and has a stele placed outside of it near to the entrance which is at the east. There is a large end chamber at the west, and also a side chamber. Many of the upright st... Read More |
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| Er Lannic | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 10th Jun 2005 | I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun. Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its double ... Read More |
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| Gavrinis Cairn | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 10th Jun 2005 | I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun.
Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its dou... Read More |
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| Île Longue tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 10th Jun 2005 | I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun.
Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its dou... Read More |
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| Bilgroix allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | This is an unusual monument, right near to the end of the northern headland at the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan, said to date from around 2700BC and unique in western France. It is an allée-couverte with a passage about 10 metres long, but other than a large slab at the back (western) end, it was made completely out of small stone blocks and drystone walling, with capstones placed on top of this. The long mound surrounding the passageway has... Read More |
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| Bilgroix Point Menhir | Modern Stone Circle etc | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Right on the tip of the northern headland at the eastern entrance to the Golfe de Morbiihan, is a nice little parkland area. Within this is a nice modern menhir which has been carved into Mama Mari, the lady of the sea. It is most convincing, and it is nice to sit here watching all the boats nipping about with some tremendous overfalls as the tide rushes into the gulf. There is somebody arsing around out there, reversing a yacht out through all t... Read More |
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| Petit Mont | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 2 | This enormous cairn, built between 4600 and 2500 BC is on a headland jutting into the sea to the south of the Arzon peninsular. The whole headland is now owned by the local government, and is undergoing major restoration work. The cairn is now well fenced off, and visits were closed for the day when I arrived, so the best I could do was to look at it from a few places through the fence.
There were two large chambers within it originally, with... Read More |
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| Pointe de Men Maria dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This poor little dolmen is walled in within a carpark, which I suppose at least protects it a bit. It is superbly situated on a little headland which seperates the Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys harbour from the beach - a very desireable place apart from the car park.
The dolmen is a simple dolmen with a little corridor, but it is not too easy to make it all out, there was possibly a lot more of it once, and it has probably been much modified. the sin... Read More |
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| Saline est menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | This is a little menhir, probably broken, and not much more than a metre in height, just inside somebodies front garden, but easily visible from the road. | 203 | 338 |
| Menhir de Clos-et-Bé 1 | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This menhir which is about 3 metres tall, and just 40 metres from its neighbouring dolmen, is getting swamped by undergrowth in the middle of a field, which was empty at the time of my visit. It has got some lovely lichens growing all over the the sparkly granite. | 203 | 339 |
| Allée couverte du Net dit Clos-et-Bé | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 10th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Just 40 metres from the nearby menhir can be seen a long mound, but which is completely overgrown in the middle of its field, which was empty at the time of my visit. Closer inspection reveals there to be many stones in the mound, and at least two capstones still in position on top of what is a 21 metre long allée-couverte. | 203 | 340 |
| Cohporh Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 3 | This poor menhir is totally enclosed by massive undergrowth, and just the top of the 3.5 metre tall stone can be seen poking its head out. It looks to be a good one in there somewhere. | 203 | 341 |
| Allée Couverte dite de Coguer Neguinan | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | In an area on top of a hill overlooking a stream is the hamlet of Le Palastre, with its dolmen. I found quite a few stones here, but was not sure what the official dolmen is ! There is lots of big stones around, none of which looked too convincingly like a dolmen as opposed to natural. The best fit to the map is a series of three large boulders in a row, in the front of somebodies garden right in the centre of the hamlet. There are also some sign... Read More |
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| Kervengu Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | This is a nice looking dolmen in the middle of a field of sweetcorn, with no obvious access to it. From a distance, it looks like a single large capstone on top of three supports, but this is probably wrong. There is a tree growing beside it. | 203 | 343 | |
| Tumulus du Rocher | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Signposted, and with a parking area, this is a great find. There is a little walk along a wooded headland above the Bono river, and not knowing what to expect here, I was more than pleasantly surprised. It is signposted "Tumulus et Tombettes", and as well as a big tumulus, there are the remains of half a dozen or more smaller tumuli approximately in a line along the ridgetop.
The large tumulus is 30 metres in diameter and about 5 metres in h... Read More |
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| Tombelles de Kernourz | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | The tombettes vary in size from about 10 metres in diameter downwards, and most are nowadays fairly flat. Most consist of the outline of some sort of burial chamber, with a surrounding circle of stones. Various chamber types are to be seen, from simple rectangles to full length stone lined passages. | 203 | 345 |
| Luffang Allée Couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Easily found in woodland near Luffang, just to the west of Crac'h, this is the remains of a long allée-couverte type structure, but with no coverstones remaining. The allée is not straight, but turns to the left about 45° after 6 metres of the entrance, before another 14 metres of stonelined passageway takes you to the end. Although there are no capstones, many of the sidestones remain in position, and its in nice cool woodland on this hot aftern... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Kerourang 1 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 3 | I couldn’t find this dolmen marked on my map on my way to Luffang, but stopped for another look on the way back, after another look at the map. It was very difficult to find, but it is still there to be seen, well hidden under very thick undergrowth. What I eventually found was, near to the trackway a couple of capstones sit on top of a little passageway completely surrounded and covered by gorse.
I later find out that there are in fact two m... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Kerourang 2 | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 11th Jun 2005 | To the west of Crac'h, down beside the Riviere de Crac'h can be found the remains of another monument which is another important angled passage graves, rather like Luffang, but still with some of its capstones. Besides this are the remains of several other monuments. | 203 | 348 | |||
| Er-Grah tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Much has been written about this place by others already, and I wont spend valuable daylight by sitting and writing anymore for myself, except to say that it is all very different to what it was in 1987, and that the current thinking is that the Grand Menhir was once just one of 19 stood up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The other menhirs were broken and used for other purposes. | 203 | 349 |
| Grand Menhir Brisé | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Much has been written about this place by others already, and I wont spend valuable daylight by sitting and writing anymore for myself, except to say that it is all very different to what it was in 1987, and that the current thinking is that the Grand Menhir was once just one of 19 stodd up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The othher menhirs were broken and used for other purposes. | 203 | 350 |
| La Table des Marchands | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 3 | Much has been written about this place by others already, and I wont spend valuable daylight by sitting and writing anymore for myself, except to say that it is all very different to what it was in 1987, and that the current thinking is that the Grand Menhir was once just one of 19 stood up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The other menhirs were broken and used for other purposes. | 203 | 351 |
| Mane Lud Dolmen | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 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 th... Read More |
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| Mane-Rethuel Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 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 cha... Read More |
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| Mané-er-Hroëck tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 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 i... Read More |
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| Kerpenhir Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | About 3.5 metres tall, this menhir can be seen in the far hedge of a field, overlooking the entrance to the gulf of Morbihan, with all its boats racing in and out. What a superb position this would be if the hedge were not there ! The modern, sculpted menhir at Bilgroix stands right opposite on the eastern entrance to the gulf. | 203 | 355 |
| Pierres Plates (Locmariaquer) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | This famous angled passage grave with its many sculpted stones is right at the end of the Locmariaquer peninsular overlooking the sea, and still mostly within a small covering mound. The chamber turns about 45 degrees to the left after about 6 metres, with a side chamber bisecting the angle. From this corner, there is about another 10 metres of passage to the final chamber, seperated from the widening passage by a nicely carved stone. The carving... Read More |
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| Kerlud Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a simple chambered dolmen which has been incorporated into the end of a wall behind a farm in the hamlet of Kerlud. The single large capstone sits on top of several support stones around a 3.5 by 2.5 metre chamber, with dry stone walling filling the gaps between the slabs. The entrance is to the east, and there are traces of a mound. | 203 | 357 |
| Pointe Er Hourél Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 11th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 3 | This dolmen is in just about the best position of any I have been to, out near the end of Er Hourel point in a little pinewood. Access is either by a fair walk from the nearest car park for Plage St Pierre, or the way I did it was by an excellent off road bike route from Locmariaquer, which took me along country lanes, across tidal weirs, up a creek, round some gardens and a few places where I had to carry the bike before reaching the last kilome... Read More |
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| Kervéresse Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 12th Jun 2005 | I couldn’t be sure that I found this dolmen, what I did see was a bit of a mound covered in thick undergrowth in a private garden beside the D718 road to the north of Locmariaquer. | 203 | 359 | |||
| Kercadoret Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This nice little dolmen stands proud at the edge of its field, well hidden behind a big hedge beside the D718 road a few kilometres to the north of Locmariaquer. Look carefully, and there is a pathway through the hedge and wooded area. The dolmen is about 2.5 by 2 metres, and the single capstone sits on top of 6 support stones. | 203 | 360 |
| Kerran Dolmens | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | From the busy Chat Noir roundabout to the south of Crac'h, take a small lane to the southeast, a few hundred metres along which you find a little clearing to the right of the lane within which this tomb resides. I was not quite sure what to make of it, there are two obvious chambers, both still with capstones, but there looks to be more. I think it was probably two dolmens with entrance corridors, probably both once contained within a single moun... Read More |
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| Kermané Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | To the southwest of the Chat Noir roundabout is the hamlet of Kerangoff, where there can be found a dolmen and a menhir. The dolmen is easy to find, right beside the track amongst the houses, but is very overgrown. It has a large 4 metre by 3 metre chamber with the capstone supported on 8 sidestones, and an iron bar. | 203 | 362 |
| Men-Milene | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 12th Jun 2005 | To the southwest of the Chat Noir roundabout is the hamlet of Kerangoff, where there can be found a dolmen and a menhir. The menhir proved impossible for me to find, hidden somewhere in the forest behind the houses amongst the ferns and gorse, despite a longish walk around all the area. | 203 | 363 | |||
| Kervehennec Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | To the north of the D781 road, in a little area behind Kervanhennic farm can be seen the remains of this fairly wrecked dolmen on top of a little granite hillock. There is not much more than a single 3 m by 2 metres capstone and a few support stones to be seen. It looks to have had a wall built into it in the past, and it is becoming overgrown. | 203 | 364 |
| Mané Roullarde | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 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... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Mane Rohr | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 12th Jun 2005 | Despite being clearly marked on the map, besides the sports ground and with a footpath to it, I could find no way through the houses to the hilltop position in the real world. | 203 | 366 | |||
| Mané Bras | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | According to a signpost at the roadside, it is only a 500 metre walk along a bridlepath to this monument. However, in practice it involved crossing a swamp, negotiating woodland full of brambles and nettles, then crossing an open tract of heather, and last but by no means least, somehow getting through a gorse jungle.
