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Gaudinais megalithes
Trip No.203 Entry No.15 Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Long Barrow
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Gaudinais megalithes submitted by thecaptain on 18th Nov 2005. Gaudinais megalithes, near to the village of Langon.
Remains of a rectangular tumulus, with embanked stones set around the outside, which reminded me of a small version of King Arthurs Hall.
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Log Text: 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 of this rectangle are about 16 metres by 6 metres with the long axis on an alignment of 090°. I later found that this is the remains of a rectangular tumulus, with stones set around the outside, similar to that at Les Demoiselles. There are also the remains of two further tumulus mounds here, but in muxch less well preserved condition.
Alignements du Moulin S
Trip No.203 Entry No.2 Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5
Alignements du Moulin N submitted by thecaptain on 22nd Nov 2005. St Just megalithic wonderworld. The Alignements du Moulin north row, looking east.
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Log Text: 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 to be seen adjacent to it.
Just to the south of this row is another row, with an alignment of 111° but this time consisting of taller thinner stones of various types and colours, which get bigger in size towards the middle where the row runs over a cairn and then get smaller again. The stones start off about a metre high but the stones in the middle are up to 5 metres tall. These central stones alternate between white blocks and black blocks of stone with various other colours and shapes being mixed in as well. I absolutely love this row. It is completely bonkers. So weird. The whole place is odd and not like anything else I have seen. Large white blocks and tall thin black stones. All mixed up and running across this ridge.
The third row I found consists of about 5 white quartz blocks to the west of the ends of the two main rows and running in a north south direction. I am not sure if this is the third row considered to be a part of these same alignments. All three rows appear to converge on a point to the northwest. They have started to clear the gorse away from these stones and I disturbed a large vividly coloured green lizard at one point here.
Le Tribunal
Trip No.203 Entry No.9 Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4
Le Tribunal submitted by thecaptain on 23rd Nov 2005. One of the stones in the arc of the Tribunal, at St Just.
An amazing rock, in an amazing place.
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Log Text: 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 the stones as she could see I was taking notes. They had been looking for information on the internet and had found about Saint Just being a focal point of many Ley lines. She had also found the megalithic portal. When I told them what I was doing they made sure they took my picture with some stones in action taking notes and said they would send the picture on. They also wanted my autograph on their little leaflet and map that they had ! A nice moment.
La Roche Piquée (Baudouinais)
Trip No.204 Entry No.325 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3
La Roche Piquée (Baudouinais) submitted by thecaptain on 24th Feb 2007. When I visited, the field was well fenced off, and full of cows, so I didn't get to visit the stone properly, but I would estimate it to be about 4 metres tall.
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Log Text: A few kilometres to the west of the village of Livré-sur-Changeon, and a few kilometres to the south of the little town of St-Aubin-du-Cormier, near to the hamlet of Baudouinais can be seen this menhir marked on some of my maps as Pierre Piquée. It is signposted, and after a little walk along a farm track it can be seen across the fields. When I visited, the field was well fenced off, and full of cows, so I didn't get to visit the stone properly, but I would estimate it to be about 4 metres tall.
Allée Couverte le Rocher Jacquot
Trip No.204 Entry No.326 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Allée Couverte le Rocher Jacquot submitted by thecaptain on 24th Feb 2007. At first I thought it was the remains of a dolmen with entry corridor, but further investigation in the undergrowth suggested to me that it is perhaps the remains of a well damaged allée couverte.
Cupules du Rocher Jacquot
One capstone remains in place on top of some largish stones, with the sideslabs of a passageway leading off towards the east.
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Log Text: The remains of this monument can be found a few kilometres northwest of Fougères, along the D.17 road towards St-Germain-en-Cogles. It is signposted, but not very clearly, and there is a little trackway and fenced off area around it.
At first I thought it was the remains of a dolmen with entry corridor, but further investigation in the undergrowth suggested to me that it is the remains of a well damaged allée couverte. One capstone remains in place on top of some largish stones, with the sideslabs of a passageway leading off towards the east. It looks like there was perhaps another chamber nearby, indeed perhaps the whole thing was once several passageways and chambers within a single mound, of which traces around it survive.
La Roche Longue (St-Marcan)
Trip No.203 Entry No.603 Date Added: 13th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3
La Roche Longue (St-Marcan) submitted by thecaptain on 6th Mar 2007. Probably 3 to 4 metres tall, in a field near the cemetary to the east of the village of St Marcan, on a slope overlooking the marshes of the bay of Mont St Michel.
