Ilot Roc'h-Avel

Trip No.203  Entry No.515  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda are a few small islands which can be reached at low tide, upon which there are stone monuments. Ilot Roc'h-Avel is one of these, which can be easily walked to from the beach at Kerennoc when not high tide tide.

Towards the western tip of the islet is the fascinating remains of a cairn which is now half on the island with the other half now taken by the sea. At the seaward edge can be seen a drystone walled chamber - only the northern half of which remains. A few large stones lie dotted about on the shoreline, which with a bit of imagination can be placed into position for some sort of chamber.

Just inland and up a bit from the cairn cut in half by the sea is another cairn, again of which certain edge set stones suggest remains of a chamber.

There are lots of children out on the beach below, obviously a school visit. All sorts of fun and games are going on, girls shreiking when their feet touch weed or shells! Brilliant. AAaaaaaaarggghhhh - its a crab !!!!!!

Île Tariec menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.517  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda are a few small islands which can be reached at low tide, upon which there are stone monuments.

Ile Tariec is one of these, which can only be walked to for a short while each side of low tide, and the island became split into two parts in about 1876. The part of the island nearest to the mainland has the remains of a twelfth century hermitage on it, and the island was used to house dead and ill people in the past when suffering from plague, cholera etc.

On the outward part of the island are the remains of a dolmen and a small menhir. The menhir is only about a metre high, a rock tapered towards the top, but in its position near the top of the island it can be clearly seen from all around.

I was told by the camp site man that the midsummer solstice sun rise, when seen from here with your chin resting on the top of the menhir, supposedly rises between the legs of a dolmen on the main headland, but which has now unfortunately fallen in the dunes. Its a pity I wasn't here 4 or 5 hours ago, as I could have checked the theory. However, from a quick bit of reckoning and I don't think so, the mainland doesn't seem to stretch far enough to the north, but who am I to question the story? The northernmost tip of the mainland is at a bearing of about 075° from here.

Île Tariec cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.518  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: Just to the north of the menhir on this little island which can be reached at low tide, is the slight mound of a cairn. Its about 15 metres in diameter and 2 metres in height. I could see nothing in the way of structure under all the grass and stuff.

Ile Guénioc

Trip No.203  Entry No.519  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 1

Log Text: Just offshore from Presqu'ile Ste-Marguerite near the town of Landéda, and due west of Ile Tariec, can be seen Ile Guénioc (Ile Gaignog). This island, which is difficult to get to, has on it three massive cairns with their multitude of chambers and dolmens within them. In order to get here a boat is needed, and I think that landing on the island is controlled, so I am not going to manage it now, as there is nobody about with a boat who I can try and persuade!

Through my binoculars from where I am sat on Ile Tariec it looks superb. The southernmost cairn seems to have about half a dozen entrances in the eastern side and facing towards me, but it isn't a very high cairn. The middle cairn is even larger, but it is slightly obscured by a rise in the land in front of it. Several large dolmenic structures can be seen, with slabs of rock in places. The northern cairn is even higher, and looks to have about 4 entrances.

I feel that I really need to get out onto the island to have a proper look. I must come back one day with a small boat. Oh well, the tide has turned half an hour ago, I'd better start making my way back, I don't want to be stuck out on this little island for the next ten hours !

Dolmen de Vourch

Trip No.203  Entry No.520  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st Jun 2005

Log Text: Supposedly the remains of this dolmen can be found near to the coast path just outside the municipal camping. It is said that if you stand with your chin resting on the menhir out on Ile Tariec, then the solstice sunrise used to rise between the legs of this dolmen. It is not marked on any of my maps, and despite now being fallen, I was told that I should be able to find it. However, despite spending well over an hour looking (and enjoying the walk) I could find no sign of this. It could easily be there somewhere in amongst the bracken and the dunes, which are all up and down, and riddled with wartime bunkers.

Grouanec stèle

Trip No.203  Entry No.521  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This is a fantastic iron age stèle by the D.32 roadside just to the east of the village of St Groanec, which has been christainised and turned into a roadside cross. The stèle is about 3.5 metres tall with an extra metre on top for the cross. It is tapered towards the top and carved into an octagonal shape, with each of the faces concave. What a super find.

St Grouanec well

Trip No.203  Entry No.522  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 21st Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: At the site of the St Groanec chapel there are many wells and springs gushing forth. The water is just flowing out of the ground here. It is no wonder the ancient chapel was built here.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 !

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.