Dolmen de Romme

Trip No.204  Entry No.70  Date Added: 16th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Couldn't find on 14th Jul 2005

Log Text: I saw no evidence of this one, supposedly just to the northeast of the ruined chateau, beside the river Romme. The best option is that it is somewhere down a private and gated trackway.

Dolmen de Rosnual

Trip No.203  Entry No.388  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: A couple of kilometres north of Carnac along the D119 road, turn right towards Rosnual. Just beyond the campsite of the same name, go left up a farm track as the lane goes to the right. After about 50 metres, just beyond the first field wall on the left is the dolmen. You wouldn’t know it though, as its completely overgrown and used as a farmyard dump. I cant say a thing about the dolmen other than it is under there somewhere. There are traces of a mound, and perhaps a circle of stones surrounding it.

Dolmen de Rostudel

Trip No.203  Entry No.493  Date Added: 27th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This is a nice enough little dolmen, but a right bugger to find and get to, even though it is just 50 metres from the roadside. Firstly there was nowhere to park nearby, and once you have parked and walked back, the path to the dolmen is badly overgrown with the now obligatory ferns, gorse and blackthorn. Once I managed to get to it, the dolmen has a 2.5m by 2m capstone sitting nicely on three support stones and some vicious brambles which have just ripped my shirt. Ouch! Now to fight the gorse again.

Dolmen de Run Mori

Trip No.203  Entry No.389  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Couldn't find on 13th Jun 2005

Log Text: I could not find this in dense gorse filled woodland, on a hill somewhere to the east of the lane leading to Nauterio.

Dolmen de Saillac

Trip No.205  Entry No.37  Date Added: 19th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Tarn-et-Garonne (82))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a bizarrely Christianised dolmen which can be found in the forests to the south of the village of Caylus. From Caylus follow the signs to St-Amans-le-Vieux ancient church, and park in the vicinity of this, from where you take the GR46 Footpath the opposite way from the road towards the southwest for about 500 metres, and the remains of the dolmen can be seen on the left.

This dolmen has been much altered, and at first I had difficulty recognising it, but it is right beside the path with the wall built right through it. On top of the remains of the capstone has been built a stone plinth, with an ornate iron cross protruding from this, the top of which is about 3 metres above the ground. The dolmen is still partially contained within its circular mound, and the remains of two sidestones and a backstone can be seen, with the small capstone balanced on these and a few other bits of stone to make it level.

Dolmen de Saint-Antonin

Trip No.203  Entry No.158  Date Added: 16th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Couldn't find on 26th May 2005

Log Text: Marked on the ign 1:100000 map with a pink square and right beside a good road with brand new roadsigns pointing to dolmens, I thought I couldn’t miss these dolmens. Again i walked for miles in all directions, but could I find anything ? Nothing. I am starting to get fed up with this.

Dolmen de Saint-Contignarde

Trip No.200  Entry No.201  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd Sep 2005

Log Text: I could find no way to this hypogae, as everywhere has lots of big high security fences.

Dolmen de Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe

Trip No.204  Entry No.197  Date Added: 24th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Auvergne:Haute-Loire (43))
Visited: Yes on 28th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition -1 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: The 11th century Chapel St Michel is built on the ridiculously pointed site of the volcanic Aighuille. But it is built on top of the site of a previous chapel, which was said to have been built on top of a dolmen, or some other megalithic structure.

Dolmen de Saint-Pierre 1

Trip No.205  Entry No.212  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Couldn't find on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Access 3

Log Text: From the Col de St Pierre, several kilometres to the north of St Jean du Gard along the Corniche des Cevennes, take the PR11 footpath towards the summit of Roc St Pierre, and the orientation table. Along this path should be findable two dolmens. However, I walked all the way up the hill to the viewpoint, but found no dolmens. There are however, tremendous 360° views from the top though, and it is well worth the effort.

Dolmen de Samson

Trip No.204  Entry No.191  Date Added: 24th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Auvergne:Puy-de-Dôme (63))
Visited: Couldn't find on 26th Jul 2005

Log Text: Marked on the ign maps, this is now thought to be a natural rock formation. It looks to be an hours walk from anywhere to get to it in its hilltop position, so I didn't go. However, excavations have been carried out here, and fragments of neolithic pottery were found.

Dolmen de Saplous 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.161  Date Added: 16th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 26th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: A bit further along the track from Cans 2 is the remains of Cans 1 dolmen. It is a bit of a wreck, hidden under a tree and some scrub just beside the trackway, with just some stone visible amongst the brambles.

