Baignon dolmens (2)

Trip No.204  Entry No.276  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Baignon 2 is in the middle of the cropped field, but which had been recently harvested when I visited. Again it is seemingly not much more than a large pile of stones in amongst the nettles and brambles. It probably has a rectangular chamber, 4m by 3m, with a single, now broken, capstone.

Baignon dolmens (5)

Trip No.204  Entry No.279  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Access 4

Log Text: Baignon 5 is another completely unrecogniseable pile of stones in the field. Mostly lumps of puddingstone, there is one lump of sarsen like slab. These last two dolmens really are in a bad state, and have been ploughed right up to the edges, with the stones just heaped up into as small an area as possible.

Baignon dolmens (4)

Trip No.204  Entry No.278  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Baignon 4 really is no more than a small heap of stones in the middle of a field. Actually, there is one stone still standing, but that’s it. Its all a nice puddingstone though, so it does have its good points.

Baignon dolmens (3)

Trip No.204  Entry No.277  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Baignon 3 initially looks again like a heap of rocks in the middle of a field, and this impression is not helped by there probably being loads of field clearance stones dumped around it. Closer inspection reveals remains of an Angevin dolmen with a rectangular 4m by 3.5m chamber with its entrance porchway at the southeast. Many side stones and the broken capstone still remain in place, although the back end has collapsed.

Pierre de Beaumont

Trip No.204  Entry No.270  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: At the end of the road southwest from Vieuville at a place names les Maisons, there is a farm track which continues on down to a stream. Here in a field of horses is the Pierre de Beaumont dolmen. I couldn't actually get to it, but got to within 50 metres.

Its a nice looking thing, with its capstone still in place on top of several support stones, and I would estimate it to be about 4 metres square.

I met a lady here out walking her dog who told me that until recently you could walk right to the dolmen. Now it has been fenced off, and it is a great shame, and shouldn't be allowed.

Menhir de l'Ormorice

Trip No.204  Entry No.273  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Whilst looking for the Bonneval dolmen to the left of the road, I saw this menhir the other side of the field on the right. About 800 metres walk from the road, it is easy to see and reach along a farm track. Its about 3.5 metres tall, and up to 2 metres wide at its base.

Near to the busy TGV express rail line, there's a 10, 12, 20 or 24 coach TGV train whizzing past about one every 2 minutes. This is how railways should be.

Le Palet de Gargantua (Nottonville)

Trip No.204  Entry No.280  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just to the south of the La Brosse chateau and farm can be found the Palet de Gargantua dolmen, sitting right at the D.357 roadside. It has a lovely capstone sitting at a jaunty angle partly on the ground, and partly on a couple of support stones. It is sort of trapezoidal shaped, about 4m by 4m. I found it difficult to make out any semblance of structure underneath, as most of the support stones have all collapsed.

La Pierre qui Tourne (Morancez)

Trip No.204  Entry No.265  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: Not much more than a pile of stones, La Pierre qui Tourne, or Morancez dolmen can be found amongst the houses of Residence du Dolmen, just off the main D.935 road through the village, a bit to the north of the church. I suspect the locals think of it as a bit of a nuisance, getting in the way of the road and car parking.

It was obviously once very large, the capstone remains here on the ground at 7 metres long by 4 metres wide, with a few other bits of stone standing nearby.

While I was here, there were several young children playing on it, who were very inquisitive as to what I was doing there, and why I couldn't speak properly !

Quincampoix Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.268  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: To the west of Summeray, a couple of kilometres along the D.28 road you will find Quincampoix farm. Fenced off in a field to the south of the road can be seen the remains of the Quincampoix dolmen, about 80 metres distance. There is no direct access to the stones, and indeed there are notices to keep people out. There are quite a few stones here amongst the horses, of what was obviously quite a substantial dolmen in the past.