Its a nice monument to find though, as two passagewayed dolmens look out of their mound at you upon finally reaching it. On th... Read More |
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| Kermarquer Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This one is much easier to find than its neighbour, but still involves 100 metres of fighting a way through gorse and bramble filled woodland. The monument is a strange one, with two chambers off of a single entry corridor. The main chamber, a rectangular 2.5 metres by 2.5 metres has no capstone, and leads straight off of the corridor. The second chamber is off to the side of this, with its entry at the side of chamber 1, and is about 1.5 m by 1... Read More |
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| Le Petit Ménec | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | This is a nice place to explore on a hot afternoon, a nice walk in a cool woodland filled with stones. There are hundreds of them to be seen, lined up through the woods, mostly less than a metre tall but some reach up to about 2 metres. There are round ones, pointy ones, square ones, thick ones, thin ones, indeed all shapes and sizes. Look a bit further into the woods away from the footpath and you'll find more stones.
The lines seem to get c... Read More |
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| Dolmen de La Madeleine (Carnac) | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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. | 203 | 370 |
| Crucuny tumulus | Long Barrow | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | There is a large mound, 50 metres long and 13 metres high, to be seen just to the north of the hamlet, but all very overgrown and covered in gorse. On top of the tumulus is a menhir, 2.8 metres tall, with axes carved on it. | 203 | 371 |
| Menhir de Crucuny 1 | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 12th Jun 2005 | On top of the tumulus, to the north of the hamlet, is a menhir, 2.8 metres tall, with axes carved on it. But it is all very overgrown and covered in gorse, and I could not get to see anything at close quarters. | 203 | 372 | |||
| Crucuny Cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | To the south of the hamlet of Crucuny, and marked on my map as a menhir, this ancient cromlech is now incorporated into a semicircular wall. There are several big stones to be seen, with smaller ones in between them, which in places are almost contiguous. | 203 | 373 |
| Mané-Brizil Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Saw from a distance | 12th Jun 2005 | 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. | 203 | 374 | |||
| Moustoir tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This massive great mound, 90 metres in length, 40 metres wide and 8 metres high, can be found just to the south of the hamlet of Moustoir, a few kilometres to the north of Carnac. The mound is aligned roughly Northeast to Southwest, and has a small menhir on the top at the eastern end, and a larger one at the bottom of the western end.
The menhir on the top of the tumulus is about 2.1 metres high and quite slender, and of a sort of circular s... Read More |
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| Menhir du Moustoir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Just beside the western end of the massive Moustoir tumulus is a nice menhir, 3.3 metres high, quite thin and a nice pointed triangular shape. | 203 | 376 |
| Kermario Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 203 | 377 | |
| Kermario Alignements | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | I am not going to say much about the major Carnac alignements, except to say that they are all absolutely mind blowing. Even though I saw them all those years ago, the first sight of all those stones lined up is incredible, especially in the strong evening sunshine.
I cannot possibly do justice to these stones with my writing or photographs. I will say that the fences surrounding the stones are not obtrusive, unlike the fences at stonehenge, ... Read More |
203 | 378 |
| Kerlescan cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 203 | 379 | |
| Kerlescan Alignements | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | I am not going to say much about the major Carnac alignements, except to say that they are all absolutely mind blowing. Even though I saw them all those years ago, the first sight of all those stones lined up is incredible, especially in the strong evening sunshine.
I cannot possibly do justice to these stones with my writing or photographs. I will say that the fences surrounding the stones are not obtrusive, unlike the fences at stonehenge, ... Read More |
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| Kerlescan nord allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | The remains of this monument can be found at the eastern end of the Kerlescan alignements, around the back to the north, and in a wood. It is about 60 metres long by 8 metres wide tumulus, completely surrounded by a stone peristalith. Inside this mound is a 16 metre long lateral entrance allee couverte type structure, but unfortunately with only one remaining capstone at the western end. Its entry is from the southern side near the east end. The ... Read More |
203 | 381 |
| Ménec cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Curving around the Creperie at the western end of the Menec alignements, this almost contiguous semicircle of stones really is splendid, and most people who visit the nearby stones do not know that it is there, or think that it’s a wall. All sorts of other bits of the cromlech can be found in between the buildings of the Menec hamlet. This place really is magic without the people. | 203 | 382 |
| Ménec alignements | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Fantastic in the evening light, and I have them almost all to myself. | 203 | 383 |
| Cruz Menquen dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 12th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | In amongst the homes near to the sports facilities to the north of the town is Carnac's own dolmen. It is a small affair, with a 2.5 m by 2 metre capstone mounted on three support stones. On top of the capstone has been mounted a large, 2.5 metre tall cross. | 203 | 384 |
| Geant du Manio | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a 5 metre high menhir, fairly easily found and obviously very popular because of all the erosion around it. It is only 50 metres from the quadrilateral. It’s a very nice stone in the woodland, but I guess it can become a bit of a nightmare when crowded. | 203 | 385 |
| Le Quadrilatere | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a quadrilateral of stones in the forest to the north of the alignements. It initially looks to me like the outside peristalith from a long gone passage grave, but closer inspection shows it to be more than that.
As I am here, a party of horse riders ride right through, and then a bus tour of people, who all turn up, take a picture, and then move on elsewhere. While here I met a couple of Brazilian ladies who saw I was writing, and cam... Read More |
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| Kercado Tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | Fantastic. This is getting a bit eroded away now, and I think it needs some better protection from all the visitors it gets. The monument consists of a 25 metre diameter round cairn, completely enclosing a wonderful dolmen chamber which is about 3 metres by 2.5 metres, and 2.3 metres high, which is entered via a passageway which opens up from the east. The chamber is covered by a single large capstone, which does not rest directly on top of the s... Read More |
203 | 387 |
| Dolmen de Rosnual | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | A couple of kilometres north of Carnac along the D119 road, turn right towards Rosnual. Just beyond the campsite of the same name, go left up a farm track as the lane goes to the right. After about 50 metres, just beyond the first field wall on the left is the dolmen. You wouldn’t know it though, as its completely overgrown and used as a farmyard dump. I cant say a thing about the dolmen other than it is under there somewhere. There are traces of... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Run Mori | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 13th Jun 2005 | I could not find this in dense gorse filled woodland, on a hill somewhere to the east of the lane leading to Nauterio. | 203 | 389 | |||
| Dolmen de Nauterio | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a pleasant little dolmen, sadly becoming very overgrown, which can be found about 50 metres up the track which leads northwest beyond Nauterio towards Keriaval. It has a 2.5 by 2 metre chamber, with a 6 to 7 metre entrance passageway which has a couple of its capstones still in place. The French Aeronavale are playing overhead in their Super Etendards. | 203 | 390 |
| Mané Keriaval | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 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 b... Read More |
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| Mané-Kerioned Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 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, on... Read More |
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| Runesto Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a pleasant dolmen still mostly within its mound, and in fact it has been cut down into with steps from the eastern side of the massive capstone. The chamber is about 3 metres by 3 metres, and the single capstone is held up on eight remaining side support stones, with plenty of room to stand up within. There are no longer any remains of its entry passageway which would have run off towards the east.
There are traces of engravings inclu... Read More |
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| Dolmen de Cosquer Er Mané | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | A pleasant little dolmen well presented on a sort of village green to the north of the chapel. This is almost certainly the remains of the back end of a passage grave with most of the entry corridor removed, although a few stones and a capstone still remain. The chamber is about 3 metres by 3 metres, with a single large capstone resting on top of several side supports. The back stone has gone. | 203 | 394 |
| Tennad-er-Menguen Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Back to the overgrown sites again ! This one is down a lane then across a field before finding it in the undergrowth. Probably once upon a time this was quite a good dolmen with an entry passageway, there is a 3 metre diameter chamber with capstone, and a few stones of the entrance still standing, along with at least one capstone surviving. | 203 | 395 |
| Crucuno Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | Right in the middle of Crucuno hamlet is to be found this tremendous and much visited and photographed dolmen. The rectangular chamber is about 4 metres by 3.5 metres, covered by a single massive capstone which measures over 7 metres in length, perched on top of 9 support stones, with easily enough room to stand upright inside.
Unfortunately, a century or so ago, a house was built right next to it, and this has destroyed all but the last pair... Read More |
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| Crucuno Cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | What a lovely and unexpected find this was, not so much the expected semi-circular cromlech, but an almost complete rectangle of large stones. There are 22 remaining stones, on average 2 metres in height, arranged in a rectangle measuring about 33 metres by 25 metres. The long sides are aligned just about due east - west, with the shorter sides north - south.
It has been "restored" in 1882, but is supposedly a very accurate restoration job, a... Read More |
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| Mané-Groh Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 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 caps... Read More |
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| Coet-ar-Bei | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Travelling along the Chemin des Megalithes, I was wondering what would surprise me next, and the first thing I come to along this path has done it already. What on Earth is this ? Loads of big stones in a wood just off the track. At first it looked like another rectangle, but then I saw more stones. And more. And More.
