Maison Neuve menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.16  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: This is a beautiful white quartz menhir standing beside the road to Morhannais to the northeast of Monterrain. It is about 3.5 metres high, and there are several other blocks of quartz beside it, which are either bits which have fallen off it, another broken menhir, or simple field clearance stones. The menhir is nicely shaped at the top which seems to rule out the first option. Even in the bright hot sunshine of the day I visited, the stone felt nice and cool. Lovely.

Menhir de Men Bihan

Trip No.204  Entry No.54  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: The "little stone" is well hidden deep in the forest. I found it as much by luck as by good navigation using a detailed map and asking people. There are no signs or anything to help you, and it is 100 metres away from the nearest footpath. The menhir is about 1.8 metres tall, and a nice white granite all covered in moss. Its a nice stone to find, partially because of the difficulty in getting to it, with no gps or anything to go by.

Men-Bihan Allée Couverte

Trip No.204  Entry No.55  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: About 50 metres from Men-Bihan is a line of 5 flat stones, looking very much like they have been placed there. There might be remnants of stones underneath. The line is about 10 metres long, and is oriented roughly east to west. Is this the remains of an allée couverte, or just natural ?

Petit-Resto menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.53  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir can be seen at the edge of the road, but it is difficult to stop or turn round here. It is a sort of triangular stone, perhaps 2 metres high, just at the edge of a field. It has weird weathering, and looks like it has got a tide mark on it.

Men Braz menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.56  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: I wasted best part of an hour for this stone to clear of about 30 to 40 scouts having lunch and playing games here. Eventually they left so I could look at the stone on my own. It is easy to find from the L'Etoiles roundabout, where there is a few parking places. Take the forest track south for a couple of hundred metres, and then turn right at the signpost down a footpath, from where it is about 80 metres into the forest between the rows of trees. The "big stone" is about 3.8 metres tall, and looks lovely. Beside it is another fallen stone, perhaps even bigger.

Dolmen de la Maison-Trouvée

Trip No.204  Entry No.14  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is an Angevin type dolmen with a massive rectangular chamber still mostly buried within its tree covered mound. The chamber is about 4.5 metres by 2.5 metres and is topped by a massive 6 metres by 3 metres capstone. As often seems to be the case with the Angevin dolmens I have seen, the side slabs are accurately shaped so that they fit together extremely well, and the whole chamber is very straight sided and regular. Unusually, the portal doorway opens towards the west. I cannot tell how high the chamber is, or whether there is a floor, as the thing is still half buried. The circular mound, about 20 metres in diameter, has lots and lots of white quartz stones in its makeup. It has been dated to about 3000 BC. It is signposted and easily found from the village of Monterrein.

Grand Village allée couverte

Trip No.204  Entry No.17  Date Added: 4th Jul 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: To the southeast of the village of Caro, and signposted with a little parking area, can be found this allée couverte, a few hundred metres walk from the parking. It is one of the longest allée couvertes around, at about 25 metres, but apart from the two large end stones, not much is left standing or in its proper place. The chamber is oriented at 145°, and is neither along the ridge or across it. The entrance is a lateral entrance, about in the middle of the southern side, and two side stones for the entrance porch can be made out. It would appear that as well as the stones for the main chamber, there are also many for the peristalith of its oval mound, which would not be very much bigger than the chamber itself. This is one site that would benefit enormously from a bit of restoration.

It has been a very hot day, and since the spear throwing competition I have been lacking inspiration. I have looked in my books, and driven about quite a lot, looking for sites not marked on the maps, but unless they have had signs, or I have been lucky, I have not been able to find many of them. Perhaps I should stop early and chill out a bit.

Kermarquer Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.368  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This one is much easier to find than its neighbour, but still involves 100 metres of fighting a way through gorse and bramble filled woodland. The monument is a strange one, with two chambers off of a single entry corridor. The main chamber, a rectangular 2.5 metres by 2.5 metres has no capstone, and leads straight off of the corridor. The second chamber is off to the side of this, with its entry at the side of chamber 1, and is about 1.5 m by 1.5 m, and is covered by a capstone. The corridor has two large capstones still in place. This monument is still mostly contained within its mound, and all very overgrown, making photographs very difficult.