Dolmen de Saplous 2

Trip No.203  Entry No.160  Date Added: 16th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 26th May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Just east of the village of Surguières there is a track to the south, signposted to dolmens. At the first junction, there is a dolmen sign in both directions, to the left takes you on a long walk to the dolmens de Cans. After a kilometre or so, you reach the dolmen de Cans 2, in a field to the right. Still in an oval tumulus, a 4 metre rounded capstone sits on top of a 4 metre long, by 1.5 metre wide chamber, which opens to the east facing 077°.

Dolmen de Saplous 4

Trip No.203  Entry No.162  Date Added: 16th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 26th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This one is a fair old hike from the village of Surguières, where there is a track to the south, signposted to dolmens. At the first junction, the track to the left takes you on a long walk past the dolmens de Cans, and going further, and then to the right across a couple of fields (signposted) you eventually come to the remains of this, in the corner of a field under some trees.
It is fairly wrecked and heavily overgrown, but worth a look, as it is a double chambered tomb. There are two 4 metre long, by 1.8 metre wide, slab lined deep chambers in line with each other. but there are no capstones to be found.

Dolmen de Savatole 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.262  Date Added: 23rd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 5th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: The remains of this dolmen are in the middle of a field of barley, and are not easy to get to, but following some tractor wheel marks it was possible for me to get to it without doing any damage to the crop (and I was not the first).

This dolmen is larger, but less complete than the first two dolmens here. What would appear to be a 4 metre by 2.5 metre chamberis only covered at the western end by a capstone resting on three support stones. As at the other dolmens here, there is a large smoothed stone slab paving the floor.

Dolmen de Savatole 2

Trip No.203  Entry No.261  Date Added: 23rd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 5th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Like dolmen number 3, this dolmen was excavated in 1906 and has been restored. It is a simple dolmen with a 2.5 by 2.5 metre chamber with a single capstone, these days supported on 3 side stones with remains of a couple more.

Strange thing here is the carved floorstone, which has been cut down to make a flat floor, a bit like the Pierres Closes. I had seen this effect at a couple of dolmens in the Cognac region, but assumed then that it was a modern stabilisation effort.

Dolmen de Savatole 3

Trip No.203  Entry No.260  Date Added: 23rd Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Vendée (85))
Visited: Yes on 5th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: I was not expecting to find these, as I had no previous information about them, and they are not marked on my map. However they are signposted just to the north of the village of Le Bernard, where there is an Ecole des Dolmens! Excellent.

Right beside the little lane to the north of the village, this dolmen would appear to have an oval chamber 3 metres long by 2.5 metres wide, with a single capstone covering it. There are also other stones which suggest an entrance passage, and the floor is paved with large slabs.

Dolmen de Serrat d'en Jacques

Trip No.205  Entry No.92  Date Added: 5th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Pyrénées-Orientales 66)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: A couple of hundred metres from the Creu de la Llosa dolmen, following the footpath uphill through the scrub to the east, up towards Serrat d'en Jacques, and you can find another dolmen, similar in size to the Creu de la Llosa dolmen, but this time with an entry passage through its cairn. I do not know the name of this dolmen, and I assume it has also been fairly recently restored.

The cairn is about 10 metres in diameter and surrounded by large slabs, with a height of about 0.5 metres. The dolmen, approximately central, has a chamber 3 metres long, and varying in width from about 1.8 m at the front to 1 m at the back. Again, the floor is paved, and there is a part height stone across the front. There are three side slabs each side, and a full height backstone. There were either several capstones, only one of which is now in position, or else a single large one has been broken. On top of the remains of the capstone are one or two cupules, but nothing much else in the way of engravings. To the southeast is an entrance chamber, facing 118°, paved and about 2.5 metres in length to the edge of the mound, making up to the full width of the chamber.

The views from this dolmen really are superb, but unfortunately slightly obscured by the highly scented scrubland. The Canigou is clearly visible to the southwest, but still enveloped in its clouds today. Excellent.

Dolmen de Seveyrac (Salles-la-Source) 2

Trip No.203  Entry No.185  Date Added: 20th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 30th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Walking westwards along the ridge from Pérignagols dolmen, there are several other mounds which are passed, one of which can be seen to have a couple of large stones on the surface at the eastern end of a long oval shaped mound. Fantastic views, made all the more impressive by the approach of a massive rainstorm.

Dolmen de Souque

Trip No.203  Entry No.173  Date Added: 19th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Couldn't find on 27th May 2005

Log Text: The book says its 1.3 km down the little track towards Randels, and then somewhere on the left, hidden by undergrowth. I went for a look, but there was nowhere to park a campervan, and I could see nothing obvious, so gave up after a couple of drivebys.

Dolmen de Surguières 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.164  Date Added: 16th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Midi:Aveyron (12))
Visited: Yes on 26th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the south of the road which leads east to the hamlet of Surguières, about 800 metres west of the village, this dolmen can be seen by its mound. The capstone has slipped off to the side, and it is all a bit of a jumble, although the large side slabs are easily recogniseable.