Menhir du Col de Solperiére

Trip No.205  Entry No.219  Date Added: 1st Dec 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Lozère (48))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: At the north western end of the section of the Corniche-des-Cévennes along the high Causse near Le Hospitalet, where the road from Vebron joins at the Col de Solperière, can be found this menhir in the junction of the roads.

It stands about 2.3 metres high like its neighbour of a few kilometres distance, and has also been used as a road marker in the past, with some probable reshaping in the relatively recent past. Between these two stones, along the roadside, are several other similar looking standing stones. Closer inspection however shows that they are much more recent, with quarrying marks etc, and are purely more modern road markers.

Montjoie de la Can de l'Hospitalet A

Trip No.205  Entry No.218  Date Added: 1st Dec 2020
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: France (Languedoc:Lozère (48))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Access 5

Log Text: Seen while driving north along the Corniche-des-Cévennes road passing over the high ground to the north of Le Pompidou.

Montjoie de la Can de l'Hospitalet C

Trip No.205  Entry No.217  Date Added: 1st Dec 2020
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: France (Languedoc:Lozère (48))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Access 5

Log Text: Seen while driving north along the Corniche-des-Cévennes road passing over the high ground to the north of Le Pompidou.

Montjoie de la Can de l'Hospitalet D

Trip No.205  Entry No.216  Date Added: 1st Dec 2020
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: France (Languedoc:Lozère (48))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Access 5

Log Text: Seen while driving north along the Corniche-des-Cévennes road passing over the high ground to the north of Le Pompidou.

Bout-de-la-Côte Menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.215  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Lozère (48))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: As the Corniche-des-Cévennes passes over the high point to the north of Pompidou, about 1040m high, there is stood to the side of the road this menhir. It stands about 2.3 metres tall and has in its time served as a gatepost, fencepost and snow marker beside the road. But it is still standing proud, with tremendous views all around, particularly towards the southeast.

Rougeiresque menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.214  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Travelling along the Corniche-des-Cévennes, stop at the point where the road from Gabriac joins from the north east. Just about opposite to this junction can be found a track up the other side of the road, signposted to the Schistes Cévenolles quarries. Walk up this track for about 500 metres, and just after the track splits at the top of the ridge, this nice menhir can be seen 50 metres in front of you, re-erected in a little stone and cement base.

The menhir is about 3.5 metres tall, made of a nice piece of schist with a quartz vein through the middle. On the south facing side there are many cupules (I counted 15), while on the back face I counted 6. Some of these are quite large, and they mostly form a row up the right hand side of the stone as you look at it for both faces.

Saint-Pierre dolmen 2

Trip No.205  Entry No.213  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 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.

Menhir le Bâton de Samson

Trip No.205  Entry No.211  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: From the village of Ambruze, take the D.133 towards St Felix-de-Pailleres. After a kilometre or two up the hill, there is a turning to the left to Le Jouffre and Lotissement de Menhir. A couple of hundred metres down here, taking first the lower, left, road, then to the right, there is a little wooded area with a pathway entering. The menhir is in here, and about 4 metres tall, of a squarish cross section. It has some nice weathering on one of its sides, all full of holes.

La Pierre Bamboche 2

Trip No.205  Entry No.210  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Nearby to the La Pierre Bamboche can be found the remains of another menhir, now fallen and broken. The remains can be found about 30 metres away, in the direction of Sanilhac.

La Pierre Bamboche 1

Trip No.205  Entry No.209  Date Added: 30th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 24th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This stone is easy to find, driving west along the D.112 towards Sanilhac, and after a couple of kilometres there it is, standing right beside the road at a corner. It stands at over 2 metres tall, but has been cemented back together from several pieces, the top having been broken off in the past.

Dolmen de la Pitchoune

Trip No.205  Entry No.208  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Provence:Vaucluse (84))
Visited: Yes on 23rd Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: A few kilometres to the east of Ménerbes, along the D.103, and to the west of Lacost, the home of the chateau of the Marquis de Sade, can be found this dolmen which has its own signpost. It is right beside the road and below ground level, below an arched bridge type structure of the road.

The dolmen is now sort of built into the terraced hillside, but whether it was originally, or just that the local land has risen - perhaps due to the hillside falling down - I do not know. The 4m by 3m chamber has a large backstone and two portal entry stones, but the sides are of vaulted drystone construction. It is tall enough to stand up inside the chamber below the single large capstone, the back of which is now within the hillside. Whether the whole thing was cut into the ground, or originally built above ground level with a cairn of stones I cannot tell. I assume it was above ground, but the level of soil around it has risen. The chamber looks to have remains of an entry passageway, which would open to the southwest, at about 235°, looking across the valley and up into the Luberon Hills.

The dolmen has at times been used as a storage shed, and with the road right besides, and the terraced land behind, I wouldn't be surprised if it has been much altered. I assume the bridge bit of the road has been built here to protect the dolmen by arching over the top.

Glanum

Trip No.205  Entry No.207  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Just outside St Remy-de-Provence is this ancient city, only discovered last century, and with ongoing excavations. The Roman city was built on top of a previous Hellenic (Greek) city dating from before 300BC, which in turn was built on an old Gallic living place and Oppidum. All the focus seemed to be on the water spring, and there are lots of temples around it. A very interesting place to have a look around.

Les Baux

Trip No.205  Entry No.206  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Sep 2005

Log Text: Beautiful and intriguing old village clinging onto the sides of a steep and craggy limestone ridge, riddled with caves and quarries, and with a castle on top.

Barbegal Mill and Aquaduct

Trip No.205  Entry No.205  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Sep 2005. My rating: Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: I found no dolmens, but did find some intriguing Roman remains. A double aquaduct leads south from the hills over the road and fields to another smaller rocky ridge which water channels are cut through to a big drop at the far side. I had no idea what this was until I found out much later that it was the Barbegal Mill complex, a massive flour mill from Roman times with a total of 16 waterwheels. I wish I had known at the time, but it was truly fascinating.

Mas Cadenet dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.204  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 not find this dolmen or hypogae, there are lots of private property signs all around, although not the big fences this time.

Dolmen de la Mérindole

Trip No.205  Entry No.203  Date Added: 29th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd Sep 2005

Log Text: I could not find this dolmen or hypogae, there are lots of private property signs all around, although not the big fences this time.

Hypogée de Bonnias

Trip No.205  Entry No.202  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.

La Grotte des Fées de Cordes

Trip No.205  Entry No.200  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: Also known as Le Palet De Roland, this monument is somewhere up on top of the Montagne des Cordes. The rock cut trench of this hypogae is the largest of the many around here, at 43 metres in length. Unfortunately, while I was looking, the entire hill seems to be very heavily fenced off, double fences and razor wire on top of one of them. They don't seem to want people here !

Hypogee du Castelet

Trip No.205  Entry No.199  Date Added: 26th Nov 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Provence:Bouches-du-Rhône (13))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 1 Access 5

Log Text: Beside the road between Arles and Fontvieille, this hypogae has a little signpost, from where the monument can be found in the bushes and marsh to the side of the road. It's unbearably mosquito infested and I couldn’t get away quick enough.

There is a trench carved into the rock, which is now filled with boggy water, and there is a nice entrance ramp down at the west end. It is probably about 20 metres long, 2 metres deep and up to 2 metres wide, and covered with large slabs. Just inside the trench is a carved entrance stone. I cant stay here any longer, I have got to get away, as I am being bitten to death.