Peyre Levade (Condat)

Trip No.203  Entry No.60  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 17th May 2005

Log Text: 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.

La Pierre Levée (Brantôme)

Trip No.203  Entry No.59  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: 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.

Peyre d'Ermale

Trip No.203  Entry No.58  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: 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 idea whether this is the proper megalithic remains! Later I find out that this is indeed the remains of a megalithic burial chamber (dolmen a bit incorrect perhaps). And thet there is also a menhir nearby. I wonder where that was then.

Dolmen de Peyrelevade (Paussac)

Trip No.203  Entry No.57  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 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 approximately 3m by 2m. What looks like a further fallen capstone and an extra chamber is at the western end and there are lots of big stones around. Perhaps it was once a much bigger or multiple chambered type of thing.

Dolmen de la Boucharderie

Trip No.203  Entry No.55  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: 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 field to go and have a look so carefully I did.

Well hidden under the trees (elder hawthorn and a big walnut tree) is a nice little dolmen with a rectangular chamber about 3 metres by 2 metres with a single capstone on top about a metre thick. There are about 6 support slabs still in place and a few more broken or fallen. Its well liked by rabbits and other local wildlife and the chamber is absolutely full of walnut shells and sweetcorn remains.

Ligné tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.53  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: 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 there seems to be a couple of capstones still in position on the entrance couloir particularly where it meets the chamber.

This monument is in need of some TLC and could perhaps be a real cracker. It’s hard to judge these burial mounds for condition. Is it all a bit of a wreck with nothing much to see therefore getting a low score or is it still nearly all in place thus getting a very high score ? After all a chamber still within its cairn is surely better than a few stones of a ruined chamber alone ?

La Grande Motte

Trip No.203  Entry No.52  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 16th May 2005

Log Text: 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.

Dolmen dit la Motte-de-la-Garde

Trip No.203  Entry No.50  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: 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 on top of well made side slabs hidden amongst the trees.

A fantastic find. I knew nothing of this place before I came (there’s nothing on even the ign 1:25000 map) and just followed my nose. But beware the whole of the chamber is not covered and bits of the sides are falling in. Be very careful not to fall in from above as I nearly did.

Maison de la Vieille Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.49  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: 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 capstone about 3 by 2 metres and 0.6 metres thick. There is no obvious chamber or side slabs to be seen underneath but its all a bit of a jumble.

La Grosse Pérotte

Trip No.203  Entry No.48  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 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, and he realised I was keen, he went back to his van and got a folder out containing lots of pictures. He told me he was an archaeologist, and collected flints etc. He has thousands, all photographed and catalogued. Flint tools, axes, arrowheads, polished stone tools, some polissoir stones, some copper arrowheads, some pottery, a female goddess icon, through Roman coins and other remains, reight up to a royal seal from the time of Napoleon, all found round here. He was obviously very proud of his collection, and was interested that I was here and perhaps writing a book for the English. It was a pity I couldnt make myself fully understood to him, or him to me, but he was an excellent find ! We agreed that there were many many tomb remains round here, everywhere you looked you could see something, must be well into double figures without even trying.

About 50 metres further along the ridgetop trackway from La Petite Pérotte dolmen, is a second dolmen sitting on top of its mound, La Grosse Pérotte dolmen, and there is much more of it remaining. It has one of the biggest capstones I have seen till now, more than 5 metres by 5 metres and up to 2.5 metres thick, sitting on top of an exceptionally well made rectangular chamber, lined with stone slabs. Unfortunately the capstone has split, and collapsed at one corner. As with its neighbour, there are many large stones surrounding the remains of the mound. The main chamber is about 4 metres by 3 metres, and was once made with impeccably well fitted and squared slabs, more like a modern stone sided vault than an ancient dolmen, but unfortunately many of them are now collapsing under the weight of the enormous capstone, no longer supported by the mound around it. One of the stones has the remains of a carving in relief, which has been broken. All we are left with is two smoothed shapes, which look to me like a pair of legs, but I have since seen that they are thought to be hooks. On another of the stones is carved an axe, but I did not notice this. Outside of the main chamber are more stone slabs, perhaps the remains of secondary chambers, or more likely the remains of an entrance passageway. There was once a signpost here, but it has now been broken and gone missing. Just looking around from this place, there are mounds to be seen on hilltops everywhere you look. I must go and explore a few more of them.