Montemain stone

Trip No.204  Entry No.267  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Driving through the village of Saumeray, I saw a sign to Polissoir, so stopped for a look. Right in the middle of the village, on a little green square behind the church can be found this combination menhir and polissoir. There is a little board stating that the stone was moved here in 1998 after being found in a "ballastiere" (gravel pit) at nearby Montemain.

It is thought that the stone was once a menhir which had fallen and was used after that as a polishing stone. The stone itself is a big block of yellowish coloured rock mixed with puddingstone, and is about 4 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and high. On the top of it can be seen two grooves and three large flattish polishing areas, while further down there are another two basin type areas. This was a nice find which I was not expecting.

Menhir dit la Drue à Gargantua

Trip No.204  Entry No.284  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Centre:Loire-et-Cher (41))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the east of the village of Tripleville, not far from the centre and just to the north of the D.137 road, the four metres tall limestone Nivardière menhir can be found before you reach the quarry. There is another lump of stone at its base, which I think may have broken off the top at some time. It is about 2 metres wide and 1 metre thick, and positively gleams in the late afternoon sunshine.

Dolmen de la Nivardière 2

Trip No.204  Entry No.286  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Loire-et-Cher (41))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: In another part of the field near to the Nivardière menhir and dolmen is a large slab of stone left in an unploughed area. Is this the remains of another dolmen ? This village is very rich in megalithic remains, and it would not surprise me if this was.

Dolmen de la Nivardière 1

Trip No.204  Entry No.285  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Loire-et-Cher (41))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the northeast of the centre of the village of Tripleville, about 100 metres into the first field out of the village along the D.137 road, can be found the Nivardière dolmen and its associated menhir about 80 metres further on.

The dolmen is very complete for round here, with a 4m by 3m capstone sitting on top of a 3m by 2.5m rectangular chamber. The southern side support and the back stone are still complete, while the northern side stones have fallen underneath. It is open towards the east, and faces directly towards the menhir. Unfortunately it is ploughed very close to, and there are marks on some of the stones.

Puits de Saint-Martin

Trip No.204  Entry No.266  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a very nice polissoir stone found in the fields to the south of the village of Corancez, and it is easy to find because it is signposted. It has a footpath to it across the fields, about 100 metres from the road.

It is a large stone, about 5m by 2m laying flat in the field, with at least four polishing stations, and a large bowl in the middle for a good water supply. At the southeast end of the stone there are eight deep grooves and at least six flatter basins. At the northwest end there are six grooves and at least a dozen flatter cuvettes. In the middle of the north side are another nine flattish grooves. There are many more polishing marks evident around the rest of the stone, and this was obviously a major workplace once long ago.

Hertubise dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.269  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: On my ign map, there is a dolmen symbol just to the south of the village of Alluyes, but its on the opposite side of the river to where I could drive to. Between the road and the river are houses and gardens, with lots of trees and high hedges, which prevented me from seeing anything of the Hertubise dolmen. There was a farm here with the right name though, so the dolmen probably exists somewhere.

Polissoir de la Vieuville

Trip No.204  Entry No.271  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: I was told by the lady I met at Pierre de Beaumont that there is another dolmen in Vieuville, but she didn't know how to find it. I had a look around but could find nothing obvious myself.

Bonneval dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.272  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: I could find nothing of this, despite having a good look all around. There are likely remains of a round mound in the fields here though.

Baignon dolmens

Trip No.204  Entry No.274  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: To the south of the lovely old walled and moated town of Bonneval, along the D.144 road, can be found the dolmens du Baignon. Remains of at least 5 dolmens can be found in a field beside the river near to Memillon Chateau in the commune of St-Maur-sur-le-Loir. I have numbered the 5 dolmens in the order in which I visited them, which was roughly in an east to west direction.

Dolmen du Val d’Avril

Trip No.204  Entry No.282  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Loire-et-Cher (41))
Visited: Couldn't find on 8th Aug 2005

Log Text: I could see mothing obvious of the Butte de Champart to the south of the village of Tripleville, despite walking all around the area. It is perhaps all in the trees in the back garden of a house, behind the large woodshed.

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.