Avernat menhir

Trip No.205  Entry No.167  Date Added: 24th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This fine chap stands proudly at the junction of the roads D.158 and D.158a from Blandas to Le Landre and Quintanelles, just a couple of hundred metres from its neighbour, the menhir de Combes. It is very similar in both size and shape, 3 metres tall, except this one is not so superbly weathered. I am not sure whether it is in its original place here at the road junction or not.

Lacam de la Rigalderie

Trip No.205  Entry No.168  Date Added: 24th Nov 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the south of the D.843 road between Blandas and Rigalderie, slightly to the west of what looks like a little airstrip, the remains of this lovely cromlech can be found on the slopes rising to a little hilltop. Unlike Lacam de Peyrarines, this one has a little parking area and a gated path to the cromlech, which is about 200 metres from the road across a field.

The circle is about 90 metres in diameter, and I counted 36 stones, either standing or fallen, with 20 or so properly standing upright. There are probably a few more stones in the lower part of the circle which is enveloped in bushes and undergrowth, where the circle seems to be embanked. Most of the stones are of the pale local limestone, but again as with Lacam de Peyrarines, one or two are of a brownish coloured stone. The height varies from half a metre to about 1.8 metres, except for a beautiful stone at the uppermost part of the circle which is about 2.5 metres in height, and a lovely shape.

The stones are mostly pillar shaped, but there are one or two triangles and pointy topped stones. The spacing is pretty even, at about 6 metres between stones, similar to Peyrarines. There is no evidence of a central pillar here.

Planàs Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.159  Date Added: 15th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Take the road towards Blandas from Montdardier, and after a few kilometres there is a big junction of ways. Right at the junction in a little enclosure to the right of the road can be found this nicely restored dolmen. It is completely within its cairn, and the fence is close, which makes photos difficult. The mound is about 12 metres in diameter and 2 metres high. The chamber in the centre is mostly made of dry stone walls, but with a large slab at the back, and topped by a 3 m by 2.5 m capstone, on top of the same sized chamber. There is an entry passageway about 5 metres long, and half a metre wide, which opens to the southwest at 235°.

Planàs cromlech

Trip No.205  Entry No.161  Date Added: 15th Nov 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 1 Access 5

Log Text: Destroyed many years ago during construction of the road, just a few stumps and fallen stones of this cromlech remain scattered around near the junction. What was once a fine stone circle is now just a large road junction in the middle of nowhere.

Menhir de Landre 2

Trip No.205  Entry No.164  Date Added: 24th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 19th Sep 2005

Log Text: About 100 metres to the south of Landre menhir 1, atop the adjacent hillock can be found this fallen menhir. As for menhir 1, this was too well fenced in, and I didn't get to visit it.

Flouirac Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.171  Date Added: 24th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Gard (30))
Visited: Couldn't find on 19th Sep 2005

Log Text: This dolmen is supposedly about 1.5 kilometres to the east of the hamlet of Barral, and just 25 metres to the nmorth of the road. However, it is so well hidden , that even after exensive searching, I could find no traces of it.

Ginestous menhir 2

Trip No.205  Entry No.178  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Ginestous menhir 2 is about 50 metres further up the hillside from the Almond menhir, which can be found fallen beside a bush. It is fairly small, less than 2 metres in length.

Ginestous menhir 4

Trip No.205  Entry No.180  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Ginestous menhir 4 is fallen and broken into several pieces. It is only about 8 metres away from menhir 3.

Ginestous Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.181  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Ginestous dolmen is in a very wrecked state. At first sight it seems to be another menhir, but closer inspection shows it to be the remains of a burial chamber, these days not much more than a depression in a mound of stones. At the eastern end is a large slab (2m by 2m) standing, which is perhaps the backstone to the chamber, but possibly the fallen capstone, which may well have covered a chamber made from drystone walling. It can be seen looking west from the Almond menhir, looking like a smaller menhir, and is 40 metres to the south of menhir 3.

Ginestous menhir 5

Trip No.205  Entry No.182  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Ginestous menhir 5 is fallen and broken into several pieces. This was once quite a large menhir, of a tapered shape, significantly more than 2 metres long and almost 2 metres wide at the base. It can be found about 40 metres to the west of the dolmen.

Ginestous menhir 3

Trip No.205  Entry No.179  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Ginestous menhir 3 is about 2.7 metres tall, and a very carefully formed rectangular shape, standing proudly overlooking the valley. The top has crumbled and broken a bit, so maybe it was once taller. It can be seen from the Almond menhir, which is about 100 metres away to the east, across a valley, with a little path leading between the two.

Ginestous Menhir 1

Trip No.205  Entry No.177  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The Ginestous complex of 9 menhirs and a burial chamber can be found about 5 kilometres to the east of Ganges, by following the road signposted to Nimes. After the road reaches the top of the hill continue for a further 500 metres, then take the small lane to the north, towards Ginestous chateau. After a couple of hundred metres, the road crosses an old railway line (now dismantled) and there is room to park here. The wonderful Almond menhir can be seen from here.

