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.

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.

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.

Barnenez Cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.539  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This magnificent large cairn, is now signposted from miles around as Le Grand Cairn (de Barnenez). It costs €4.60 to get in, and there is a little visitor centre and shop, with replicas of some of the carved stones on display. Unlike 12 years ago, or whenever, you cannot go into many of the chambers, which are now walled off fairly crudely and unimaginatively, which I think really spoils the place. Its not just that you cant get in, but the way its been done really detracts from the view of the cairn and all its many entrances.

Only two chambers and passages are now open, these being the two beehive construction open chambers, but these seem to be cracking and breaking up. I was told by the man in the centre that they are not, and that they have been like that since their discovery. Perhaps its my memory, but I wonder if the 1960s restoration work is not lasting anywhere near so long as the original 6,000 year old work!

It's still a mighty impressive and imposing tomb sitting on top of its headland, and I think that more land has been cleared around it, allowing much better views over the Bay of Morlaix on one side, and Anse de Terenez on the other, which during this visit were full with a high tide, making the whole place seem truly wonderful.

I got talking to the men in the shop, and they were interested to hear about what I was doing, and one of the guys suggested a couple of places that I shouldn't miss. Commana allee couverte near Roche Trevezel, and Chapelle des Sept Saints near Lannion - a chapel built on top of a dolmen, which can still be seen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Couinandré Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.536  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 nicely curved menhir just down a little track and signposted east of Plouescat. Its about 4 metres tall, but in a strange position, not on top of the hill or by the stream. Despite a little area set aside for it to live in, its getting very overgrown.

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.

Kerivin Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.538  Date Added: 29th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Not far off the busy road between Morlaix and Roscoff, this Tee shaped allee couvetre is becoming very overgrown, and its difficult to make anything out at all now. It is also not far from a field corner where people have decided to dumpstuff, so overall its not a winner. I seem to remember this from about 10 years ago as being a good and interesting place to visit.

Kerider stèle

Trip No.203  Entry No.537  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 nice tapered Iron Age stèle which can be found near the hamlet of Kerider, a few kilometres to the east of Plouescat. It is easy to find, just to the north of the D.10 road to St Pol-de-Léon near to the roundabout. It is about 2 metres tall, and nicely octagonal in section.

St-Guinec menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.548  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Despite being nearly 6 metres tall, this beautiful menhir is becoming obscured from view by a large thick hedge around the garden within which it stands. This is a shame, as it really is a rather nice stone. It can be found just off the Huelgoat to Brennilis road, by the bridge over the busy north / south D.764 highway.

Ty ar Boudiquet Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.545  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: What a lovely monument this is! It's one of my favourites. It is easy to find, just at the northern edge of Brennilis village and clearly signposted, it has a little car park, a picnic area and it lives in a lovely large green and shady area, all very nicely looked after and with birdies tweeting away.

It is a rare dolmen in V form, which is thought to be a transitional stage between dolmens with entry passages (dolmen a couloir) and allée couvertes. It has been dated to about 3000BC.

It is almost complete, and has most of its earthern mound still with it, only a part of the back end has been destroyed by having a wall built through it. The chamber is about 14 metres long and varies in width from about 1 metre wide at the entrance, to nearly 3 metres at full width. The height also varies from about a metre to stand up height. The chamber opens at 125°. The main part of the is covered with three massive capstones, and has within it a standing stone which does not quite reach the roof. Perhaps a stele, but not smoothed and sculpted, or perhaps the remains of an internal wall.

Outside the chamber, the mound is almost complete, and even comes with most of its surrounding peristalith of stones. It is of an oval shape, approximately 17 metres long by 6 metres wide, and still up to 3 metres in height. Unfortunately the back end is cut by a wall and field boundary. The fairies house really is just that. A beautiful place for the little people to live.

Chapelle-des-Sept-Saints

Trip No.203  Entry No.552  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005

Log Text: I had terrible trouble finding this from the south. The road signs are almost non existent, and very inconsistent, and its all windy lanes and farm tracks. None of the roads, or the names on any of the rare signs seem to agree with the maps. I think the maps are in French, while the signs are in Breton ! I eventually found it by a bit of a fluke, after travelling for a fair distance along a road I was wanting to turn round on, and go back, there it was, right in front of me. That said, when I left, and went northwards, it couldn’t be much problem to find it coming from the north, it seems like one road to get there, and its signposted from the main road.

By the time I got here, it was 7:00 pm, and it was all closed up. However, there was a little sign outside telling you about the place in four languages, one of which was English. The Chapel is built right on top of a dolmen, (Stivel dolmen), and the southern Crypt is within the dolmen itself. The dolmen is a big one, and a registered historic monument, being about 4 metres by 2 metres, made with 4 sidestones and 2 capstones. From the outside, there is a little gated doorway, through which you can see partly into the inside, and the dolmen is plain to see. It has been adapted somewhat for its new role, and I think that there are little statues of the seven saints contained in alcoves within the dolmen.

Now this is one way of Christianising an ancient site !!! although it must be said that the chapel is a place of pilgrimage for Moslems. So, there’s at least three beliefs all coming together at the same place.

Mougau Bihan

Trip No.203  Entry No.542  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This is an absolutely splendid allée couverte, which has been dated to 3000BC, found a couple of kilometres to the south of the village of Commana, and signposted from there. It has a little car park and picnic area, as well as a nice and spacious grassy area around it.

The main chamber is 14 metres in length and oriented approximately north to south, with its entrance at the northern end. The southern end has an extra small chamber, the "cella", the two parts being divided by a splendid "chevet" stone. The roof is made of five large capstones, four on the main chamber, and one on the cella. The internal width and height are about 1.5 metres.

But the best thing about this monument is all the ornamental engravings on the internal faces of the stones. About half of the side slabs have engravings on them which are fairly clear to make out. Most of these engravings are what are called "palettes", some stones having several of these of various designs next to each other. One of the stones has two pairs of the double hemispheres on it - these have been largely interpreted as pairs of breasts. The closing stone between the two chambers has a palette and also a wonderful polished axe, contained within its "crosse", but this is one of the least clear engravings, being much more weatherworn than some which have been better protected.

Mougau Bihan translates from the Breton language to "Fairies Cave".

An-Eured-Ven

Trip No.203  Entry No.544  Date Added: 2nd Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: On the high moorland to the southwest of the St Michel reservoir, in the bowl below the Montagnes d'Arrée to the southeast of Mont St Michel, can be found some rows of white quartz stones, the name of which, An-Eured-Ven, translates to something approximating the wedding stones dance.

I found a couple of hundred metre long, slightly curved line of white quartz blocks running along the ridgetop just to the south of the lake, the alignment of which varies from 078° to 085° as you go from west to east. Further thoughts on what I found, and I think its perhaps more like two straight rows which converge on a point, or a kinked row, rather than curved. At the kink there is a collection of larger stones which may at one point have been significant. At the eastern end the stones are bigger, and the last stone I found is positioned across the end of the row rather like a Dartmoor blocking stone. The row does not align on St Michel Hill, nor at this eastern end go along the top of the ridge as it runs away at 279°. The western end of the row just seems to fade away into the undergrowth.

Further looking around and I found another line of stones about 100 metres to the north, and which looks to be on an approximately parallel course to the first row. There are lots of other blocks of stone to be seen in amongst the heather, I wonder if a full survey has ever been done here ?

From on top of St Michel Hill, using binoculars, the two rows of stones can clearly be seen, but they form a sort of V shape, with the point towards the east. There is a group of schoolchildren out amongst the rows, with musicians and storytellers. What a great lesson they must be having.