Point du Jour dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.110  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 22nd May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This one is signposted from the D104/D2 between Villereal and Montpazier and has a little picnic area by it. It was pouring with rain when I arrived and it looks for all the world to be in somebody’s private garden. In fact I think it is but they have been good enough to create a little sort of public area near it and a sign as well ! What Good people.

A single giant capstone 6 metres by 2 metres sits on top of about half a dozen supports in two parallel rows making a sort of alleyway within woodland on a slope which is very steep at the end of the dolmen and indeed has probably been quarried away at some point in the past. In the wet it’s a strange reddish orangish stripy sort of rock with lots of moss growing on top of it. From certain angles this one looks like its come straight out of a fairy story.

Allée couverte de Blanc

Trip No.203  Entry No.99  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 21st May 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: At last I have found one which is signposted and looked after. It’s a couple of kilometres south of Beaumont on the D.676 towards Villereal and is in a little signposted area with parking and lots and lots of orchids around everywhere. Its said to be one of the best preserved megalithic remains in the Perigord region and if that’s the case the rest aren’t much to look out for !

The original allée was supposedly 12 metres in length but its now cut short and I only counted 6 metres length of remains. The main chamber is in two parts facing on an alignment of 100° and consists of only two capstones sitting on 3 or 4 side slabs each side. Interestingly the western end is only about a metre wide and a metre high but the eastern end is much larger easily double the size of the closed west end. The south side is continuous while the northern side is stepped out

Puy de Bon Temps Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.91  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 20th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: This dolmen can be found about a kilometre walk up a forest track from the D68 between Ajat and Cubjac just north of where it passes under the new motorway and opposite a quarry entrance. It is just about signposted from the road but they are very easy to miss and when the track gets to the top of the hill you need to turn left and then left again.

The dolmen is all a bit of a jumble with many of the stones fallen and broken but the main part of the capstone about 3 by 2 metres in size is still there in position although held up by what I can only assume are roof timbers from some old building.

Just beside the dolmen is one of the cute little drystone beehive shelters (Gariotte?) that they have round here (and you can buy guide books and coffee table picture books of). Its in excellent condition with a terrific roof all covered in moss. I assume its been made using stone from the cairn for the dolmen although there is no shortage of stone round here.

Giverzac Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.215  Date Added: 21st Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 16th Jan 2012. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Remains of a little dolmen now outside the gates to the Banque de France’ Giversac Enterprise Centre and it shelters a couple of floodlights. The capstone is about 2.5 by 2 metres broken at one end and it sits on a few various support stones. I suspect it’s been jumbled about a bit.

Finding this involved some extremely steep and narrow lanes up the vertiginous sides of the Dordogne river from Vitrac and getting away again after was just as bad as the roads through Domme are banned to campervans due to the small narrow cliff face hanging roads so although you can park next to the dolmen an access rating of 5 is perhaps a bit high ! There are no signs.

Peyrebrune (Seyssac)

Trip No.203  Entry No.64  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A kilometre or so down a rough track called Chasse de Pierre Brune from the D109 near Segonzac can be found the remains of this rectangular chambered dolmen. The chamber has dimensions of about 3 m by 2 m and made with well positioned stone blocks. There is a capstone which only covers the western end.

It’s a pity about the chestnut trees growing in it.

Beauroulet Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.61  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: A 4 metres by 2.5 metre capstone of strange dark reddish brown/black rock sits slightly off the ground on top of some fallen grey limestone support stones. Its in a field just opposite a factory near a roadside restaurant at a junction with the busy D939 Brantôme to Périgueux road. Despite being in such a busy noisy and unsightly place it somehow felt calm as I sat here on the stone eating my lunch.

La Pierre Levée (Brantôme)

Trip No.203  Entry No.59  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Yes on 17th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This dolmen stands on a sort of village green thing just on the eastern outskirts of the delightful old town of Brantôme about 50 metres north of the D78 road. A single large capstone about 4 metres by 2 metres sits on 3 (or is it 4) support stones with the help of some modern building work about 2 metres off the ground. A couple of other stones remain fallen or broken nearby.

Peyre Levade (Condat)

Trip No.203  Entry No.60  Date Added: 5th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 17th May 2005

Log Text: A couple of kilometres east of Brantôme is marked a dolmen on my ign map but despite trying hard to find it I saw no signs of anything and there was nowhere at all to park on very small country lanes to get out and have a proper look.

Pierre des Justices

Trip No.203  Entry No.81  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 19th May 2005

Log Text: Just off the main road from Perigueux to Les-Eyzies at the junction of the D32 west to Mauzens-et-Miremont is a little picnic and parking area. If you then follow this road west under the splendid railway viaduct after a few hundred metres pass the lavoir then take the little lane up to the left. Somewhere several hundred metres up the steep slope into these woods can be found the Pierre des Justices polissoir stone.

I was told by locals that unless you know exactly where to look then you will not find it. I had a quick look round and decided that there are better things to do than conduct a full search of a large steep overgrown wood.

