Contributory members are able to log private notes and comments about each site
Sites TheCaptain has logged. View this log as a table or view the most recent logs from everyone
Fontaine Saint Gré tumulus
Trip No.203 Entry No.278 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Ambience 3 Access 4
Fontaine Saint Gré tumulus submitted by thecaptain on 10th Dec 2005. Not far from the Fontaine Saint 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.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Fontaine Saint Gré menhirs
Trip No.203 Entry No.279 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Fontaine Saint Gré menhirs submitted by thecaptain on 10th Dec 2005. Near to the Fontaine Ste Gré spring there are two menhirs to be seen.
In the hedge beside the 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, about 2.5 metres tall, but very well hidden and overgrown within the hedge.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Fontaine Saint Gré
Trip No.203 Entry No.277 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Ambience 3 Access 4
Fontaine Saint Gré submitted by thecaptain on 10th Dec 2005. This is an ancient spring with little pond in amongst some large granite blocks near to the village of Avrillé.
The spring water seeps into the pond from out of a fissure in one of the granite slabs at the side, from quite well above the water line.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 the village.
La Table Submergée
Trip No.203 Entry No.292 Date Added: 26th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 8th Jun 2005
La Table Submergée submitted by thecaptain on 11th Dec 2005. Out in the sea and mudflats of the Baie de Bourgneuf, a kilometre or two off from the northeastern coast of Ile Noirmoutier, is a dolmen which can be seen at low tide, but which gets covered by the high tide.
I reckon I could see it through my binoculars from the island, there's a very table like rock out there, and nothing else like it to be seen nearby.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Créchaudes Dolmen
Trip No.203 Entry No.272 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4
Créchaudes dolmen submitted by thecaptain on 13th Dec 2005. Créchaudes dolmen
This dolmen is either a wreck, not much more than several stones in a field, or alternatively, it may still be in its mound, of which there is an overgrown example at the side of the field.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
La Sulette Dolmen
Trip No.203 Entry No.273 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5
La Sulette dolmen submitted by thecaptain on 13th Dec 2005. La Sulette dolmen, St Hilaire-la-Foret, Vendée
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
La Garnerie menhir
Trip No.203 Entry No.276 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Access 2
La Garnerie menhir submitted by thecaptain on 13th Dec 2005. La Garnerie menhir 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.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Menhirs du Plessis
Trip No.203 Entry No.270 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4
Menhirs du Plessis submitted by thecaptain on 13th Dec 2005. Menhirs du Plessis, Le Bernard, Vendée
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 piece of granite. It is said that there was once a stone block with engravings at its foot, but this stone has now disappeared.
Pey de Fontaine
Trip No.203 Entry No.268 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
Pey de Fontaine submitted by thecaptain on 15th Dec 2005. The largest prehistoric monument in the departement of Vendée, this is a large stone cairn which contains two dolmen chambers with entry passageways.
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 excavations prior to restoration, and it looks a bit like an empty building site.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 excavations prior to restoration, and it looks a bit like an empty building site. it is found at the end of a long farm lane, and there was nowhere to turn my campervan around near the monument.
Menhir de la Crulière
Trip No.203 Entry No.285 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 7th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4
Menhir de la Crulière submitted by thecaptain on 20th Dec 2005. This menhir, 2.4 metres tall, is in a well fenced field, near to the village of Brem-sur-Mer in Vendée.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 Brem-sur-Mer only a hundred years ago. There is a legend that a fifteen year old boy and his cow were crushed beneath the stone, which was thrown by the devil.
Menhir dit la Conche-Verte
Trip No.203 Entry No.284 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 7th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Menhir dit la Conche-Verte submitted by thecaptain on 20th Dec 2005. In a little forest clearing amongst the sand dunes to the north of Olonnes-sur-Mer in Vendée, this 2 metre tall granite menhir is easily found.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Les Pierres Jumelles
Trip No.203 Entry No.283 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 6th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5
Les Pierres Jumelles submitted by theCaptain on 24th Jan 2011. The two stones are both about 4 metres high, but that is where the similarity between them ends.
One is a tall pointed grey stone.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 really does shine and sparkle in the evening sunlight - it really is a wonderful stone, and is one of my favourites of all I have seen. There is wonderful lichen growing on both menhirs.
La Palissonnière
Trip No.203 Entry No.289 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 7th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
La Palissonnière submitted by TheCaptain on 7th Jun 2011. In a field of barley (June 2005), just to the south of the D.82 road to the northwest of Commequiers village, can be found this menhir.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Pierre Levée de Soullans
Trip No.203 Entry No.290 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 7th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
Pierre Levée de Soullans submitted by TheCaptain on 8th Jun 2011. In a little forest clearing beside the busy D. 69 road to the south of Challons, I found this stone because of the restaurant of the same name.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 asked a chap out in his garden. It basically takes you round a back way through the woods to the same stone I had just visited, rather than getting to it by walking along and crossing the busy main road.
La Frise Dolmen
Trip No.203 Entry No.33 Date Added: 2nd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Couldn't find on 15th May 2005
La Frise dolmen submitted by Rubis on 3rd Oct 2010. Coming from Les Magnils-Reigniers towards Corpe on the road D44, the dolmen can be found just a few meters before the crossroad of La Frise.
Site in Pays de la Loire: Vendée (85) France
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: I could see no signs of this in the flat farmland, nor any signs or other indications
Menhirs du Bois du Fourgon
Trip No.203 Entry No.274 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Couldn't find on 6th Jun 2005
Menhirs du Bois du Fourgon submitted by Flickr on 31st May 2016. Avrillé - Alignement mégalithique G2 du Bois de Fourgon Image copyright: jpdelalune, hosted on Flickr and displayed under the terms of their API.
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
Puy Durand menhir
Trip No.203 Entry No.282 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Couldn't find on 6th Jun 2005
Puy Durand menhir submitted by Rubis on 22nd Jul 2010. Puy Durand menhir
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
La Meinge du Diable
Trip No.203 Entry No.286 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Couldn't find on 7th Jun 2005
La Meinge du Diable submitted by ocdolmen on 28th Aug 2009. Menhir of Meinge-du-Diable. Extrait of Pierres-Garatelles (covered rocky), the menhir of Meinge of the Devil is the only preserved megalith raised on Vairé's territory. If one believes the legend of it, this menhir was of use formerly of purpose to Satan and to an angel who played the meinge (sort of game of palet). The angel was so skillful as his palet (a big flat stone) lands right by the menhir. It was not there the same for Satan who sent the cliff to the middle road of the target. In fury...
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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.
La Pierre Folle (Commequiers)
Trip No.203 Entry No.288 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 7th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4
La Pierre Folle (Commequiers) submitted by dipo on 15th Dec 2009. 85 COMMEQUIERS
La Pierre Folle
(View photo, vote or add a comment)
Log Text: 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 made out. One of the fallen sidestones has been recently broken.
This poor place suffers badly from vandals and idiots. Apart from graffitti, it looks like somebody set about it with a grindstone, amd its noticeboard has some poor disillusioned souls rantings all over it.
La Pointe de l'Herbaudière dolmen
Trip No.203 Entry No.291 Date Added: 24th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Couldn't find on 7th Jun 2005
Log Text: 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 which might once have been here.
There was a fantastic sunset over the sea and smaller offshore islands from here, with many lighthouses flashing away at various points all around. The swallows flying around here are amazing, into and out of the bunkers, swooping low over the grasslands and in and out of the little cliff faces. Wish I could fly like them. Then the bats came out to play. What a lovely place.