Lancy Polissoir

Trip No.204  Entry No.228  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: About 350 metres to the north of the D.110 road through Lancy Forest can be found this polissoir stone. Park at the Pavillon-de-Lancy picnic site, and the stone can be found down the track along the edge of the forest from there. Luckily it is signposted, as without them I would never have found it.

As polissoir stones that I have seen go, this is not very impressive. Its a nice stone in the forest, about 2.5m by 2.5 m laying on the ground, with a couple of polishing grooves and a basin which can be determined. The basin is actually very nicely polished. This seems a slightly strange place for a polissoir stone, as I can see no natural source for any water nearby, although the stone itself has a large hollow which could have been used as a reservoir. And it is raining !

Petit dolmen de Trainel

Trip No.204  Entry No.226  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: About 15 metres to the north of the Grand Dolmen along the slope of the hill, and perhaps in what was once the same mound can be found the Petit Dolmen. It doesn’t look much more than a medium sized rock sat on the hillside, but closer inspection shows there to be a 1 metre by 0.5 metre slab sided cist underneath the 1.7 m by 1 m capstone.

Without the signpost right beside it, I very much doubt that I would have found this, although it is right beside the path. There are hundreds of better more dolmenic looking rocks in this forest ! I cant believe I spent the best part of three days and 700 km of driving to get here ! Lets hope for better to come, but I wont hold my breath. Dammit, now its raining. Lots of deer about though, and just sitting writing this I can sense them watching me from behind the trees.

Pierre à l'Eau

Trip No.204  Entry No.229  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This is much more like it, a lovely polissoir stone, with its own source of water in the form of a couple of deep basins which I assume are natural, and it is not far from a little stream. The stone is sort of triangular, about 2 m by 1.5 m, and has five well worn grooves and a couple of flat basins for polishing. It is found from the D.110 road through Lancy Forest, south of the Pavillon-de-Lancy. There is a parking place and signposted walk of 650 metres from there to the east.

Polissoir avec Cuvette

Trip No.204  Entry No.230  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: About 50 metres from the Pierre à l'Eau, and thankfully signposted through the tricky forest, can be found a second polissoir stone. This one has a large water filled basin, and as far as I can make out, only two two large flattish basin like polishing areas. I guess this stone was used for the flat faces, while stone 1 was used for the edges.

Polissoir avec Plage

Trip No.204  Entry No.231  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 7th Aug 2011. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A further 40 metres downstream from the second polissoir stone, is found a third. This one is a smaller stone, about 2 metres by 0.5 metres, and a nice smoothed crescent shape, hence the name. As well as the entire polishing "beach", there are at least three bowls for polishing, some of which are quite deep, and about 20 cm in diameter. This is quite some industrial centre, isn't it!

As I write this I am being watched by at least two deer, no more than 40 metres away from me. Oh well, better get back.

Grand dolmen de Trainel

Trip No.204  Entry No.225  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are two dolmens here in the Traînel forest, signposted a couple of kilometres to the west of Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes. Where the road bends, park in the forest car park and walk for a kilometre to the north along the forest track, and the dolmens are signposted from here.

The Grand Dolmen is a bit of a mess of large stones with the remains of a bit of a mound around them, built into the hillside in the forest. There is one obvious capstone of dimensions 2.5 m by 1.5 m sitting on top of some support stones, with a 2 metres long by by 1 metre wide chamber underneath. Besides it is the remains of what was another small chamber and it is possible that there were once more. It's all a bit of a muddle though, not helped by the badgers that have made it their home.

Lancy Dolmen

Trip No.204  Entry No.227  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Yes on 5th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Now this is more like it. In the Foret-de-Lancy, a couple of kilometres to the southeast of Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes can be found this nice looking little dolmen. It is signposted from the road through the forest about 700 metres south of the parking place at the track to the Traînel dolmens, and is a 700 metre walk from the road along a forest track.

The dolmen is in a little clearing, 10 metres from the track, and easy to find. The forst thing you see is the obvious dolmen with a 3 m by 2 m capstone sat on top of two side supports, about 1.2 metres off the ground. Closer inspection shows there to be a backstone, and a fallen stone at the large front opening. Just to the southeast is another large stone standing upright, and there are plenty of other large stones laying about nearby. There would appear to be the remains of a round mound within which the dolmen was once covered.

I wonder whether there was a second chamber at some point, or perhaps a circle of stones around the mound. This is a very pleasant spot. Strangely, there are many hand prints painted on some of the stones.

La Pierre-Aux-Sorcières

Trip No.204  Entry No.223  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 4th Aug 2005

Log Text: La Pierre-Aux-Sorcières, or La Pierre-Enlevée is to be found in the community of Vaumort. I'd have liked to have found the Witch's stone, but I don’t have a map with it marked on, and there are no signs or notices in the village to help. Shame.

Grottes d'Arcy-sur-Cure

Trip No.204  Entry No.220  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Cave or Rock Shelter Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 4th Aug 2005

Log Text: I drove past these caves, without realising what significance they have. If I had realised, I would have visited.

Pierre-Fritte (Villeneuve-sur-Yonne)

Trip No.204  Entry No.221  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 4th Aug 2005

Log Text: I could find nowhere to stop and look for this menhir, which is somewhere between the busy N.6 road and the river Yonne.

Dolmen de la Bourde à la Gousse

Trip No.204  Entry No.224  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 4th Aug 2005

Log Text: There is a dolmen marked on my ign map near to the village of La Bourde a la Gousse, so I went to have a look. I walked a fair distance down a forest track, but I could find nothing. The forest was either very dense and impenetrable, or fenced off. There was at one point lots of rocks on the forest floor, in about the right position, but these were in a fenced off enclosure.

