Pierre Levée (La Grange)

Trip No.204  Entry No.303  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 11th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a large upright slab, 3.5 metres high and 3 metres wide, in a field overlooking a stream. Beside it are a few more large slabs, but they don’t look like they have broken off the top, although it is possible. It's a lovely limestone sort of slab, and looks like holes have been drilled into it in places, perhaps in an attempt to break it up.

I only found this at the second attempt, along the track from near La Grange farm from the west, after completely failing to even find the track from the east by the railway bridge, as fishing ponds have been made all along the valley.

Dolmen de Marcilly

Trip No.204  Entry No.302  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 11th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This was not an easy dolmen to get to, as my campervan wouldn’t go under a low railway bridge, and hence I had a walk of over a kilometre. It's hard to explain, but once under the railway I just followed the field edges hoping to see something, and there it was, beyond a copse and a pond.

The dolmen is a fairly simple thing, with a single capstone sat on top of three support stones, making a rectangular chamber of 3m by 2.5m. Whether there was ever any more to it or not I don't know. It's all leaning a bit these days, and sat on a little mound. Nice. I thought I wouldn't get this one.

Pierre du Pont-Champion

Trip No.204  Entry No.300  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 11th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This three metre tall menhir lives in a field guarded by cows, just to the south of the busy D.766 road a few kilometres west of the village of Beaumont-la-Ronce. There is a parking area nearby, and its just 100 metres walk along the edge of the field to the menhir. There are several other large lumps of stone around.

Oppidum des Châteliers

Trip No.204  Entry No.297  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 10th Aug 2005

Log Text: Long inhabited and fortified hilltop above the river Loire at Amboise.

Le Carroir Bon-Air

Trip No.204  Entry No.113  Date Added: 4th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 18th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Up in the hills overlooking the Vienne river, in the Chinon wine producing area can be found the remains of this dolmen. It is signposted, just to the north of Ligré and then just about a hundred metres walk along a track from the road.

It is a fairly large dolmen with main chamber 6 m by 3 m, covered by two large capstones which are still in place. Unfortunately several of the side support stones have fallen, with the resulting collapse of much of the chamber. The entrance is at the southeast, but the porchway has fallen, leaving just a few lumps of stone on the ground.

Dolmen de la Haute Barde

Trip No.204  Entry No.301  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Couldn't find on 11th Aug 2005

Log Text: This dolmen is either in dense woodland, or else on private property for the large chateau, as I can find no sign of it anywhere.

Tréfoux deux menhirs

Trip No.205  Entry No.267  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Marked on my ign map to the southeast of Bagneux are menhirs. Driving along the little road that passes them is lots of what looks like natural stone outcropping, and perhaps the remains of a dolmen. However, near to a corner in the road are two standing rocks, which are clearly not naturally like that. One is about 1 metre tall, the other about 1.2 metres tall. Around them are many more rocks. It is not difficult to see what is perhaps an alignment of 5 or 6 rocks with others fallen. Or perhaps it is the remains of an allée couverte type structure. I am not sure exactly what is going on here, but it is a nice spot in the forest. A bit further along the road to the west is what seems to be the remains of another fallen menhir or two.

Pierre Levée (Liniez)

Trip No.205  Entry No.264  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just outside the village of Liniez, along the D.926 road towards Vatan, and to the right of the road can be seen the remains of this allée couverte. It was probably an Angevin type allée couverte, but there are no obvious remains of the porchway. The remains of the chamber are 10 metres long by 4 metres wide, and it was probably covered by four capstones, of which three remain in various positions, from still in place at the back end, sloping in the middle and flat on the ground at the front. Several side slabs remain, as does the backslab, and there is evidence of a possible internal partition, although it could be bits of broken capstone. The back cell of the chamber is still all nicely erect, making this a pleasant monument to visit. It is all orientated towards the east at 070°.

La Pierre Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.261  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: It was a bit of a struggle to find this, due to several of the roads being closed for some reason. However, take the D.23 road southwest from Moulins-sur-Céphons towards St Martin-de-Lamps. About midway between the two is the hamlet of La Pierre, and there are signs to the dolmen. It is about 800 metres walk from the road, round the back of the houses.

What I found is probably the remains of an Angevin dolmen with a large 6 m by 3 m chamber, made with a single backstone, two sidestones each side with two capstones, the rear one in place, the forward one broken and fallen into the chamber. There are signs of an entry portal, now all a bit broken. Some of the stones are massive thick chunks, not nice slim slabs.

Pierre Couverte de Bué

Trip No.205  Entry No.269  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: A couple of kilometres to the southeast of the village of Bagneux near to the hamlet of Bué, can be found this dolmen in a lovely situation in the forest. The dolmen is well signposted from all around, and from a parking place at Bué it is about 400 metres walk. The large capstone, 6m by 4m sits on top of a chamber 5m by 3m. It has a backstone and six sidestones in various positions of uprightness. The capstone is between 1 and 1.5 metres above the ground.

It has got its own bench nearby on which to sit and contemplate, with falling acorns a hazard, and a woodpecker pecking away amongst other things. This really is a lovely spot, and so gets a 5 for ambience.