Ginestous menhir is the most wonderful almond shaped menhir, a good 3 metres in height, up to 2 metres wide at its middle, but only 30 cm thick. The flat front faces due south. The work that has gone into shaping it is extremely finely done.

They did a great job making this one, surely one of the most lovely standing stones in the world. Easily found a couple of hundred metres along the disused railway track to the east of the Ginestous Chateau road crossing, and visible from there. Well worth a visit.

Cazarils tombe ovale 1

Trip No.205  Entry No.187  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the north of the little town of Viols-le-Fort, take the little road towasrds Cazarils, and park by a little clearing in the wood after about 1.5 km, not quite at the top of the hill. Here there is a footpath into the woods, well marked with blue markers. Follow this zig-zag path for about 300 metres and you soon find this nice little oval tomb, a style found regularly round these parts.

The outer edge of the tomb is about 8m by 6m, with the inner chamber about 4m by 2.5m, and open to the north. the inner edge of the chamber is formed of many upright slabs, generally about half a metre high. At the back of the chamber is a carved stone (a copy, as the original is safely kept in a museum) with a sort of face carved into it. It is quite well known, I have seen it before in many places. This is a pleasant little place, with sheep bells clanging all around.

Cazarils tombe ovale 2

Trip No.205  Entry No.188  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: About 50 metres further round on the footpath from Cazarils tombe ovale 1, is found this second oval tomb, but it is hiding in the bushes a bit. It is much bigger than the first, but does not have the wonderful carved headstone. The inner chamber is about 4m by 2.5m, and the walls are generally 1m high. It's cairn of stones is much bigger also, but unfortunately was getting very overgrown with bushes, making photos of the whole thing very difficult.

Village Préhistorique de Cambous

Trip No.205  Entry No.184  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Ancient Village or Settlement Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4

Log Text: This is a 5000 year old village with two groups of houses found at Viols Laval, just to the south of St Martin-de-Londres, and is easily found because it is signposted from all around. To get there, park in the village and it is about an 800 metre walk to the site, but unfortunately for me towards the end of September, it had just shut last weekend and would not be open again until next easter !

However, despite not being able to get into the fenced off site, I could see some of the excavated houses through the fence. In two main groups, the houses consist of very long buildings arranged side by side. There a reconstructed dwelling a bit further into the complex, which I could not get to see properly. This was all a big shame, as this was one of the sites I have been particularly looking forwards to seeing throughout my entire trip.

Cambous oval tombs

Trip No.205  Entry No.185  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Just outside the ancient village can be seen the remains of at least one ruined chambered tomb, which I assume to be of the oval tomb type.

La Draille Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.189  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Just to the north of the little town of Viols-le-Fort, take the little road towards Cazarils, and park by a little clearing in the wood after about 1.5 km, not quite at the top of the hill. Here there is a footpath into the woods, well marked with blue markers. Follow this zig-zag path for about 300 metres and you soon find the nice little Cazarils tombe ovale 1, with a bit further on the second one. At this point the blue paint marker points have become very faint, and are very hard to follow, and the path could go anywhere in this scrub. Take a track to the right, and after about 150 metres of zig zagging about through the scrub and over difficult loose stone you should reach this dolmen. Watch out in particular for a large pot hole before you get there, it looks to be very deep.

The dolmen is contained within a large mound of stones with a drystone wall built over the top of it. The chamber still has a capstone but is drystone walled, about 5m long by 2 m wide. It has a very long entrance passageway which is slab lined, and about 7 metres in length, leading off towards the south west at about 235° again. This number keeps cropping up around these parts.

Carrières Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.190  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: Just outside the little town of Viols-le-Fort, to the west, take the road south towards the quarry. After 300 m the road either enters the quarry or goes around to the left. Park here. In the woods just to the right, beyond an old disused little quarry can be found the remains of this dolmen, with its massive backslab giving its position away. It is in a large mound of stones, and got lots of rubbish strewn about all over it.

The massive chamber is about 4 metres square, and apart from the 6 metre by 3 metre high backslab, is made using drystone vaulting. There seems to be an anti-chamber, 2m by 2m before an entry passageway opening west at about 250°, bu it is a bit of a mess at this end. There appears to be a ring of large slabs around the outside. Apart from all the junk, this would be a pretty impressive monument, and would be a prime contender for some sort of restoration.

Ginestous menhir 7

Trip No.205  Entry No.183  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Ginestous menhir 7 remains as a small stump, which can be seen at the edge of the little road which leads up to the chateau, just uphill from the corner after the railway crossing.

Dolmen de Cambous

Trip No.205  Entry No.186  Date Added: 25th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 20th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just outside the ancient village take a path eastwards along the edge of the wood from near to the sheep pond for about 200 metres, and you will get to this dolmen. There is a round cairn of stones about 10 metres in diameter, with two concentric circles of dressed stone around it. At the centre is a chamber, made with drystone walling except for the backstone and two entrance stones, but it is not very big at about 2m by 1m. There is no sign of any capstone.