Peyrebrune megalith

Trip No.203  Entry No.92  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th May 2005

Log Text: Near the hamlet of Rozas to the east of Saint-Orse is the farm called Peyre Brune where there are some megalithic remains. I understand it is a large menhir but with stories surrounding it that it is a meteorite which has crashed to earth. On the tiny roads in this area I could find nowhere to park or indeed turn round so gave up perhaps a bit too easily.

Langlade Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.94  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: I spent hours looking for this after it looked easy on the 1:25000 map in the supermarket. To start with I was looking on the wrong ridge for a different stone called Cayrelevada. After asking some people logging in a forest they pointed me in the right direction which was several kilometres away ! The book says it’s a beau dolmen beside the road in a garden in the hamlet of Langlade. Try as I might I couldn’t find this. I even looked in the woods around here. I really do need the 1:25000 maps to hunt these things down but at €10 a time for such small areas that’s just not on.

Cayre Levat

Trip No.203  Entry No.95  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: I drove round all the lanes I could find north of St Amande looking for something here but other than signs pointing to the farm of the same name I couldn’t find that farm. None of them seem to have names. I saw a poste van and was tempted to stop it and ask the postman. I was not helped by long winding lanes with nowhere to turn and various road works.

Dolmen de Pincanelle

Trip No.203  Entry No.102  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: I spent ages walking around many small lanes near the hamlet of Pincanelle looking for this 5 metre long dolmen capstone and asked an old lady in her garden but got nowhere. The lady apparently has no interest in such things and didn’t want to help although she was very interested in what I was doing !

Le Breil Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.103  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: Could I find this ? Nope.

Dolmen de Pedorat

Trip No.203  Entry No.104  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: Could I find this ? Nope.

Menhir dit le Caillou (Boisse)

Trip No.203  Entry No.105  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: Could I find this ? Nope.

Dolmen de Baneuil

Trip No.203  Entry No.108  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd May 2005

Log Text: The book says this one is close to the Mairie and I found that OK but no signs of a dolmen nearby. I spend a fairly long time walking round all the lanes and ask a couple of locals but they know nothing. I also checked in the nearby wood nothing was obvious. These Perigord wild goose chases are pissing me off. Decide its time to leave here and stick to those on the maps.

Maison du Loup dolmen 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.111  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 22nd May 2005

Log Text: The book I have says this one is 100 metres from the D.2 road near Marsalès at a place called Borie-Neuve so I thought this one was findable and worth a go. I found Borie-Neuve easily enough but no obvious dolmen. So I looked round all the lanes and tracks in the vicinity but still found nothing. There was nobody here to ask so I had a look in the forest here but its all thick undergrowth and there's no way of finding anything without knowing where to look. Why oh why don’t they all have signposts or at least footpaths to them ?

Dolmen de Case du Loup

Trip No.203  Entry No.101  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: This dolmen is supposedly 2.5 metres high and three metres long. But beware it houses a giant and monstrous wolf with eyes burning with fire. I spent hours in the hamlet of Larocale looking for this and asked many people who didn’t know until I fond a man out strimmering in the garden who did at least know of its existence. It turned out he was a Professor of Prehistory but of older stuff than megaliths. He told me where to find the dolmen “turn right then right again and up a footpath into the wood on the left about a kilometre. Its small and difficult to find” but he knew of none of the others in the area.

Too right it was difficile a trouver. The wood was being cleared and logged by a man with a tractor splitting logs who I asked but he knew nothing. I had a look round but could find nothing. Just where is that monstrous Loup when you nee him ? On my way back to the Campingcar a couple of the people who I had asked enquired if I had found it. No such luck. One lady then told me about the dolmen at Nojals. At least they know of that one round these parts.

Dolmen le Roc del Ser (Faux)

Trip No.203  Entry No.107  Date Added: 6th Apr 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Aquitaine:Dordogne (24))
Visited: Couldn't find on 21st May 2005

Log Text: Supposedly very close to the D.19 is this 5 metre long stone the remains of a dolmen capstone but I couldn’t find it. Have to say that by now I wasn’t looking hard. It said that if you recite an Avé Maria to it the stone will turn nine times.

I really must try and find this one tomorrow. Its been one of those afternoons where I couldn’t find anything and became frustrated. Then it started to rain and then thunderstorms and I find I am driving around fairly aimlessly so decide to stop and find a camp site for the night which as seems to be the case at times like this isn’t easy. I find several closed ones until I find an open one back at Beaumont again but it only accepts tents.

Its got a tiny car park and someone has parked awkwardly behind me and I have to reverse out from a tight spot uphill between the cars. This I do successfully but believing I was out crunch and I have hit the gatepost on the other side and have buggered the new plastic trim at the back corner. It seems to be the only damage. Poor van.

I eventually find a campsite at Couze but with nobody around so I just take a place and plug in for the night. At least the showers work. Wonder who won the F.A. Cup this afternoon ?