Some of them are quite big and well over 3 metres tall. Some are lined up, perhaps about 10 rows, with the biggest stone in e... Read More |
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| La Chaise de César | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Travelling along the Chemin des Megalithes, I was wondering what would surprise me next, and the first thing I come to along this path has done it already. What on Earth is this ? Loads of big stones in a wood just off the track.
At first it looked like another rectangle, but then I saw more stones. And more. And More. Some of them are quite big and well over 3 metres tall. Some are lined up, perhaps about 10 rows, with the biggest stone in e... Read More |
203 | 400 |
| Mané Braz tumulus | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 401 |
| Mané Braz menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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. | 203 | 403 |
| Kerjean Menhirs | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | Travelling along the Chemin des Megalithes, to the west of the Mané Braz dolmens, are to be seen several megaliths within the woods. These are the Kerjean menhirs, but I don’t have enough time to explore every single stone around here. This really is a cracking ride along this path. I can't recommend it highly enough. | 203 | 404 | |||
| Géants de Kerzerho | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Coming along the Chemin des Megalithes from the east, the first thing you see is a large menhir, more than 4 metres tall, at the side of the path, with a couple of smaller stones fallen beside it. Then you notice the fallen giant of the Pierre des Sacrifices, 6 metres long and nicely smoothed, upon which I sat writing this.
Then you see a path going behind this, which opens up through the undergrowth to reveal the whole row of Giants. It woul... Read More |
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| La Table du Sacrifice | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Pretty much in the middle of the Géants de Kerzerho are two fallen giants, more than six metres long. It looks like one of the flat fallen stones may have been used as a dolmen with a chamber underneath it. Perhaps they are not fallen giants. Maybe this is the true Pierre des Sacrifices. Maybe it was a fallen giant then used in later times for other purposes. Whatever this all is here, its a wonderful place. | 203 | 406 |
| Kerzerho Alignements | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | It’s a pity about the busy road running through them, but they are here, looking superb in the sun and you can wander freely amongst them. However, I just want to get back now, having spent almost an hour fixing my bike. There is a Dutch couple here, the man spending ages taking photos with all sorts of kit. Three big bags worth. And wifey posing in front of the stones. These Dutch, eh ? There are a fantastic number of stones in the field here, s... Read More |
203 | 407 |
| Kergavat Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Right beside the busy D.781 road just to the south of Plouharnel, can be found this dolmen. In fact, the road has cut through the entrance corridor. This would have been a fairly big standard dolmen with a 4 metre or 3 metre chamber with a corridor to the south east. The single capstone sits on several supports, but its hard to think of this as a good one, being cut by the road, adjacent to a house, overgrown with oats and underneath some powerli... Read More |
203 | 408 |
| Kerluir Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 3 | This is a nicely shaped 4 metre high menhir in the middle of a field about 800 metres to the south of the Kermario alignements, and as such, the poor thing is a bit overshadowed. But I was taken with its leaning and its pointy top, and liked it a lot. To find this go down the track to the south of the Kermario dolmen, and then you will find it across the field a bit further to the south at the corner. | 203 | 409 |
| Kerluir Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 13th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | There's a big mound here on top of a hillock, to the east of the Kerluir menhir, but its all covered with gorse and blackthorn. However, there is a way through, and somewhere in the middle can be found this tiny little dolmen, which consists of a capstone sitting on two sidestones, with a few other stones in the vicinity. It wouldn't surprise me if this wasn't just a set of stones from an entry corridor, and that there is, or was, something much ... Read More |
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| Saint-Michel tumulus | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 2 | 4 | Very old and big. Visits inside no longer available like they were in the 1980s. | 203 | 411 |
| Fontaine St Michel | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Following the path round the back of the tumulus looking to get a good photograph there was a sign to Fontaine St Michel which I followed. After a few hundred metres there is a nice little well with a little well house and offerings area above a clear pool of water slowly bubbling up from the ground.
I have no doubt that this spring has been here for thousands of years and indeed quenched the thirst of the men building the tumulus. And this t... Read More |
203 | 412 |
| Carnac Musée de Préhistoire | Museum | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | There is lots of stuff in here, found at various places in the locality. Some good explanations of the various types of dolmen and tumulus to be found, and some lovely replicas of many of the engraved stones to be found. Seems like I have seen most of these now. | 203 | 413 |
| Kerroc'h Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | A 4 metre by 3 metre capstone sits one end in the air on two supports, while the other side is on the ground. There is one more bit of large stone here, which may be a support, or may be a broken bit of capstone. It would seem that the rest of the stones from this dolmen have been used to build the wall around the house opposite, a strange large gatewayed studio. But perhaps there was once some sort of cromlech here. | 203 | 414 |
| Kerroc’h cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Oppsite to the dolmen, the gently arced wall around the house (a strange large gatewayed studio) is made up using many large stones. Perhaps there was once some sort of cromlech here, like that at Crucuny, perhaps the wall is made usong large stones from the ruined dolmen. | 203 | 415 |
| Kerbougnec Cromlech | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | Found in amongst the houses of St-Pierre-Quiberon, this is nowadays a large semi circle of about 40 contiguous stones, average height about 1.8 metres. It is however just a small part of the remains of what was perhaps once an egg shaped enclosure, with a diameters of about 95 by 75 metres. It is to be found just off the main road along the peninsular, and is nowadays surrounding a tennis court in a very quiet little cul-de-sac. | 203 | 416 |
| St-Pierre-Quiberon Alignement | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Just beyond the cromlech, and towards the town centre and the sea can be found a pleasant little park with the remains of these alignements in it. The notice says that there are 23 stones in 5 parallel rows, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were many more dotted about in peoples gardens.
The stones are of all shapes and sizes, up to 4 metres tall. There's a lovely curved "sharks fin" in front of me as I sit and write this, and a diamond t... Read More |
203 | 417 |
| Kerbourgnec Alignements | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | At low tide, from the beach at Kerbourgnec, can be seen the remains of these alignements. More than a dozen rows of stones can be seen, stretching for about 400 metres into the sea. These stones are associated to a cromlech (of which a few of the stones can be seen) and tumulus. | 203 | 418 |
| Roc'h en Aud Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This is a curious affair, right in amongst the houses. It has a sort of square chamber, 4 m by 4 m with an entrance in the middle of the eastern side. But around the top of the side slabs (three per side) is a sort of circle of capstones, overhanging the chamber. The top of the main chamber is not covered. It looks to me as if the covering was of a sort of large corbelling arrangement with the top stone gone. Intriguing. | 203 | 419 |
| Beg-er-Goalennec 1 | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a nice menhir, less than 3 metres tall, standing in heathland just beside the Cote Sauvage road and cliffs. A splendid position. It probably gets covered in sea spray in rough weather from the blow hole nearby. | 203 | 420 |
| Beg-er-Goalennec Menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | The first menhir is a sadly broken menhir right beside a restaurant on the Cote Sauvage roadside. It's 4 metres high with another 2 metres broken from the top laying beside it. It is over 2 metres wide and only 30cm thick. It has a strangely shaped neighbour between it and the sea.
The second menhir is a sort of heart shaped menhir (no doubt due to breakage) which stands 3 metres high right beside the Cote Sauvage road opposite a little resta... Read More |
203 | 421 |
| Manémeur 1 menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 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. | 203 | 423 |
| Manémeur 2 & 3 menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 424 | |
| Pointe de la Guérite menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a relatively small menhir right above the cliffs of the magnificent Cote Sauvage, easily found between the clifftop path and the road. | 203 | 425 |
| Pointe de la Guérite allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 5 | 5 | This little allée couverte sits right on the clifftop, still surprisingly within its little cairn of stones, so what you get to see is its 6 capstones lined up facing away from the sea at 100°. It has been cut through by the road at the east end, so it is possible that it was longer than its current 6 metres. But what a superb position it occupies, overlooking the splendid Cote Sauvage. | 203 | 426 |
| Conguel Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Beside the road running along the shore out to the tip of Pointe du Conguel, and incorporated into the pavement just outside the SNCF holiday complex, can be seen the remains of this burial chamber. Possibly, one side of it is natural rock, or perhaps a fallen capstone, but it has a definite backstone and two or three other side slabs. It is about 3.5 metres in length, by 1 metre wide, and the road slightly diverts to skirt around it. | 203 | 427 |
| Conguel Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 14th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This menhir, about 3 metres tall, has been moved to its current position just outside the SNCF holiday complex from a position nearby when building work was being undertaken. It now serves as a sort of garden feature, and is easily seen from the road. | 203 | 428 |
| Menhir de Goulvars | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 5 | 2 | 4 | This massive menhir is now sadly fenced in behind the SNCF holiday complex near to Pointe du Conguel out at the tip of the Quiberon peninsular. It can be found by taking the road beside the SNCF complex until it reaches the grassland behind them, and then taking the trackway to the left. The menhir is hidden behind some large trees and a hedge, and it took me two visits before I found it, my previous visit having taken the wrong track. It really ... Read More |
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| Quiberon menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 2 | 5 | A 5 metre tall menhir is to be found positioned in a little town square near to a war memorial in Quiberon town. | 203 | 430 |
| Porz Guen Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 4 | Found on the clifftop to the north of the Porz Guen beach on the Cote Sauvage of the Quiberon Peninsula, just a few minutes walk around the spectacular cliff path from various parking places.
These are the remains of two ruined dolmens with entry corridors facing to the south east, probably once within the same large mound, and possibly also remains of a third. The more inland is the most complete, with one capstone surviving on the entry cou... Read More |
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| Rondossec Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | This is a remarkably complete monument with three passage dolmens facing eastwards contained within a 20 metre diameter cairn, right near to the centre of the village.
