Kerider stèle

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

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

Couinandré Menhir

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

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

Créac’h-ar-Vrenn

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

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

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

Menhir d'Irvit

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

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

Menhir de Kergoarat

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

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

Porz Ar Stréat menhir

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

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

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

Prat Meur menhir

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

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

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

Grand menhir de Saint-Eden

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

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

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

Grand menhir de Saint-Eden

Trip No.214  Entry No.1  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 16th Apr 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Splendid fallen menhir, right at the edge of the sea, and bigger than I recall it. Now got some pictures with Dad in it for scale. Dad thought it looked like it had a snake or serpent head

Guinivrit

Trip No.214  Entry No.2  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 16th Apr 2014

Log Text: Seen from over the estuary from the south, tide out and on the sandy beach.

Guinivrit

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

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

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

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

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

Créac'h Gallic

Trip No.203  Entry No.528  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: 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 many large slabs around the outside, making a sort of wall, I cannot really make this out at all. Seems it was once a large allée couverte with a peristalith surrounding its mound, some of which still survives. But its a bit difficult to fully make out and understand, and has no doubt been damaged in the past with the construction of the farms and the lanes.

There are many other large stones laying around, I need to try and look this one up. Now I know what it is, it seems obvious what the remains are.

Men-Marz

Trip No.214  Entry No.5  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 16th Apr 2014. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Had to bring Dad to see this fantastic menhir which is found to the north of Brignogan-Plage village and found by following plentiful signs. Men-Marz is set in a nice little area which has an information centre across the road with lots of informative boards.

At more than 8.5 metres high it is said to be the fourth largest menhir still standing in France. It is a strange shaped beast as are the natural rocks around here and looks to be a thin and straight beast when seen from front and back but is a sort of triangular shape when seen from the sides with multiple cavities and ledges in the sides.

The stone has suffered from Christianising vandalism on at least two occasions as it not only has a granite cross mounted on the top but there is also an engraved cross on the south-eastern corner about 1.5 metres from the ground. This stone has many legends attached to it which seem to get a bit mixed up and confused. There is a ledge high up on the south side which today had a lot of loose stones on it, attached to which are legends concerning marriage or childbirth. Both myself and Dad failed to land our stones on the ledge!

Men-Marz

Trip No.203  Entry No.527  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: 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 is measured on the sloping ground it is said to be the fourth largest menhir still standing in France. It is a strange shaped beast as are the natural rocks around here and looks to be a thin and straight beast when seen from front and back but is a sort of triangular shape when seen from the sides with multiple cavities and ledges in the sides.

The stone has suffered from Christianising vandalism on at least two occasions as it not only has a granite cross mounted on the top but there is also an engraved cross on the south-eastern corner about 1.5 metres from the ground.

This stone has many legends attached to it which seem to get a bit mixed up and confused. There is a fairly flat ledge high up on the south side with several loose stones sitting on it. There seems to be two stories attached to this and the habit of throwing up pebbles onto it. One of the stories has it that young girls wanting to get married go to the stone and throw up a pebble. If the stone lands on the ledge and doesn’t fall down then she will be married within the year. This story is also told in a slightly different form in that young newly wed couples go to the stone and throw up a pebble and if the pebble lands and stays on the ledge then they will have an heir before the year is out. One throw only obviously. To this day newly wed couples come to this stone straight after the service.

While there I took my chances and threw a stone up and it did indeed stay up on the ledge. I do not know what this now has in store for me !

Croazou chapel menhir

Trip No.214  Entry No.8  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 16th Apr 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Laying outside the back wall of the chapel is a fallen menhir, a couple of metres in length, which has had three medieval crosses mounted onto it, all supposedly in their original position.

Croazou chapel stèles

Trip No.214  Entry No.7  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 16th Apr 2014. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: A total of six Iron Age Stèles are to be seen at Croazou Chapel, of which four have been incorporated into its construction, three into the outside walls, and one internally. The largest of these is now the southeast corner of the chapel, and stands 2 m high. Two others are to be seen making part of the construction of this wall. Outside the front of the chapel is a fine stub of an 11 sided stele, now used for the base of a cross.

Croazou chapel menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.526  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: 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 being in their original positions. Around the outside of the chapel is also a fairly recent collection of other crosses from the region which includes one intriguing cross which has been mounted on the top portion of what was obviously once a lovely iron age stele with wonderful shaping and patterns carved into it.

Croazou chapel stèles

Trip No.203  Entry No.525  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: 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 being in their original positions. Around the outside of the chapel is also a fairly recent collection of other crosses from the region which includes one intriguing cross which has been mounted on the top portion of what was obviously once a lovely iron age stele with wonderful shaping and patterns carved into it.

Croazou chapel

Trip No.203  Entry No.524  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: 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 being in their original positions. Around the outside of the chapel is also a fairly recent collection of other crosses from the region which includes one intriguing cross which has been mounted on the top portion of what was obviously once a lovely iron age stele with wonderful shaping and patterns carved into it.

Trouble is while I was there it must have been going home time and the junction was very busy and stopping and getting pictures was very difficult having enough time to stand in the road and get a photo without getting run down.

Goarivan Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.523  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: 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 unfortunately it doesn't. I have no doubt that there are some stories and legends associated with this, but I do not know of any.