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Log Text: 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
Menhir dit la Pierre du Domaine
Trip No.203 Entry No.601 Date Added: 13th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Menhir dit la Pierre du Domaine submitted by thecaptain on 8th Mar 2007. This 4 metre tall menhir can be found just to the west of the road around the east side of Beaufort lake, a bit to the north of the Abbey.
It was in a field of wheat when I visited, but can be easily seen.
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Log Text: 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.
L'Hotié de Viviane
Trip No.204 Entry No.12 Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 3
L'Hotié de Viviane submitted by TheCaptain on 6th Jun 2007. The site was excavated in 1982/1983, when pottery and polished axes were found, and it was carbon dated to about 3000 BC.
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Log Text: This can be found about a kilometre walk from the same car park that is used to visit the Tombeau des Géants, but in the other direction. It is signposted. Just below and to the north of a ridge with tremendous views can be found this little grave, about 3 metres long and 1 metre wide, made with 1.5 metre tall side slabs. It is enclosed within a 12 metre diameter stone cairn with a ring of stones around the outside. It is supposedly a rarity in Brittany, but reminds me of a more complete version of the smaller tombelles near to the Rocher de Bono.
The site was excavated in 1982/1983, when pottery and polished axes were found, and it was carbon dated to about 3000 BC. It is also know b ythe name "Tombeau des Druides.
Pierre du Trésor
Trip No.204 Entry No.328 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Pierre du Trésor submitted by TheCaptain on 28th Jun 2007. It is hard to tell exactly what these stones are the remains of. It is probably a fairly large simple dolmen which has now collapsed.
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Log Text: Deep in the darkest depths of Fougères forest can be found the Pierre du Trésor. Its actually only about a 400 metre signposted walk from the big car park at the Chennedet crossing of the main D177 road north from Fougères, and the traffic on this busy road is only 100 metres away. My gps didnt stand a chance of picking up a signal, and my camera insisted on using its flash, even on this bright and sunny afternoon.
Its hard to tell exactly what these stones are the remains of. It could be a fairly large simple dolmen which has now collapsed. Normal ground level would be above the stones, and they are now seen within a pit which has been dug around them at some point, no doubt people looking for the treasure. What is probably a capstone is about 4.5 by 2.5 metres, and very irregularly shaped. It is possible to wriggle underneath it, if that should be your want.
Cordon des Druides
Trip No.204 Entry No.329 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5
Cordon des Druides submitted by TheCaptain on 29th Jun 2007. The largest stones are at the centre of the row, up to two metres in height, but most are much smaller.
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Log Text: This long line of white quartz stones is easy to find in the Fougères Forest, north of the town. It is about 500 metres east of the big parking area at Chennedet crossroads along the D177 road, and has a sign and a few parking places nearby.
The row is about 250 metres long, and the white quartz blocks are spaced at about 3 metres apart. The row runs at an alignment of 233° / 053° or Southwest to Northeast. The largest stones are at the centre of the row, up to two metres in height, but most are much smaller. Apart from this long row, there are several other quartz blocks which seem to have once been a parallel row nearby.
Pierre Courcoulée (Landean)
Trip No.204 Entry No.327 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Pierre Courcoulée (Landean) submitted by TheCaptain on 28th Jun 2007. North of Fougères, in the forest, are several megalithic remains. The Pierre Courcoulée is towards the northwest of the forest and well signposted.
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Log Text: North of Fougères, in the forest, are several megalithic remains. The Pierre Courcoulée is towards the northwest of the forest and well signposted, it is just 200m from a big forest carpark and has its own circular walk which can be followed.
The dolmen is in a little clearing with signpost, and is the remains of a little allée couverte. The western end is fairly ruinous, but the east end is quite complete and has a closing stone. There are 7 metres of chamber remaining, with two large capstones covering most of it. As the eastern end is not the entry, I would think that this is a lateral entry chamber, with the entrance somewhere on the south side, like several of the other nearby Mayenne monuments. It is in the remains of a mound, and there is evidence for some of the stones of its peristalith still being in place.
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
Dent de Gargantua submitted by thecaptain on 6th Apr 2008. Le Dent de Gargantua. The view from the roadside. It's in there, honestly !
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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.
La Maison des Feins
Trip No.203 Entry No.600 Date Added: 13th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
La Maison des Feins submitted by thecaptain on 15th Apr 2008. La Maison des Feins, Tressé, seen here from the "front" end, as approached through the forest.
So this will be the northern side from the east.