The southernmost chamber is the smallest, a collapsed oval chamber of about 3 m by 2 m with a 5 metre long corridor leading to it, which is still mostly covered. The central chamber is one of those widening of the corridor types, up to 3 metres wide at the back and 5 metres in ... Read More |
203 | 432 |
| Vieux-Moulin Alignement | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a nice little row of 6 menhirs, up to 4 metres in height, standing on the slopes of a field just near to the busy D.781 Carnac to Erdeven road, just to the north of Plouharnel station. These are nicely shaped and positioned stones. | 203 | 433 |
| Sainte-Barbe alignement | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is an interesting and strange place, slightly off the tourist trails to the west of the D.781 Carnac to Erdeven road near to the village of Ste Barbe. It seems to be two long, widely spaced rows of menhirs heading off parallel to each other at 120°, approximately 40 metres apart from each other. At the western end is a row of really massive stones running across between the rows, normal to them, creating a sort of horseshoe shape. There are ... Read More |
203 | 434 |
| Kerzerho Alignements | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | Such wonderful stones, I just had to stop and wander around them again. | 203 | 435 |
| Géants de Kerzerho | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Fantastic. | 203 | 436 |
| Botlann Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This small dolmen can be found around the back of some new houses at the east of the village of Erdeven, on the road to Ploemel. A 3 metre by 2 metre capstone rests on three supports, with remains of a chamber 2 metres in width. All other remains have gone, but it stands here proudly for the moment, although I suspect that the capstone willl break before too long, looking at the cracks in it. | 203 | 437 |
| Er Run Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | This is a sad looking little dolmen in a field of sweetcorn, looking fallen and getting overgrown and unloved. It is in a hamlet plagued by mad dogs chasing after me, barking and growling continuously. There is a second dolmen here, even more hidden in the undergrowth. | 203 | 438 |
| Dolmens des Sept Saints | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | This is a site which until a few days before I visited would have been completely overgrown, but thankfully has had all the gorse, blackthorn etc cut back and cleared.
What you get is a round mound, about 20 to 25 metres in diameter, with the very ruinous remains of three chambers with entry corridors. The central was probably the largest, but this is not much more than a depression in the mound. The northern still has its capstone and a reco... Read More |
203 | 439 |
| Kerhuen Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | This is a nice find, pleasantly situated at the top of the hill on the village green, with a view over the Etel estuary and its oysterbeds. It's a dolmen with entry passageway, with an oval chamber about 4 metres by 3 metres. The capstone sits on several of the eight side slabs, but is no longer high enough to stand up in, having slipped down on one side. The remains of the passageway are only about 3 metres long, with one capstone surviving, but... Read More |
203 | 440 |
| Kerguerhan Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is a pleasant little dolmen sitting in a green area on the outskirts of the village of St Cado near Belz. It has a 3m by 2.5m oval chamber with its capstone still in place, and the first couple of rows of its entrance corridor with a capstone on top of them. Access to it would be possible by car, but my camper van wouldnt fit between the houses and round the corner, so it was a 600 metre walk from the village centre for me. | 203 | 442 |
| Kerlutu Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a nice little dolmen sitting in a little mound in some fields just round the back of the houses, and a hundred or so metres walk. It's got a 3m by 2.5m chamber, partially made with slabs, partly with drystone walling. It is fully covered by its capstone, and there is no sign of an entrance corridor. This dolmen seems to be kept nicely clear of all undergrowth. | 203 | 443 |
| Menhir du Bourg (Plouhinec) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 15th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | While driving from Pluhinec to look for the alignements at Kerzine, I found this 2.5 metre tall menhir, without a name, across a field near to a wood behind some houses. | 203 | 444 |
| Goërem Dolmen | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | I came all the way out to this poor depressed village at the end of a long peninsula and stayed the night on the harbourside in order to visit this, "the finest angled passage grave in existance". Take a good torch it says. So on a nasty dull grey day I walk round the seafront and through the village till I eventually find it. It is right on the western seafront, in amongst the houses, and has a reasonable amount of land reserved around it. It wo... Read More |
203 | 445 |
| Alignements de Gueldro | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Couldn't find | 16th Jun 2005 | I had three attempts at finding the remnants of this once important set of eight parallel rows, but found nothing. The best I found was a bit of uncultivated land, completely covered in gorse and not possible to get to, which was in about the right place, so that was probably it. I found no signs or any other reference to it until afterwards, and the place I found was definately the right place. | 203 | 446 | |||
| Menhir de Kerroc'h (Ploemeur) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Kerroc’h menhir is a small menhir, only about 1.7 metres tall, that initially looks impossible to get to through the gorse. However, there is a footpath to it from beside the houses, and it comes complete with a little sign. | 203 | 447 |
| Menhir de Courégant | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Morbihan (56) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 4 | 2 | 2 | Courégant menhir is 5 metres tall, and can be found just outside the back of a holiday homes complex. There is no obvious path through to it, but some people in one of the chalets let me take a picture from their decking ! Thanks to them ! | 203 | 448 |
| Menhir de Mescléo A | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 5 | This is a 2 metre tall menhir right beside the surprisingly busy road between Moelan and Clohars. There is another stone beside it - perhaps a broken top ? | 203 | 449 |
| Menhirs de Hirguer | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Saw from a distance | 16th Jun 2005 | A few hundred metres to the south of the road to Clohars from Moelan, bit further to the east along the road from the above menhir, can be seen this menhir which must be about 3 metres tall. | 203 | 450 | |||
| Bellevue Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 4 | 2 | 5 | Bellevue menhir near to the town of Moëlan-sur-Mer is more than 4 metres tall, right beside the old Roman road to the south of the town centre. I found it difficult to park nearby and get a reasonable picture in between dodging all the traffic on this busy road. | 203 | 451 |
| Mentoul Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This menhir is found in a little grassy area just to the north of the town centre, between the houses. Its about 3 metres high and 2 metres wide. | 203 | 452 |
| Allée Couverte de Kérandrège | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | In a field to the left of the D116 road to the south of Moelan-sur-Mer on the way to Brigneau can be found this lovely allée couverte with an associated menhir just outside its entrance. The menhir is about 3 metres high, 2 metres wide and has been nicely shaped.
The allée couverte is about 9 metres in length and faces to the east on an alignment of 100°. There are three complete and one broken (at the back) capstones sitting on top of the in... Read More |
203 | 453 |
| Menhir de Kerandrège | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This menhir has lost its top, but is still about 3 metres high, 2 metres wide and has been nicely shaped, and is associated with the lovely allée couverte with which it stands just outside the entrance. It can be found in a field to the left of the D116 road to the south of Moelan-sur-Mer on the way to Brigneau. | 203 | 454 |
| Allée Couverte de Kergoustance | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is a nice allée couverte which can be found in a field just to the right of the D.24 road as you head southwest out of Moelan-sur-Mer just at the limits of the village. The chamber is more than 15 metres in length, and has all seven capstones still in place, although a couple of them are broken. It is aligned on about 055°, but it is difficult to be precise because of the trees growing within it preventing me getting a good sightline for my ... Read More |
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| Kernédiec allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Kernédiec allée couverte is of the arc boutée type construction, and it is one of only eight of this type known. This is where one row of side stones leans up against the other and there are no capstones, rather than the more normal two rows of uprights and horizontal capstones. The chamber is about eight metres in length, and faces eastwards at 085°. The six stones on the northern side are set fairly vertically, while the seven on the southern s... Read More |
203 | 456 |
| Allée Couverte de Coat Luzuen | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Coat Luzuen allée couverte is situated in a field just to the west of the little road running north from the hamlet of Luzuen, and although signposted, it is quite difficult to find, with the last signpost being small and almost hidden, overgrown in a hedge opposite to a farm building.
When I visited this I was not totally sure what it was I was visiting, I could not be sure whether it is the remains of a strangely shaped allée couverte, or p... Read More |
203 | 457 |
| Ty Corriganet de Coat Menez Guen | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 16th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | From the Coat Luzuen allée couverte, continue on about 800 metres further down the road which peters out into a trackway and descends to the bottom of the valley. Turn left at the bottom, cross the stream, go along the wet track and the Coat-Menez-Guen allée couverte is to be found at the end of the field. Unfortunately when I visited, it was completely inaccessible through a large crop of rape seed.
It is supposedly a superb monument, being... Read More |
203 | 458 |
| Dolmen de Menez-Veil | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | The Rue Jules Ferry dolmen is a strange one. There's a little capstone sitting at a funnyangle on three support stones, on top of a stone mound, which is sort of walled in and held together by stone slabs around the outside. I can only assume that it's all been very rearranged at some point. It can be found right by the roadside near a roundabout at the entrance to the village of Lesconil, on a little tended grassy area. It looks like it might be... Read More |
203 | 459 |
| Kervignon Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This little dolmen, with a capstone sitting on three side slabs is to be found round the back of the local sports centre. The capstone is nicely rain worn on the top, and sits at a jaunty angle. It perhaps once had an entry corridor as the side stones are smaller at one end, and I believe that this is in fact the remains of what was once a compartmented dolmen, with much of the rest of it destroyed. | 203 | 460 |
| Kervadol Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This is the remains of two little dolmens about 10 metres away from each other, not far from the sports fields. I could not be sure as to whether they were once in different mounds, or if they would have both been in the same one. Both have similar chambers, with a capstone sitting on a couple of side stones each side, and facing south.
The eastern of the two is in much better condition, and the capstone is in its proper position. That on the... Read More |
203 | 461 |
| Kerfuens Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Just a few hundred metres to the west of the sports centre can be found the remains of two more little dolmens sat inside small mounds, which are kept in a little cleared area for all to see.
