Ville Génouhan allée couverte

Date Added: 12th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 1992

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, day 2, Dinan, Corseul, St Caste. Roman tower, dolmens, Lunch at Le Guildo castle.

La Hautière

Date Added: 12th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 1992

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, day 2, Dinan, Corseul, St Caste. Roman tower, dolmens, Lunch at Le Guildo castle.

Ville-Tinguy dolmen

Date Added: 12th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 1992

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, day 2, Dinan, Corseul, St Caste. Roman tower, dolmens, Lunch at Le Guildo castle.

Menhir Bois-es-Lucas

Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Couldn't find on 19th Sep 1992

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, day 2, Dinan, Corseul, St Caste. Roman tower, dolmens, Lunch at Le Guildo castle. Failed to find

Temple de Mars

Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Ancient Temple Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 1992. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, day 2, Dinan, Corseul, St Caste. Roman tower, dolmens, Lunch at Le Guildo castle.

Having cycled to this site with the others, all I got was scorn due to the state of the remains. I think it was here that the phrase HOC was first coined. I thought it was interesting.

Doigt de Gargantua (Côtes-D'Armor)

Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 1992. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Cycling camping trip round Emerald Coast, Brittany, day 3, Fort La Latte, Cap Frehel, Les Sables d’Or.

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.

Dent de Gargantua

Trip No.208  Entry No.1  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 20th Mar 2008. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This 4 or 5 metre tall white quartz menhir is contained within a private orchard near to Chablé in the community of St Suliac, near the Rance estuary south of St Malo. Although it is very close to the road, getting to see it through the hedges which surround it is not easy. Not too long ago, there was an allée couverte nearby which has now been destroyed by the farmer, and also another menhir, Le Gravier de Gargantua.

Champ des Roches

Trip No.208  Entry No.2  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 20th Mar 2008. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: None

Thiemblais menhir

Trip No.208  Entry No.3  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 20th Mar 2008. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: My second visit to this most wonderful menhir, about 1:30pm, late March 2008, in a hazy sun, and some of the carvings on the front face can be seen. An hour or two earlier would have been better, as would a stronger sun. After a while, you "get your eye in" and more and more wonderful carvings come into view. I can see on here (with the eye of the knowing, and the full def picture) the animal (mid left, just above the quartz vein) and a couple of crosses and other bits and pieces.

Having got hold of a new book about the megalithes around Dinan, I can report that a revised picture of the carvings has been published in the last year or so, after various techniques have been used to make the carvings more prominent. These seem to agree more with what I saw several years ago and have been recorded in my photographs. Mind you, it seems that the "animal" on the mid left of the stone may have turned around, and its legs almost doubled in length !!! Now it is perhaps running to the right, rather than grazing to the left....

But to be serious for a while, this really is one of the most magnificent megalithic sites I have visited, and it has the capability of bringing emotions to the surface. Here is plain evidence of the cross symbol being used at important places 2500 years or more BC. And the importance of the animals....

And the shaping of the stone - look how flat the main face is, and how straight the upright edges are, even after about 5000 years of erosion. And this surely couldn't have been a one off ? Surely many more of these wonderful menhirs would have been carved and patterned ? Damn all those girls and floozies who have climbed and slid down the stone in their birth knickers in the hope of getting wed. The front face is almost polished smooth, with the carvings almost rubbed smooth.

Thiemblais menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.597  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: 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 carvings on the two sides, with the shadows being cast in just the right direction. All of the usual neolithic symbols are here, crosses, axes, squares, palettes and serpents.

A nice legend of the stone is that any young girl who wants to get married should climb to the top of the stone, and side down in their "birth knickers", and they will become wed within the year. It is also supposed to be one of the three menhirs that block the entrance to hell. A real fantastic find.

Champ des Roches

Trip No.203  Entry No.596  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: 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 places).

What it basically consists of these days is about 70 big white quartz stones arranged in 5 lines perhaps 6 which are not quite parallel as they converge towards the east and apparently focus on a large stone of which I found no obvious evidence. It really is a nice quiet calming place away from all the busy roads and bustle of this part of Brittany.

Why are these stones here ? Well legend tells us it was the fairies who were building Mont St-Michel who got tired carrying their stones out to sea and they dropped them here.

Just to the north of the stones is an open field with various structures within it which is used for a festival each year to celebrate the stones. It’s been happening longer than anyone can tell on or around the Fete St Pierre. This year (2005) the “Fête des Megalithes” will happen on Saturday July 16th and there will be a big feast bands playing dancing and fireworks. Within this festival ground there is a large gravel circle with 8 telegraph poles arranged around the outside and then a further 4 at the cardinal points positioned outside them. Various other poles are dotted about some with white painted bottoms some with black. I like to think it is for some ancient dancing and festivity but my sister told me it was probably for a large tent. Surely any tent would come with its own poles !

As I said I didn’t know of this lovely place before I learn something every day. It had a lovely atmosphere and was very pleasant to just sit there in the shade.

Dolmen de Ville Goudier

Trip No.203  Entry No.595  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: 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 also, perhaps field clearance, or perhaps this is the remains of a tomb of some kind.

Ville-Tinguy dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.594  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: 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 past.

La Hautière

Trip No.203  Entry No.593  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: 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 in its place though.

Ville Génouhan allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.592  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: 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 couverte 12 metres long with orientation 125°, and there are still 6 capstones in place. Most of the sidestones seem to have collapsed inwards, making much of it not much more than a long pile of stones.

Doigt de Gargantua (Côtes-D'Armor)

Trip No.203  Entry No.591  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: 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 tremendous panorama of all the sea and headlands around, and with the fort below. Not so now.

Ville Hamon Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.590  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: 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 ground. The stones cover an area about 6m by 6m, and several edge set slabs can be made out. Thankfully it is all tended to, and the undergrowth had been recently cut when I visited.

Ville Bellanger allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.589  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: 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 pleasant little find, and lots of nice foxgloves growing here at the time of my visit.

Ville Pichard Cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.588  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: 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 what a fantastic place this is.

Liscuis 3 allée couverte

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

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

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

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