Dolmen de Kerourang 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.347  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 3

Log Text: I couldn’t find this dolmen marked on my map on my way to Luffang, but stopped for another look on the way back, after another look at the map. It was very difficult to find, but it is still there to be seen, well hidden under very thick undergrowth. What I eventually found was, near to the trackway a couple of capstones sit on top of a little passageway completely surrounded and covered by gorse.

I later find out that there are in fact two monuments to be found here, within 20 metres of each other, and that they are both dolmen a couloir with large circular chambers, still fairly well preserved inside their mounds, still with some of their capstones. It's a great shame they are so overgrown and neglected.

While here looking about in the woods before I found this, I was approached by two offroad cyclists, who thought I was lost. I said no, I was searching for a dolmen, but they insisted that there was no dolmen here. I had left my map in the van, but they had one with them, so we compared notes, and I pointed to the clearly marked dolmen. No, they said, we are over here, pointing elsewhere. Well, I was pretty sure where I thought I was, as were they, so we agreed to differ, and go our different ways.

I decided to go back to the van, with just one more look in the woods where their map had confirmed that I should find something, and there it was - extremely well hidden. I called over to the cyclists, who had been standing about arguing and pointing at the map. They came, and I pointed out the stones. Oui, c'est vrai, c'est un dolmen! Turns out it was them that were lost ! They thanked me, and there was lots more bickering between them, then they parted with some very cheerful words and waving. As they cycled off, and they cycled off into the distance, the bickering turning to shouting and cursing, and a full scale argument ! I felt glad to have helped them out, as indeed they had helped me, by making me look just one more time for that damned dolmen !

Mané Bras

Trip No.203  Entry No.367  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: According to a signpost at the roadside, it is only a 500 metre walk along a bridlepath to this monument. However, in practice it involved crossing a swamp, negotiating woodland full of brambles and nettles, then crossing an open tract of heather, and last but by no means least, somehow getting through a gorse jungle.

Its a nice monument to find though, as two passagewayed dolmens look out of their mound at you upon finally reaching it. On the right, the northern chamber is about 3m by 3 metres rectangular with a 4 metres passageway to the east. On the left, a 4 m by 3 metre oval chamber, without capstone, has about a 6 metre passage leading out to the edge of the mound. It was all far too overgrown though, and getting photograps was nearly impossible.

Many of these lesser known sites need a good dose of TLC. I later found that there are more dolmens and cjambers to be found here in th hilltop mound. Obviously one for another visit it some time.

Mané Roullarde

Trip No.203  Entry No.365  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: The remains of this monument are to be found on a hilltop site overlooking the yachting and seaside town of La Trinité-sur-Mer, now surrounded by expensive looking flats. There is an 18 metre long Allée Couverte known as Er-Groh, with only 4 capstones remaining in place, which faces southeast at 150°. Some of the side support stones have Pierres-Plates style engravings on them, but being exposed in this external situation, they are very difficult to make out amongst the lichens and moss etc.

At some point in the past it has had a wall built into it. There are also said to be several underground passages to be found here, which date back to Gallic iron age times, and of which the description reminds me of the Cornish Fougous. However, I found it impossible to find any of these to be seen amongst the undergrowth of the area.

Kerlud Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.357  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a simple chambered dolmen which has been incorporated into the end of a wall behind a farm in the hamlet of Kerlud. The single large capstone sits on top of several support stones around a 3.5 by 2.5 metre chamber, with dry stone walling filling the gaps between the slabs. The entrance is to the east, and there are traces of a mound.

Kerpenhir Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.355  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: About 3.5 metres tall, this menhir can be seen in the far hedge of a field, overlooking the entrance to the gulf of Morbihan, with all its boats racing in and out. What a superb position this would be if the hedge were not there ! The modern, sculpted menhir at Bilgroix stands right opposite on the eastern entrance to the gulf.