As for the Kervadol dolmens, they are about ten metres from each other in an east to west sense, but open to face the north. The western one is in quite good condition, the eastern not so. The chambers are about 2 metres long, and 1 metre wide, with side... Read More |
203 | 462 |
| Tronval Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | The Tronval dolmen is found just a hundred metres walk from the Quélarn dolmens parking area, on the opposite side of the road. There are the remains of what appears to be another pair of chambers, this time only a few metres apart. The southwestern one is completely collapsed, while the northwestern has a fallen capstone resting on two sideslabs, with perhaps an entrance passage, and two slabs jutting out sideways. Perhaps these are facing slabs... Read More |
203 | 463 |
| Quélarn Dolmens | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | The Quélarn dolmens are fairly easily found as they are signposted a couple of kilometres to the west of Plobannalec, and they have their own little parking space and picnic area. Although mostly destroyed in the middle ages when it was used as a quarry, this massive site has been excavated and restored, and got an explanatory noticeboard. These have been dated to the middle neolithic.
These are a type of monument only found in this coastal p... Read More |
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| Quélarn menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Just to the south of the Quélarn burial cairns is a small menhir, about 2.5 metres tall. It is assumed that the two are related. These have been dated to the middle neolithic. | 203 | 465 |
| Pendreff Alignement | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | The Kerfland menhirs are three gorgeous tall slender menhirs standing in a row at the edge of a wood, easily reached down a little signposted footpath from the roadside a couple of kilometres south of Plomeur. They line up almost due north to south, at an alignment of 005° magnetic (in 2005) and are spaced about 5 metres apart from each other.
To me, these are the supermodels of the menhir world, each being over 5 metres tall yet only 30cm th... Read More |
203 | 466 |
| Allée Couverte de Menez Landu | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This looks like a straightforward simple dolmen beside the busy D.785, a kilometre or so southwest of Plomeur. It has a single capstone on top of two side stones, and a large backstone, but it is almost lost within the undergrowth. But it looked a bit to me as if it is the possibly the end of an allée couverte with an end cell, or some other type of passage grave like there are around here. | 203 | 467 |
| Dolmen de Penquer-Bloas | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Although I have seen this described as an allée couverte, it looks to me to be a simple dolmen still mostly within its mound. It is unsure what this monument was originally. It's in a little woodland area, beside the road by an industrial stoneworking site. It suffers badly from neglect, and has lots of rubbish strewn around. | 203 | 468 |
| Kerugou dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Kerugou dolmen is an interesting one, which can be found just inside a field beside a small road and signposted. It has a large compartmented chamber at the back, western end, with a long central passageway opening up to the east, at orientation 097°. The central passage is about 9 metres long and up to 2m in width away from the entrance. The two side chambers align along the back wall, and are each 3m by 2.5m, with some massive side slabs. Unfor... Read More |
203 | 469 |
| Presqu'île de la Torche | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 5 | 4 | The remains of what would no doubt have once been a magnificent monument, positioned on top of this little, almost an island, headland, sticking dramatically out into the wild Atlantic Ocean, and surrounded by magnificent surf beaches.
The central passage is still 16 metres in length, running up and over the top of the mound, curving as it goes, and opening to the east. At the west end there is an upright end stone. On the top of the mound, a... Read More |
203 | 470 |
| Penhors stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 5 | This is a fantastic grooved and sculpted (cannelée) iron age stèle I saw in a front garden of a home I was passing at Penhors. It is almost perfectly shaped, round with grooves running up the sides, and tapered towards the top, which is a good 4 metres above the ground. This superb stèle was found fallen in a nearby hedge and re-erected in the garden. The granite from which it is made has originally come from at least 5 kilometres away. | 203 | 471 |
| Corn-ar-Palud | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Beside the little road running along the coast around the almost deserted centre of Audierne Bay, just on the edge of the beach in the dunes, can be found the remains of a cairn with a few large rocks to be seen scattered around in it. Looking closer at some of these larger rocks, there is evidence of a chamber underneath one capstone. Obviously once upon a time this was a fairly complex place, probably a cairn with several dolmenic chambers with... Read More |
203 | 472 |
| Menhir des Droits de l'Homme | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a large menhir erected here in 1840 to commemorate the shipwreck of the "Droits de l'Homme" in 1797 with the loss of around 600 lives. The stone used was once a real menhir moved to here from elsewhere. It's at the edge of a car park besides this phenomenal beach, with the surf pounding in all around, creating its own fog ! | 203 | 473 |
| Pors Poulhan allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 17th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | On a headland overlooking the Baie D'Audierne, this allée couverte is in a tremendous position. The 12 metre long passage is quite large and wide at almost 2 metres in width, and almost as high, and lines up to the east at 100°.
Built before the year 3000BC, it has been used almost continually for one purpose or another until the present day. Excavations have shown it to have not only been constructed and used by neolithic flint workers, but ... Read More |
203 | 474 |
| Primelin stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a nice 2.5 metre tall granite stèle stood just outside the church at Primélin. It has been broken at some point, and the top has been cemented back on. | 203 | 475 |
| Dolmen de la Chapelle Sainte-Théodore | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Remains of a little Bronze Age dolmen/stone cist (coffre) are found near to the Chapelle St Theodore, at the road junction just to the west. It's only about 1.5 by 1 metre in size, but the stone cover sits on top of a couple of supports, which in turn are on top of a cist type arrangement in a little mound. | 203 | 476 |
| Chapelle Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage cairns | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | On the ridge to the southeast of the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Bon Voyage is a large cairn, which I am lead to believe contains remains of a large compartmented burial chamber. A large cairn can be found, a footpath goes right over the top of it, but nothing else can be seen due to all the gorse and bracken covering everything here. It is possible that there are several more cairns to be found around here. | 203 | 477 |
| Lescoff Village menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Not far off the main road through the village of Lescoff, just up Impasse du Menhir, can be found this poor menhir which is incorporated into the garden wall of the adjacent house. It's nearly 3 metres high and 2 metres wide, but it is seen to be splitting at its base. | 203 | 478 |
| Baie des Trépassés mégalithe | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 18th Jun 2005 | There used to be a large menhir here, but no longer. Nor the ancient city of Y, which is now under the sea because the King's daughter sold herself to the devil. This bay is also where the dead set sail from on their final voyage to the Ile de Sein. There are lots of legends and stories surrounding this beautiful bay, but no menhir anymore. | 203 | 479 | |||
| Saint-Goulien stèles | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | The remains of no less than three granite stèles are to be found lined up in the churchyard at Goulien. One is very small, one about 1.5 metres high and probably once used as a cross base. The third is 2.5 metres tall and has lovely grooves carved into it. | 203 | 480 |
| Chapelle de Lannourec stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | There is an octagonal shaped Iron Age granite stèle about 2 metres tall which can be found just below the Chapelle de Lannourec, and by the springs. It has a large groove cut down one side. Just below the Chapelle de Lannourec, are several springs and wells. This is obviously a very old sacred place, with its remaining sprngs, and stèle to be seen, as well as the Chapel. | 203 | 481 |
| Luguenez menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | More than three metres in height, this nicely shaped menhir is getting lost in the hedges of the little lane which runs to the coast behind and to the north of the farm. Not far from here are superb views over the Baie de Duarnenez and the wonderful cliffs all around, including the cliff castle of Kastell Koz just to the east. | 203 | 483 |
| Kastell Koz | Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 5 | 4 | This is a superb cliff castle, made on the beautiful headland of the Pointe de Beuzec jutting north into the Baie de Duarnenez. It is defended on its southern side from the mainland with several rows of banks and ditches. The views from here are superb. | 203 | 484 |
| Kerbalanec Allée Couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 4 | This allée couverte is easy enough to find to the north of the Kerbalannec farm buildings a couple of hundred metres along a track. The allée couverte makes up part of the field wall, and this has perhaps helped in its preservation.
The chamber is about 12 metres in length, over 2 metres wide and high enough to stand up in, facing south of southeast at 155°. The northwest end is amazingly complete, but the southeast end has suffered some dama... Read More |
203 | 485 |
| Lesconil allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Lesconil allée couverte is easy to find near the village of Lesconil, as it is signposted from the main D.7 road, and with its own little parking area. This is one monument round here that they do want you to visit, unlike most which seem sadly neglected. This is an excellent place, and no doubt the best preserved of the eight known Arc Bouttée style allée couvertes, where the two rows of side stones lean together, rather than having a row of cap... Read More |
203 | 486 |
| Tréboul menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | The two metre tall Tréboul menhir is found in the outskirts of the town of Douarnenez, beside a roundabout near to the old lavoirs. | 203 | 487 |
| Menez Lié Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 18th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | This is a pleasant little dolmen on the south western slopes of Menez Hom. It has a 2.5m by 2m capstone sitting on one large backstone and three smaller side stones. At first view from the road it looks lost in the middle of a field of wheat, but there is a footpath to it around the edge of the field, and a little clearing is left around it. | 203 | 488 |
| Dolmen de Pen-an-Run | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a little dolmen with a 2.5m by 2.5m capstone sitting on three support slabs, making up part of a hedge. It's about 100 metres from the roadside along a track and signposted. | 203 | 489 |
| Dolmen de Keradiguen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 19th Jun 2005 | I was unable to find a parking place near to this, and was thus unable to have a proper look. The road is extremely busy - everyone must be heading out to the beaches. Perhaps I'll try again later. | 203 | 490 | |||
| Dolmen de Kerdreux | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Remains of this little dolmen can be found a couple of hundred metres down the track to the west of the hamlet, and then right along the signed footpath. There are traces of its mound, perhaps with a stone surround. In the centre of the mound is the little dolmen with a broken capstone, but one piece is still sitting on a couple of side supports with a chamber underneath it. It is marked on my maps as a menhir, and is a pleasant little find. | 203 | 491 |
| Alignements de Ty-ar-C'huré | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 19th Jun 2005 | I went for quite a walk to look for these, but in the end found nothing. They are at the top of a hill in a wood, protected by lots of gorse and bracken overgrown heathland, with no obvious pathway through. | 203 | 492 | |||
| Dolmen de Rostudel | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | This is a nice enough little dolmen, but a right bugger to find and get to, even though it is just 50 metres from the roadside. Firstly there was nowhere to park nearby, and once you have parked and walked back, the path to the dolmen is badly overgrown with the now obligatory ferns, gorse and blackthorn. Once I managed to get to it, the dolmen has a 2.5m by 2m capstone sitting nicely on three support stones and some vicious brambles which have j... Read More |
203 | 493 |
| Lostmarc'h menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Now, this is better, on top of a headland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with a fine surf beach below to the south. The menhir is about 2.8 metres tall and in a commanding position, although not at the top, and as a result has a much better view. It can be seen from miles around coming from the south. | 203 | 494 |
| Alignement de Lostmarc'h 1 | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | What I could find of the Lostmarc'h alignements, on top of a headland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with a fine surf beach below to the south, was a line of eight stones aligned at an angle of 060°/240° running across the headland. None of the stones are much more than a metre in height, and they are spaced about 6 metres apart from each other. There are several other stones laying about, perhaps the remains of other rows.