Polissoir des Roches

Trip No.204  Entry No.232  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 5th Aug 2005

Log Text: The Polissoir des Roches, or Courgenay polissoir should be found in the forest to the south of the village of Courgenay, up on the hills. There are no signposts to be seen to it, so I am pretty sure that I will not be able to find it on my own.

Dolmen de Bercenay

Trip No.204  Entry No.233  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Yonne (89))
Visited: Couldn't find on 5th Aug 2005

Log Text: Just off the edge of my map, the Pierre au Laurin, or Pierre Couverte, has no obvious signposts to it, and I could see no obvious signs of any dolmen in the locality, so I didn’t really look.

Which is a shame really, as I see later there are three good dolmens to be found here, much better than anything I did find!

Pierre-aux-Fées (St-Micaud)

Trip No.204  Entry No.202  Date Added: 26th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This is a very large menhir right beside the D.28 road in front of a large house in the village of St-Micaud. I would estimate it to be about 7 metres tall, but its not easy to tell as it is in the private garden and surrounded by a hedge. The menhir is of rectangular shape, nd has very uneven surfaces, and has perhaps got some carvings on it.

Pierre-Levée du champ de la Fa

Trip No.204  Entry No.200  Date Added: 26th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Near to the medieval village of Brancion, beside the D.14 road, can be found this nice menhir, which has a fine view to the west. It stands about 4 metres tall with a cross on the top in a field close to the turn off to Pierre-Levée farm, on a bad corner. It was raining horribly while I visited.

Pierre Guénachère

Trip No.204  Entry No.203  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Sculptured Stone Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a large granite blockdeep in the forest near a little stream, about one kilometres walk from the farm of La Madeleine, just to the west of St Emiland. Take the track beside the farm, keeping left, and after some distance it is signposted.

The stone is a granite block, 4m by 3m by 2m high, which has got several strange carvings in it, particularly large circles. On the north side there are three circles, between 70 cm and 1 metre in diameter, while on the south side there is a straight line and a large, deeply cut circle, more than one metre in diameter. These symbols seem to have been very roughly hewn with stone tools, and it is thought that they are prehistoric. There are many legends associated with this stone, of which I don't know any.

Camp de la Justice Alignements

Trip No.204  Entry No.216  Date Added: 4th Sep 2020
Site Type: Stone Row / Alignment Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 4th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2

Log Text: Just to the north of Autun, near a place called Orme, along the busy N.81 road, can be found the remnants of these alignements. They are difficult to get to, across a railway and a couple of fields, but they can however be seen from the main road. There are a couple of large stones and at least three smaller stonesin a line along in the hedge. Any more than that, I cannot say, as I couldnt get right to them to have a proper look.

Cul Blanc Dolmens

Trip No.204  Entry No.205  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Cul Blanc 1: Still within most of its tumulus, this dolmen is on the northern slopes of Mont des Troix Croix, high up above the village of Dezize-les-Maranges at a junction of the tracks. The circular mound is about 15 metres in diameter, and the dolmen is in the middle. The chamber is about 2.5 metres in length by 1.3 metres wide, open to the south and covered with a triangular limestone capstone, of dimensions 3m by 3m by 3m. It was very difficult to find my way to, lots of roads shut for maintenance, and a complete absence of any signs except for all the local vineyards. Supposedly one of two dolmens here.

Cul Blanc 2: Ah, yes, here it is. The second one is about 40 metres further down the hillside, and still completely within its mound, making it very difficult to see amongst the bushes. Probably similar to the first dolmen, the chamber cannot be seen, just the top of the capstone is exposed.

Menhirs d'Epoigny

Trip No.204  Entry No.204  Date Added: 27th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stones Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Yes on 3rd Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Just to the south of the D.978 road, a few kilometres north west of Couches, is a sign to menhirs, which I of course followed. About a kilometre from the main road is a little road junction, and several menhirs can be seen in the fields. It's hard to make out exactly what the menhirs represent, and how accurate they are is open to question, as they have all been re-erected in concrete bases fairly recently.

Near the side of the lane is a row of three superbly sculpted menhirs, the southern one being 5.5 metres tall, with several carved lines and cupmarks. The central menhir is about 4.5 metres tall, but has lost its top, while the northern menhir is fallen and broken (in actual fact it looks to have been cut up) and would perhaps have been bigger than its neighbours. The three menhirs are evenly spaced about 7 metres apart, and are aligned NW to SE at about 125°. Forty or fifty metres away to the north, are another pair of menhirs, both about 4.5 metres in height, and again they are superbly shaped and dressed. These are spaced at about 10 metres from each other, and align NE to SW at 025°, and any intersection passes through the row of three but not at any stone. Of this pair of menhirs, the southern one has a few cupules carved into it, while the northern one is decorated with lines, cupules and at least one axe, and a few more serpent like lines. Just outside this field, beside the road junction, is a sixth menhir, this one only about 2 metres tall and broken, and which does not align with any of the others.

It is thought that there was once more menhirs here. This feels like a very powerful place, up on this hill. I feel all trembly here, and in awe of the stones, and find it hard to leave.

Menhir d'Uxelles

Trip No.204  Entry No.201  Date Added: 26th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bourgogne:Saône-et-Loire (71))
Visited: Couldn't find on 2nd Aug 2005

Log Text: I see in my notes that there is a menhir to be found in the commune of Uxelles, but there is nothing to be found on any of my maps, and I could find no signposts to it or reference to it on any of the village signs.