Crucuno Cromlech

Trip No.203  Entry No.397  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: What a lovely and unexpected find this was, not so much the expected semi-circular cromlech, but an almost complete rectangle of large stones. There are 22 remaining stones, on average 2 metres in height, arranged in a rectangle measuring about 33 metres by 25 metres. The long sides are aligned just about due east - west, with the shorter sides north - south.

It has been "restored" in 1882, but is supposedly a very accurate restoration job, and matches earlier plans well. It is thought that this could have been set up for astronomical observations, as not only do the east - west sides align to the equinox sunrise and sunset, but perhaps more importantly, the diagonals align to the both the solstice sunrise and sunset positions, rather like the four station stones at stonehenge. It has also been suggested that the positions of various major moon rise and moonset positions are indicated.

It is easy enough to find, a few hundred metres to the east of the village centre. From here follow the track which passes in front of the house with the dolmen for a few hundred metres, then turn right when the track splits for another 50 metres, and you arrive at the field within which the monument resides.

Thankfully, when I visited, the whole field had recently been cleared of all the gorse and brambles, and was nicely open. Remarkably, for somewhere so close to the busy Crucuno dolmen, and possibly such an important site, hardly anybody seems to know its here, and it seems all the tourists visit the dolmen, but miss this. I dont cease to be amazed by all the Breton megalithic sites, it truly is a wonderland - whatever will be next.

Crucuno Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.396  Date Added: 14th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 13th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Right in the middle of Crucuno hamlet is to be found this tremendous and much visited and photographed dolmen. The rectangular chamber is about 4 metres by 3.5 metres, covered by a single massive capstone which measures over 7 metres in length, perched on top of 9 support stones, with easily enough room to stand upright inside.

Unfortunately, a century or so ago, a house was built right next to it, and this has destroyed all but the last pair of entrance passageway uprights and their capstone. This passageway was recorded in the last century as being at least 20 metres in length, leading away towards the southeast.

In its past, it has been used for many things, including a stable, a home for the village idiot (*Burl) and a shelter for German soldiers during the last war. Despite seeing lots of pictures of this one before visiting, and there being a steady stream of visitors passing through (its obviously one of the sites on all the tourist trails) it was much more impressive than I was expecting. Excellent.

Kermané Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.362  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: To the southwest of the Chat Noir roundabout is the hamlet of Kerangoff, where there can be found a dolmen and a menhir. The dolmen is easy to find, right beside the track amongst the houses, but is very overgrown. It has a large 4 metre by 3 metre chamber with the capstone supported on 8 sidestones, and an iron bar.

Gavrinis Cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.332  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 10th Jun 2005

Log Text: I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun.

Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its double cromlech. Many of the stones stand proud of the island, and indeed the sea, where these half submerged circles are situated, and can clearly be seen from here.

Just beyond that is Gavrinis, with its large cairn and entrance overlooking the whole scene. The entrance seems to be looking directly towards me, although in reality it is probably looking a bit more towards the east. The cairn is clearly visible, looking pale against the dark background of a pinewood. A boat trip of people has just landed on the island for the guided visit to the cairn, with its magnificent carvings.

Cosquéro Menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.48  Date Added: 11th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Couldn't find on 12th Jul 2005

Log Text: The trackway through to this menhir was barricaded off with private signs on it, so I didn’t get to the menhir. It is said to be the largest still standing menhir in Morbihan.

Kercadoret Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.360  Date Added: 11th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 12th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This nice little dolmen stands proud at the edge of its field, well hidden behind a big hedge beside the D718 road a few kilometres to the north of Locmariaquer. Look carefully, and there is a pathway through the hedge and wooded area. The dolmen is about 2.5 by 2 metres, and the single capstone sits on top of 6 support stones.

Kerbourgnec Alignements

Trip No.203  Entry No.418  Date Added: 21st May 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 14th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: At low tide, from the beach at Kerbourgnec, can be seen the remains of these alignements. More than a dozen rows of stones can be seen, stretching for about 400 metres into the sea. These stones are associated to a cromlech (of which a few of the stones can be seen) and tumulus.