Further out on the... Read More |
203 | 495 |
| Oppidum de la Pointe de Lostmarc'h | Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Just below the big Lostmarc'h headland with the alignements on top, there is a smaller headland which has been defended from the mainland by the creation of two rows of massive banks and ditches protecting it.
On the headland apart from the inevitable remains of a chapel of some sort, there is also what appears to be the remains of some sort of cairn and burial chamber on the top. It wouldn't be unusual for one to be in such a place. There ar... Read More |
203 | 496 |
| Dolmen de la Pointe de Lost Marc'h | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Just below the big Lostmarc'h headland with the alignements on top, there is a smaller headland which has been defended from the mainland by the creation of two rows of massive banks and ditches protecting it.
On the headland apart from the inevitable remains of a chapel of some sort, there is also what appears to be the remains of some sort of cairn and burial chamber on the top. It wouldnt be unusual for one to be in such a place. There are... Read More |
203 | 497 |
| Lagatjar alignements | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | The Lagatjar alignements are an intriguing arrangement of stones, mostly consisting of large white quartz blocks on open common land, just to the east of the fishing town of Camaret. There are probably over a hundred stones, mostly aligned into three lines, but there are some outliers as well.
The longest line is over 200 metres in length and has an orientation of 037°. From this line are two rows of larger blocks, heading off at right angles... Read More |
203 | 498 |
| Kerloas Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 19th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | What a fantastic stone, and easily found near to the old D.5 road to the east of Plouarzel due to many signposts to it. This is the biggest standing menhir in Europe, if not the world, at nearly 10 metres tall, and has lost the top 2 metres after a lightning strike! It towers above all around, and standing as it does on top of a hill, it can be seen from 30 kilometres away.
The stone, which is not local and has been brought to this hilltop si... Read More |
203 | 499 |
| Kergadiou Menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | The two menhirs of Kergadiou are a fine place to visit, and fairly easily found in a field a couple of kilometres north of the Aber Ildut estuary. From these two giant menhirs, it is possible to see the Kerloas menhir when the modern trees are not in leaf, and the sightline over the Kerloas menhir is perpendicular to the midsummer sunrise. Coincidence ?
Kergadiou menhir 1 is a really magnificent monster menhir, 8.8 metres tall, and the most b... Read More |
203 | 500 |
| Île Melon Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Saw from a distance | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 2 | This is frustrating. There is only 15 metres of water between me and the island from where I sit, but the tide is coming in and the island is not going to get any nearer. The dolmen is on top of the island and looks a nice one, its capstone sitting on at least four support stones. There are also at least two menhirs further down to the south of the island, and looking towards the shore. Perhaps a swim is needed ! | 203 | 501 |
| Île Melon menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 2 | This is frustrating. There is only 15 metres of water between me and the island from where I sit, but the tide is coming in and the island is not going to get any nearer. There is a dolmen on top of the island, and there are also at least two menhirs further down to the south of the island, and looking towards the shore. I believe that there was once a large menhir here also, which was blown up during the war. Perhaps a swim is needed ! | 203 | 502 |
| Kerivoret Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | About 50 metres away from the Kerivoret dolmen is a nice menhir, which looks to have been shaped with a slanted top. It's about 3.5 metres tall. | 203 | 503 |
| Kerivoret Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is a nice looking dolmen sitting in a pleasant field behind the houses. It is signposted from the roan, and has a path to it from behind the houses, where there is room to park. The chamber is about 3 metres long, less than 2 metres wide, and created with a good back stone and two large side slabs each side. There are other stones at the open end, perhaps an entry corridor or a broken front slab. The capstone is a nice piece of granite, and ... Read More |
203 | 504 |
| Traonigou alignement de menhirs | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Two fallen and two standing menhirs, which are supposedly aligned on the mid summer sunrise. The two standing menhirs are about 4 and 5 metres tall, the two fallen ones becoming lost in the undergrowth. These stones are signposted, and found just beside the road to the east of the hamlet of Traonigou. | 203 | 505 |
| Dolmen de Poulliot | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Pleasant enough little dolmen sitting in a field of crops about 200 metres from the road, but with a signpost. The capstone is sitting on three support stones, but I couldn’t get close enough to note any details. | 203 | 506 |
| Mezdoun menhirs | Standing Stones | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Two menhirs in a field of growing sweetcorn, so getting close enough to get details was not easy. These two menhirs are both between 4 and 5 metres tall, and have been shaped. The further east of the two looks to have been broken and was possibly once much bigger. They are about 60 metres from each other, on an east to west alignment. | 203 | 507 |
| Saint-Denec Alignement de Menhirs | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | The two St Dénec menhirs are standing in a field near to the farm of St Dénec. Both are about 3.5 to 4 metres high, but they are not nicely shaped and smoothed like most of the menhirs around here.
There is also a rather large menhir like stone laying at the foot of one of the menhirs, and there are other large stones laying in the fields nearby. I wonder if there was once a lot more here in the way of alignements?
On closer inspection of... Read More |
203 | 508 |
| Menhir de Kerhouézel | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | The Kerhouézel menhir is another fantastic monster menhir, just inland from Porspoder and signposted. It must be eight metres high and is fantastically smoothed and shaped. I just love these massive stones. I've go to give it a hug ! It is possible that there is a carved symbolon the upper part of the southern face. | 203 | 509 |
| Dolmen de Men-Milliget | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Men Milliget or the St Gonvel dolmen is a pleasant little dolmen living on the landward side of a headland sticking out into the ocean. It's 3 metre by 2 metre chamber is made with a large backstone and two side slabs, with remains of other stones, but it is partially buried in the dunes. The strangely shaped capstone is known as Men Milliget (Roche Maudite, Bad rock). | 203 | 510 |
| Saint-Gonvarc'h menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Saw from a distance | 20th Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 2 | The Pierre de St Gonvarc'h, or Mez menhir, can be seen across a couple of fields, and is another of the monster menhirs of this region (Leon). Comparing it to a nearby cow for size, it must be a good 6 metres tall, and has been beautifully shaped. | 203 | 511 |
| Pointe de Guilligui allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is an unusual allée couverte, not quite at the top of the Guilliguy headland, overlooking the ocean where the Amoco Cadiz was wrecked, and the little port of Portsall. This is a place which has been revered over the millennia, and still serves as a place for thought by the big cross, and the views are fantastic.
The allée couverte was built in the neolithic, but much altered during the bronze age. It is now an L shaped tomb, the main par... Read More |
203 | 512 |
| Menhir du Guilligui | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 20th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | About 60 metres to the east of the Guilliguy headland and dolmen, is a little menhir, about 1.5 metres in height. | 203 | 513 |
| Île Carn cairn | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Saw from a distance | 20th Jun 2005 | 2 | Just offshore is this little island which can be reached a low tide, with a massive cairn containing three dolmenic chambers. There are also some WW2 gun emplacements and lookouts which spoil it a bit. The cairn is massive, and looks like its been quarried into, and from the shore the entry to one of the chambers can be seen. Its a pity I cannot get out to have a look. Should I borrow a boat ? | 203 | 514 | ||
| Ilot Roc'h-Avel | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 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 e... Read More |
203 | 515 |
| Île Tariec menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 517 |
| Île Tariec cairn | Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 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. | 203 | 518 |
| Ile Guénioc | Chambered Tomb | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Saw from a distance | 21st Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 519 |
| Dolmen de Vourch | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 21st Jun 2005 | 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 wa... Read More |
203 | 520 | |||
| Grouanec stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This is a fantastic iron age stèle by the D.32 roadside just to the east of the village of St Groanec, which has been christainised and turned into a roadside cross. The stèle is about 3.5 metres tall with an extra metre on top for the cross. It is tapered towards the top and carved into an octagonal shape, with each of the faces concave. What a super find. | 203 | 521 |
| St Grouanec well | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | At the site of the St Groanec chapel there are many wells and springs gushing forth. The water is just flowing out of the ground here. It is no wonder the ancient chapel was built here. | 203 | 522 |
| Goarivan Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a nice 4 metre tall menhir in a field just to the north of the hamlet of Goarivan, which can be reached along a farm track round the back of the houses. It's got a very curious thing near the base of its northern side, which looks like a marble in a case. There is a rounded white quartz lump which has been worn away from the grey surrounding granite and smoothed spherical. It looks like it should rattle around in the hole, but unfortunate... Read More |
203 | 523 |
| Croazou chapel | Ancient Cross | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This is an odd little place where many thousands of years of ritual and worship can all be seen together. In the middle of a fairly busy road junction is built a little chapel which is said to be the smallest in Finistère. This chapel has been built onto a stèle with it still standing there at one of the back corners about 2 metres tall.