I will make this my last megalithic site on my 6 months trip round France, it really is a nice place to finish on, and an unexpected dolmen at that.

It is now 2:30pm, and I really ought to be getting on driving back towards my sister's. Romorantin, Blois (roadworks), Vendome (Roadworks, big crane, school traffic), St-Calais (terrible traffic), Le Mans (rain, traffic jams), Alencon (slow traffic), Argentan, Flers (dug up, closed roads, diversions within diversions). It takes forever to find Vire, now in the complete dark, St-Lo (more diversions) and finally back to Sara's at about 9:30pm. I was amazed I didn't get tired or dozy at all while driving. Parked with 117630 km on the clock, 545 for today. Sausages and eggs (yummy), large beer, then to bed after seeing a depressing news on the telly. I've not missed missing all the bad news from around the world while away in my campervan.

La Pierre cromlech

Trip No.205  Entry No.262  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Couldn't find on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: While at the La Pierre dolmen, I could find no signs of any cromlech. Perhaps the form of the sideslabs of the dolmen was enough for this to once be thought of as a cromlech ?

Les Chateliers

Trip No.205  Entry No.263  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: At the village of Moulins-sur-Céphons is a reconstruction of an ancient Gallic village. I did not visit.

Liniez Tumulus elliptique

Trip No.205  Entry No.265  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: Just outside the village of Liniez, along the D.926 road towards Vatan, and to the left of the road about a kilometre beyond the dolmen is the remains of a large tumulus. I found it difficult to stop here, and there was lots of fenced off land and woodland, so I didn't get to see this directly.

Pierre Levée de Boisy

Trip No.205  Entry No.268  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Couldn't find on 27th Sep 2005

Log Text: The village of Bagneux has a signposted footpath of length 5.5 km which takes in three megalithic sites. One of these sites is this menhir. I didn't have time to do the full walk, and without a detailed map, and no obvious signs to the menhir, I didn't really know where to look. I have since found this menhir marked on a detailed map, and it would have perhaps been a fairly simple few hundred metres walk from the Bellevue farm.

Mevoisins menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.263  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Modern Stone Circle etc Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This lovely 3 metre tall menhir can be seen from miles around, beside the D.329 road up in the hills between the two villages of Mevoisins and Yermenonville. It’s a gorgeous angular lump of flinty sarsen, but it turns out that it was erected only 5 years ago to mark the turning of the millennium. It seems that there was a big party to celebrate putting the stone up, using only manpower, logs and ropes.

This had me fooled into thinking it was the Pierre-qui-Vire, which is supposedly to be found in the community somewhere. So as not to fool anyone investigating this stone in the future, there is buried under the stone a computer, a mobile phone, some money and a listing of all the people living in the community.

Pierre Fritte de Yermenonville

Trip No.204  Entry No.264  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: In the village of Mevoisins I saw a sign pointing to Dolmen de la Pierre Fitte, so I stopped and went for a look. Little did I realise that I would be walking 2.5 kilometres to it, at 7:00pm in the evening ! And when I finally got there, I couldn't even see the dolmen, as it was undergoing excavations by Archaeo, and enclosed in a tent. There were all sorts of tents and equipment, but nobody around at this time on a Sunday evening, so I left one of my cards. There was a pile of stones on old tyres in one part of the site, and I wondered if these were the dolmen stones. From what I could see through small openings in the big tents, there were no large stones to be seen, just sort of trenches etc, I guess the stones have been moved out of the way. While I was at Mevoisins menhir I had seen a row of cars slowly driving across the fields, and this must have been the archaeologists leaving for the day. While I was walking back, two cars drove past, and on up to the tents. I had missed them by 5 minutes, and might have got a guided tour of the site. Pity its so late, and that I ought to stop.

Dolmen de la Ferme Brûlée

Trip No.202  Entry No.82  Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005

Log Text: Down by the banks of the river Eure are marked on my map a dolmen and polissoir. I couldn’t park close so parked and walked back from some distance away during which time I got soaked by a torrential downpour. I eventually found a house called Le Dolmen but with lots of keep out signs and security devices. Down the far end of the driveway I could see the dolmen and managed a long distance photo of it part hidden by a van. There was no way I could get any sight of the polissoir which was a shame.

Fort Harrouard

Trip No.202  Entry No.84  Date Added: 30th Mar 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 3rd May 2005

Log Text: This ancient defended settlement is positioned on a steep hillside high above the river Eure near the village of Marcilly-sur-Eure.

Petit Menhir (Changé)

Trip No.204  Entry No.258  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: A large slab of the grey stone stands just outside the remains of the two dolmens. It is about 2 metres tall, but was leaning against a wooden post to hold it upright when I visited, due to the excavations going on here.

Petit Dolmen (Changé)

Trip No.204  Entry No.257  Date Added: 9th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: About 5 metres to the north of the Le Berceau dolmen, and also being excavated, are the remains of the Petit dolmen. This one has a chamber about 4 metres by 3 metres, with many side slabs to be seen but no capstone. Before the current excavations, there was probably very little to be seen of this.