La Petite Pérotte

Trip No.203  Entry No.47  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 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, and he realised I was keen, he went back to his van and got a folder out containing lots of pictures. He told me he was an archaeologist, and collected flints etc. He has thousands, all photographed and catalogued. Flint tools, axes, arrowheads, polished stone tools, some polissoir stones, some copper arrowheads, some pottery, a female goddess icon, through Roman coins and other remains, reight up to a royal seal from the time of Napoleon, all found round here. He was obviously very proud of his collection, and was interested that I was here and perhaps writing a book for the English. It was a pity I couldnt make myself fully understood to him, or him to me, but he was an excellent find ! We agreed that there were many many tomb remains round here, everywhere you looked you could see something, must be well into double figures without even trying.

Remains of a nice dolmen splendidly positioned on top of a ridge, with many other dolmens and tumuli in the vicinity, a couple of kilometres to the southwest of the village of Fontenille in Charente. Walking southwest from the D.61 along the ridgetop trackway signposted "Dolmens", and after about 800 metres you get to the remains of La Petite Pérotte dolmen. A massive capstone, 4 metres long by 2.5m wide and 1.5 metres thick is sitting on top of several smaller support stones, which have been very well shaped into blocks to make a very regularly formed square chamber below. Just to the southeast is another smaller capstone, under which is what seems to be another little chamber. Perhaps this was once part of the entranceway to the chamber proper. It's all still on top of a small mound which has several large stones surrounding it.

Tumulus de Chateaurenaud

Trip No.203  Entry No.46  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 16th May 2005

Log Text: 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.

Folatière Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.45  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: 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 in an orchard area ao went for a closer look. It would appear to be the capstone of a dolmen lying on the ground at a very steep angle. I could not tell whether it was on its own or there were any support stones underneath.

Folatière tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.44  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 16th May 2005

Log Text: 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.

Dolmen dit la Pierre du Sacrifice (Boixe)

Trip No.203  Entry No.43  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 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 shaped rain channels, and this is what gives the stone its name (from the 18th century).

I could see no signs of any supports, although there is a lotof loose stone about. Not too long ago, this was supposedly the largest tumulus of the many in this region, 45 metres in diameter, and 4 metres high, but was destroyed in the 19th century in order to build the road. One of the support stones to the chamber was recorded to have had a carved crook on it. An older legend surrounding the tomb concerns the "little people" who used to live in it, who were so strong that they could carry the 15 tonne blocks with their bare hands.

Tumulus de la Boixe B

Trip No.203  Entry No.42  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: 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 top which covers the chamber. The entrance passage is slightly curved, and about 8 metres in length.

It looks to me as though many of the stones are new, and indeed some seem to be concrete slabs. There is a side chamber on the right as you go in, which has nicely carved entrance stones giving a fine rounded doorway, with a finely carved edging. Its all very dark inside and you need to take a torch, although the birds like it as it is for nesting inside. The chamber is rectangular, about 3 metres by 1.5 metres. The passageway into the main chamber is exceptionally well made, with most of the stones being very squared, which turns out to be a feature of many of the dolmens around here. The main chamber, more than 8 metres into the tumulus, is another rectangular structure formed with well fitting and squared slabs, and is about 5 metres by 3 metres, wit slab floorstones also.

At the opposite corner of this chamber to where the entrance is, is found another entranceway into a further chamber, this one being about 2 metres square, again made with fantastically fitted stone slabs. The entranceway is carved from two well fitted slabs, and has two grooves carved around it, rather like moulding round a more modern doorway. Above and to the right of this doorway, in the main chamber is a very visible axe carved onto the wall slabs.

Since visiting this tomb, I have found that there are said to be carvings of crooks and axes on one or two of the stones. The monument is in a lovely flower filled clearing in the forest, with the air filled with birdsong, a cuckoo being particularly prominent this morning. It has a noticeboard which states that it is dated to between 4500 and 3700 BC, and that the corridor side stones are original. I went back to my van to get a torch and returned.

La Justice tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.41  Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 15th May 2005

Log Text: 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.

Le Gros Dognon tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.54  Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Yes on 16th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: 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 size of the mound that appears before you takes the breath away. Its probably about 150 metres in length 45 metres wide and more than 10 metres in height. I had a good look around and despite several small pits and depressions which showed the thing to be constructed from small stones I found no obvious signs of any chambers or entrances.

As always with these places in woods and particularly with something so big getting a photograph which remotely does any justice is impossible.

Vieux Breuil tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.39  Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 5th Dec 2005

Log Text: 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.

Tusson tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.38  Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Poitou:Charente (16))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 15th May 2005

Log Text: 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.