Outside the back wall are three medieval crosses positioned on top of a fallen menhir supposedly in all be... Read More |
203 | 524 |
| Croazou chapel stèles | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | This is an odd little place where many thousands of years of ritual and worship can all be seen together. In the middle of a fairly busy road junction is built a little chapel which is said to be the smallest in Finistère.
This chapel has been built onto a stèle with it still standing there at one of the back corners about 2 metres tall. Outside the back wall are three medieval crosses positioned on top of a fallen menhir supposedly in all be... Read More |
203 | 525 |
| Croazou chapel menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | This is an odd little place where many thousands of years of ritual and worship can all be seen together. In the middle of a fairly busy road junction is built a little chapel which is said to be the smallest in Finistère. This chapel has been built onto a stèle with it still standing there at one of the back corners about 2 metres tall.
Outside the back wall are three medieval crosses positioned on top of a fallen menhir supposedly in all be... Read More |
203 | 526 |
| Men-Marz | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | What a wonderful and fantastic menhir this is easily found to the north of Brignogan-Plage village by following plentiful signs. Men-Marz (the Miracle Stone in Breton) or Men-Bras (Grand Stone) is now set in a nice little area a previously close built house having been bought and demolished by the state and has a good information centre across the road with lots of informative boards.
At between 8.2 and 8.5 metres high depending upon where it... Read More |
203 | 527 |
| Créac'h Gallic | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Here are the remains of a fairly large dolmen, but it looks to be in a bit of a precarious state. Warning signs and a fence warn of climbing on or near to the stones. The basic chamber is about 4 metres by 2 metres and 2 metres high, with a single capstone resting (just) on three support stones. It looks like a fourth support has recently broken and fallen, and it looks most precarious and that it could fall at any time.
Strangely there are m... Read More |
203 | 528 |
| Guinivrit | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 21st Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 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... Read More |
203 | 529 |
| Prat Meur menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 530 |
| Porz Ar Stréat menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 531 |
| Grand menhir de Saint-Eden | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 532 |
| Menhir de Kergoarat | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 533 |
| Menhir d'Irvit | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 534 |
| Créac’h-ar-Vrenn | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 535 |
| Couinandré Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 536 |
| Kerider stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 537 |
| Kerivin Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 538 |
| Barnenez Cairn | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 22nd Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 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 i... Read More |
203 | 539 |
| Commana Stèle | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | On the village green by the car park round the back of the church can be found this Iron Age granite stèle. It's a tapered cylindrical shape just over 2 metres high. There are no obvious grooves or other shaping to it. | 203 | 540 |
| Bois de la Roche dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 4 | I am not quite sure exactly what I found here - the pile of rocks I found looked decidedly natural, yet in a very distinctive pile with one set on top of three and a large space underneath, and its in exactly the right place compared to the map. I guess its one of those dolmens made using the best locally available materials. In dense woodland, but right at the junction of two country lanes about 3 km north of the village of Commana. | 203 | 541 |
| Mougau Bihan | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | This is an absolutely splendid allée couverte, which has been dated to 3000BC, found a couple of kilometres to the south of the village of Commana, and signposted from there. It has a little car park and picnic area, as well as a nice and spacious grassy area around it.
The main chamber is 14 metres in length and oriented approximately north to south, with its entrance at the northern end. The southern end has an extra small chamber, the "ce... Read More |
203 | 542 |
| Le Rocher du Diable | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This is a pleasant enough menhir in a field beside the road on the western slopes of the hill upon which the Chapelle St Michel is built. It's approaching three metres in height, nearly as wide at the base, and made of the local quarzite stone, which is pointed at the top. There is another block of stone beside it which is the top which was broken off after a lightning strike. With a name like this, there should be legends and stories, but I dont... Read More |
203 | 543 |
| An-Eured-Ven | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | On the high moorland to the southwest of the St Michel reservoir, in the bowl below the Montagnes d'Arrée to the southeast of Mont St Michel, can be found some rows of white quartz stones, the name of which, An-Eured-Ven, translates to something approximating the wedding stones dance.
I found a couple of hundred metre long, slightly curved line of white quartz blocks running along the ridgetop just to the south of the lake, the alignment of w... Read More |
203 | 544 |
| Ty ar Boudiquet Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 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 co... Read More |
203 | 545 |
| Leintant menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 23rd Jun 2005 | Three metre tall menhir, which was probably once part of the nearby alignment. | 203 | 546 | |||
| Alignement de Leintant | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 23rd Jun 2005 | Row of fallen menhirs now incorporated into a bank at the edge of a field. I could find no trace of this alignment, supposed to contain one standing and three fallen menhirs, which was said to align on mid-summer sunrise. I found the farm, and went up and down the road several times, with no luck. Supposedly, the standing stone is nearly 4 metres tall and beside the road..... | 203 | 547 | |||
| St-Guinec menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 548 |
| Kerampeulven Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 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.... Read More |
203 | 549 |
| Menhir de Coat Mocun nord | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Couldn't find | 23rd Jun 2005 | Supposedly 8 metres tall, and re-erected recently when they built the new road, I could not find this. I asked an old gent with a straw hat and waving a stick, who was pushing a wheelbarrow of grass. He took great delight in telling me how I could get to see it, although it was on private land, but he was fairly difficult to understand. From what I did understand, I thought he said it was in a quarry area, I had several looks, from various points... Read More |
203 | 550 | |||
| Kerelcun Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Finistère (29) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 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. | 203 | 551 |
| Chapelle-des-Sept-Saints | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | I had terrible trouble finding this from the south. The road signs are almost non existent, and very inconsistent, and its all windy lanes and farm tracks. None of the roads, or the names on any of the rare signs seem to agree with the maps. I think the maps are in French, while the signs are in Breton ! I eventually found it by a bit of a fluke, after travelling for a fair distance along a road I was wanting to turn round on, and go back, there ... Read More |
203 | 552 | |||
| Ty-Lia (Île Grande) | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 23rd Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 5 | This looks to be a fairly complete standard allée couverte well signposted and in a little grassy area on Ile-Grande, just off the coast near Trebeurden. It is about 9 metres long by 1.5 metres wide, and oriented to 110°. There are two large capstones which cover most of the chamber. Many of the outer peristalith stones survive, particularly on the southern side and the back end, and there are traces of the mound within them. | 203 | 553 |
| Prajou-Menhir menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 4 | The "indicator menhir" just outside and in front of the allée couverte. It is about 1.7 metres high but nicely weathered. | 203 | 554 |
| Prajou-Menhir allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | This is a terriffic allée couverte approaching 14 metres long and facing towards its indicator menhir at orientation 103°. Seven capstones of varying sizes are still in place, the two westernmost being the covers for a separate end cell of about 2.5 metres length. Within this end cell are many carvings, including pairs of breasts, cartouches, palettes and many others. Approaching 2 metres wide, it is not much more than a metre in height.
It h... Read More |
203 | 555 |
| Keryvon allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Right beside the D.788 road from Trébeurden to Trégastel, and only feet from the cliff edge is the remains of this dolmen, but it would not surprise me if it is part of what was once an allée couverte. It has a single capstone on side supports only, but there are at least three of them on the south side, and possibly more.
Survival of this has again been helped by it being part of a wall, but I suspect the road has cut off the eastern end. Or... Read More |
203 | 556 |
| Kerguntuil Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 4 | 5 | This is a large single chambered dolmen, easily found and signposted, and kept in a little fenced off area in a field. It has at times in the more recent past as both a stable and a house. The chamber is about 5 metres by 2 metres, and a good 2 metres in height, all covered with a single large capstone. Three large side supports remain, but the others have been broken up and made into large block walls around the chamber.
There is evidence of... Read More |
203 | 557 |
| Kerguntuil allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Just about 100 metres upslope from the Kergunteuil dolmen can be found its neighbouring allée couverte, also signposted and kept in a little area. This one again has been incorporated into a field wall at some time in the past, which has no doubt ensured its survival.
It is 8 metres in length, oriented at 070° and has 4 capstones covering the 1.5 metre wide, 1 metre high chamber. The entrance is at the northwest end in the side, but I am not ... Read More |
203 | 558 |
| Trémarche menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Pleasant enough menhir set into a little gravel area at the side of the D.11 road beside the junction at Trémarche a few kilometres to the south of Trégastel. It's about 3 metres high, of rectangular section, and made from a nice pink granite. | 203 | 559 |
| St Samson Chapel well | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Just to the north of the St Samson chapel is a splendid little spring and well house, with clear water bubbling up from within it. | 203 | 560 |
| Menhir a Vertu | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Oooh errrr, this one's a bit rude ! This is a wonderful little menhir, less than 2 metres tall, but a tremendous phallic shape, which was no doubt recognised by the ancient people. It has been revered so much over time that it is still standing erect, and indeed has had a chapel built with its front door no more than 8 metres from the stone, and opening directly onto it. This place has been christianised not only by the chapel, but the head of th... Read More |
203 | 561 |
| Saint-Uzec menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 5 | Signposted from all around, and with its own parking area, this is a truly massive menhir in all senses. It must be about 6 metres tall or more, and impressively bulky in its other dimensions also. But its crowning glory is the granite cross on top, and also the tremendous carvings on its front (southern) face, which show scenes from the bible and the "roughly hewn instruments of passion". In the past it was also painted.
The menhir's back fa... Read More |
203 | 562 |
| Trois-Tables-en-Place | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 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... Read More |
203 | 563 |
| Dolmen de Lann Kerellec | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 564 |
| Toenno menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 565 |
| Parc-ar-Peulvennic | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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. | 203 | 566 |
| L'Armor menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Couldn't find | 24th Jun 2005 | This menhir is in a private garden with a massive thick hedge surrounding it. I didn't get to see the stone, but it is supposedly about 2 metres in height. | 203 | 567 | |||
| Ty-Lia (Ile Renote) | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 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 ... Read More |
203 | 568 |
| Crec'h Quillé | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 24th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This allée couverte to the south of Perros Guirec is situated just to the east of the busy D.788 dual carriageway, and signposted from it, but most people will go whizzing straight past. From the parking area beside the main road, it is just a couple of hundred metres, but is walking access only. It's set in a nice little plot, probably originally intended for a house when it was discovered in about 1960.