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Log Text: 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 still in place, and at the back end there is a nice little additional cell. Within this cell are some exceptional carvings on the southern sidestone, of two pairs of breasts with their collars, on a cartouche giving them a big relief. There are also the remains of two pairs on the chevet stone, but these have been crudely hacked off in the past, leaving just the outlines.
Of course, there are many legends of the fairies who live here in this forest, including the story of a farmer who was given some everlasting bread by the fairies because their cow had become ill, and the farmer had helped them with it. The bread would stay fresh and last forever so long as he never told the story. Of course, one day the farmer did tell the story, and the loaf of bread turned to stone - a stone which can still be seen here today.
Four-És-Feins
Trip No.203 Entry No.599 Date Added: 13th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Couldn't find on 28th Jun 2005
Four-És-Feins submitted by thecaptain on 20th Jun 2009. I found a place in a woodland to the left of the track, with a mound in it, and what looked to be some lumps sticking up, but it was very overgrown. It has to be here, surely. Closer inspection amongst the ivy and brambles, and there were clearly a few side set slabs sticking up through the ground.
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Log Text: 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.
Outre Tombes
Trip No.209 Entry No.12 Date Added: 13th Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2009. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5
Outre Tombes submitted by thecaptain on 5th Jul 2009. There are several information plaques at the site.
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Log Text: This horseshoe of megalithic stones has alternatively been considered as a megalithic enclosure (cromlech) or perhaps the stones once surrounding a dolmenic burial chamber. Seven stones are shaped in a sort of semi circle, of diameter about 7 metres.
This monument was classified as a historical monument in 1966, but by 1977 had disappeared, being the victim of an expansion of the local quarry at Vaujour. When this was discovered, the police were called in, but it was all thought to be too late. However, in 1989 it was found that most of the stones hadn't simply been destroyed, but had been moved and dumped into a nearby field, although one had gone through the stonecrusher. With the help of a plan and photograph of the site taken in 1962, the local people (with the help of the quarrying company) had the site recreated in 1998, just a few hundred metres from its original position.
There is also a small menhir erected at the site, the origins of which I do not know, but the stone does not look modern. Today, the site sits in a little meadow near to the top of the quarry, and can be found beside the little road which runs along the top of the hills to the northeast of the massive Vaujour quarries. There are several information plaques at the site, telling of its history and with diagrams and pictures.
menhir Garde Guerin
Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 25th Oct 2009
menhir Garde Guerin submitted by thecaptain on 25th Oct 2009. Looking inland along the western side of the Pointe de la Garde Guérin, over where the menhir supposedly is.
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Log Text: None
dolmen de la Garde Guerin
Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 26th Oct 2009
dolmen de la Garde Guerin submitted by thecaptain on 26th Oct 2009. Looking inland along the eastern side of the Pointe de la Garde Guérin.
Th remains of the dolmen are somewhere in here.
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Log Text: None
Les Roches-Hues
Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 10th Nov 2009
Les Roches-Hues submitted by thecaptain on 10th Nov 2009. When I eventually found my way to this, the top of a large stone could be seen in the distance over some impenetrable overgrowth.
Looking for a way through proved futile.
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Log Text: None
Allée Couverte de Roche-Plate
Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 29th Nov 2009
allée couverte de Roche-Plate submitted by thecaptain on 29th Nov 2009. Part of the noticeboard at the site.
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Log Text: None
Roche-aux-Fées (Essé)
Trip No.204 Entry No.324 Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5
Roche-aux-Fées (Essé) submitted by theCaptain on 10th Jun 2010. Plan of this fantastic monument from the latest tourist leaflet.
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Log Text: Small notes only for this very well known and popular site, which I was originally thinking of saving to be my last megalithic visit of my whole 6 month tour. First thoughts, Aaaaarrrrrgghhhh, it's busy. And you pay to get in. Aaaarrrgghhhhh. Never mind, I have to see it. I decided not to take my book with me and write much, I'll just go and have a look and take some photographs.
OK, it wasn't so bad as I first thought. After I had been here a while, most of the people had gone, and it was in fact free entry, but with a little shop and information shed you have to go through first. In fact, it's not a bad place at all. In actual fact, it's a truly fantastic place. It is really beautiful when not overrun by people.
It is a massive Angevin dolmen, 20 metres long by almost 5 metres wide and 2 metres high. The main chamber is divided into four sections by three internal upright slabs. The entrance porchway is about 3 metres long, and fronted by the most lovely portico, consisting of two uprights and a lintel of carefully worked and positioned stone. It is truly awesome. This is definitely one to visit - but try not to come when everyone else has !