It is surprisingly complete except fo... Read More |
203 | 569 |
| Menhir de Kervéniou | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 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. | 203 | 570 |
| Kerpeulven Menhir (Penvénan) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 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. | 203 | 571 |
| Menhir de Kermarker | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Couldn't find | 25th Jun 2005 | 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. | 203 | 572 | |||
| Tossen-Keler Cromlech (1964-2018) | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 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 som... Read More |
203 | 573 |
| Allée couverte de Mélus | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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... Read More |
203 | 574 |
| Men-ar-Rompet | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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 pl... Read More |
203 | 575 |
| Tour-ar-Varquez | Stone Row / Alignment | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 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°. | 203 | 576 |
| Île-Coalen allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 25th Jun 2005 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 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 re... Read More |
203 | 577 |
| Tanouëdou tumulus | Round Barrow(s) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 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. | 203 | 578 |
| Caillouan Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 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... Read More |
203 | 579 |
| Liscuis 3 allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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 wonde... Read More |
203 | 581 |
| Liscuis 2 allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 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 wonde... Read More |
203 | 582 |
| Liscuis 1 allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 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 wonde... Read More |
203 | 583 |
| Coët Correc allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 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... Read More |
203 | 584 |
| Notre-Dame-de-Lorette spring | Holy Well or Sacred Spring | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Just to the west of the little chapel at the top of the hill is a nice little spring with a full blown well house built on top of it. Water gushes up into a crystal clear pool, and there is even a tap with a local authority certificate of cleanliness. There is of course a cross and suchlike also. The well is legendary for curing earache ! | 203 | 585 |
| Notre Dame-de-Lorette Alignements | Stone Circle | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 3 | 5 | 5 | Just outside the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette chapel is what I have seen described in various sources as a cromlech, allée couverte, tumulus or long barrow. From my visit, I have to say it is difficult to say just what this is the remains of. There is a signpost which says that it is the remains of a neolithic long barrow.
Basically, just to the north of the chapel are two rows of stones, lined up at about 100°, which are 20 metres long and 10 metre... Read More |
203 | 586 |
| La Roche (Uzel) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 26th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 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. | 203 | 587 |
| Ville Pichard Cairn | Chambered Cairn | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 2 | 5 | 3 | High up on the clifftop near Pléneuf-Val-André overlooking the sea in two directions can be found this very overgrown cairn. Despite getting near after a very long walk round the coastal path, I could not get to the actual cairn through the gorse and brambles. Supposedly the remains of three dolmenic chambers with entry passages can be seen in the mound with drystone chambers, but there was no chance of seeing any of that for me on my visit. But ... Read More |
203 | 588 |
| Ville Bellanger allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Just beside the D.52 road, 3 km north of the village, and a km south of La Bouille and all its industrial sites, can be found this allée couverte, either in somebodies garden, or a little public area besides. The remains are a bit of a jumble, but an allée almost 10 metres long aligned at 050° is clear. Whether it has an external cell at the western end, or whether its a fallen capstone I can not be sure, but the chamber appears to be divided. A ... Read More |
203 | 589 |
| Ville Hamon Dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 2 | 3 | 5 | This poor thing is a bit of a mess. Difficult to find without a detailed map, but only a few dozen metres from a track, on top of a good sized mound, to the east of the town of Erquy. What remains is basically a large jumble of stones on top of a mound. It was probably a very large dolmen with entry passage, but the stones have mostly broken into a heap. One large section of capstone still sits on two bits of upright, but the rest is all on the g... Read More |
203 | 590 |
| Doigt de Gargantua (Côtes-D'Armor) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This 2.5 metre tall, thin menhir stands guard beside the footpath overlooking the splendid Forte de la Latte, at the headland of the same name to the east of Cap Fréhel. On a late June Monday afternoon it was very busy here, and getting a space in the car park was a problem. The bushes surrounding the giant's finger have grown substantially since my last visit several years ago, and now the views from here are severely limited. Before there was a... Read More |
203 | 591 |
| Ville Génouhan allée couverte | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Just to the south of the busy D.786 road between ND de Guildo and Trégon can be found the remains of this allée couverte. I find it strange that although it is signposted, has got a little parking area, is kept within a little grassed area within a field of maize, and has got several hundred metres of well tended footpath to it, the monument itself is left to become thoroughly overgrown.
It's the remains of a fairly standard looking allée cou... Read More |
203 | 592 |
| La Hautière | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 4 | 3 | 4 | This is a fairly large allée couverte in a field to the east of the D.768 road between Créhen and Trégon, which had just been cropped for hay when I visited, so it was easy to get to. The main passage is about 14 metres long, oriented to 155°, and has 6 capstones still in place. Many of the sidestones have fallen inwards, so there is not much of a covered passageway left, more a long pile of stones ! The large western endstone can still be seen i... Read More |
203 | 593 |
| Ville-Tinguy dolmen | Burial Chamber or Dolmen | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Despite supposedly having a footpath to it, and being only 80 metres to the east of the D.768 road between Créhen and Trégon, this dolmen proved difficult for me to get right up to, in its field of barley. I have seen it described as an allée couverte, but it looked more like a simple dolmen to me, unless there is much of it ruined and not visible amongst the crops. At least one capstone is held up proudly in place for all to see as they drive pa... Read More |
203 | 594 |
| Dolmen de Ville Goudier | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Marked as a menhir on the ign maps, this large standing stone can be seen from the D.768 road across a field of wheat, about 100 metres away and underneath a pine tree near to the Trégon water tower. I could initially see no way of getting any nearer, and I estimated it to be about 2 metres high. However, I later found a way round the back.
The stone is about 2 metres tall and fairly chunky. There are lots of other large stones around here al... Read More |
203 | 595 |
| Champ des Roches | Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Just behind the churchyard to the south of the village of Pléslin and well signposted is this “field of rocks” which is kept in a nice and shady oak garden and included on a couple of signposted local walks. I didn’t know of this place beforehand despite having been near it several times before, it not being far from St-Malo, yet it is described as Brittany’s third most important site (which seems a bit over the top considering some of the other ... Read More |
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| Thiemblais menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 27th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | This is a truly wonderful 8 metre long granite menhir, which can be found signposted along a little track just to the east of the village of St Samson.
Although it leans at about 45°, it is beautifully shaped and has multitudes of carvings and engravings all over it. Apparently those on the flat western face are easy to see at mid day, but when I was here at 7:00pm, I could barely make anything out. I could, however, clearly see some of the c... Read More |
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| La Ganterie | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Just beside the D.676 Dinan to Dol road, at the top of the hill to the east of the hamlet of La Ganterie where the road is a dual carriageway, there is a place to park. From here the allée couverte is signposted along a trackway into a wood, and just 50m along this well tended path the remains are to be found. It is almost impossible to see what is here though, as it is all totally overgrown. It might be a very long allée couverte going by the le... Read More |
203 | 598 |
| Four-És-Feins | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Couldn't find | 28th Jun 2005 | I had a good look around for the remains of this allée couverte, but could find nothing obvious. It's somewhere to the west of the hamlet of Vieux Bourg, beside the north to south expressway. | 203 | 599 | |||
| La Maison des Feins | Passage Grave | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 4 | This is a lovely little allée couverte, deep inside a lovely oak forest just to the east of the village of Tressé, and signposted from there. There is a parking area, and a signposted and guided walk footpath from there to find it, along with many other items of interest.
The allée is about 12 metres long, at an orientation of 155°, but it is not much more than a metre wide or high. Truly a house for the fairies. All but the end capstone are ... Read More |
203 | 600 |
| Menhir dit la Pierre du Domaine | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 4 | This menhir can be found just to the west of the road around the east of Beaufort lake, a bit to the north of the Abbey. It's in a field of wheat, but can be easily seen. I estimate it to be at least 4 metres tall. | 203 | 601 |
| Champ Dolent Menhir | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 5 | 5 | 5 | This is a glorious 9 metre tall shaped and sculpted granite menhir, the stone for which has been brought here from over 4 kilometres away. It stands high on a little hillock overlooking the ancient city of Dol, with the rock which has been inhabited for many thousands of years just beyond that. At its base is another small and polished stone, the origins of which are unknown.
Looking carefully at parts of the stone in the shadow, and it would... Read More |
203 | 602 |
| La Roche Longue (St-Marcan) | Standing Stone (Menhir) | France | Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 3 | 3 | 3 | A large slab sided menhir, about 3 metres tall with its wide sides oriented east and west, in a field near to the cemetary to the east of the village of St Marcan, on a slope overlooking the marshes of the bay of Mont St Michel. Whilst I couldn’t get right to it, the menhir is easily visible from the roadside. About 800 metres to the south of this menhir used to stand another similar menhir 2 metres tall, which was destroyed in the 1930s | 203 | 603 |
| Mont St Michel | Ancient Village or Settlement | France | Normandie:Manche (50) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 5 | 2 | 4 | Far too hot and busy and crowded. | 203 | 604 |
| St-Benoit polissoir | Polissoir | France | Normandie:Manche (50) | Visited | 28th Jun 2005 | 4 | 4 | 5 | I was understanding that this polissoir stone was going to be difficult to find, but thought that I'd give it a go. Luckily for me, since the source of my information was written, it's all been tidied up into a nice little area and signposted. It's about 800m from the village of St Bénoit, up the D.363 to the east, beside the little stream.
The stone itself is a sort of white quartz, about 1.2 metres in length and flat on the ground. In the t... Read More |
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