Champ des Roches

Trip No.203  Entry No.596  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: Just behind the churchyard to the south of the village of Pléslin and well signposted is this “field of rocks” which is kept in a nice and shady oak garden and included on a couple of signposted local walks. I didn’t know of this place beforehand despite having been near it several times before, it not being far from St-Malo, yet it is described as Brittany’s third most important site (which seems a bit over the top considering some of the other places).

What it basically consists of these days is about 70 big white quartz stones arranged in 5 lines perhaps 6 which are not quite parallel as they converge towards the east and apparently focus on a large stone of which I found no obvious evidence. It really is a nice quiet calming place away from all the busy roads and bustle of this part of Brittany.

Why are these stones here ? Well legend tells us it was the fairies who were building Mont St-Michel who got tired carrying their stones out to sea and they dropped them here.

Just to the north of the stones is an open field with various structures within it which is used for a festival each year to celebrate the stones. It’s been happening longer than anyone can tell on or around the Fete St Pierre. This year (2005) the “Fête des Megalithes” will happen on Saturday July 16th and there will be a big feast bands playing dancing and fireworks. Within this festival ground there is a large gravel circle with 8 telegraph poles arranged around the outside and then a further 4 at the cardinal points positioned outside them. Various other poles are dotted about some with white painted bottoms some with black. I like to think it is for some ancient dancing and festivity but my sister told me it was probably for a large tent. Surely any tent would come with its own poles !

As I said I didn’t know of this lovely place before I learn something every day. It had a lovely atmosphere and was very pleasant to just sit there in the shade.

Thiemblais menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.597  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: This is a truly wonderful 8 metre long granite menhir, which can be found signposted along a little track just to the east of the village of St Samson.

Although it leans at about 45°, it is beautifully shaped and has multitudes of carvings and engravings all over it. Apparently those on the flat western face are easy to see at mid day, but when I was here at 7:00pm, I could barely make anything out. I could, however, clearly see some of the carvings on the two sides, with the shadows being cast in just the right direction. All of the usual neolithic symbols are here, crosses, axes, squares, palettes and serpents.

A nice legend of the stone is that any young girl who wants to get married should climb to the top of the stone, and side down in their "birth knickers", and they will become wed within the year. It is also supposed to be one of the three menhirs that block the entrance to hell. A real fantastic find.

Doigt de Gargantua (Côtes-D'Armor)

Trip No.203  Entry No.591  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This 2.5 metre tall, thin menhir stands guard beside the footpath overlooking the splendid Forte de la Latte, at the headland of the same name to the east of Cap Fréhel. On a late June Monday afternoon it was very busy here, and getting a space in the car park was a problem. The bushes surrounding the giant's finger have grown substantially since my last visit several years ago, and now the views from here are severely limited. Before there was a tremendous panorama of all the sea and headlands around, and with the fort below. Not so now.

Dolmen de Ville Goudier

Trip No.203  Entry No.595  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Marked as a menhir on the ign maps, this large standing stone can be seen from the D.768 road across a field of wheat, about 100 metres away and underneath a pine tree near to the Trégon water tower. I could initially see no way of getting any nearer, and I estimated it to be about 2 metres high. However, I later found a way round the back.

The stone is about 2 metres tall and fairly chunky. There are lots of other large stones around here also, perhaps field clearance, or perhaps this is the remains of a tomb of some kind.

Ville-Tinguy dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.594  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: Despite supposedly having a footpath to it, and being only 80 metres to the east of the D.768 road between Créhen and Trégon, this dolmen proved difficult for me to get right up to, in its field of barley. I have seen it described as an allée couverte, but it looked more like a simple dolmen to me, unless there is much of it ruined and not visible amongst the crops. At least one capstone is held up proudly in place for all to see as they drive past.

Ville Pichard Cairn

Trip No.203  Entry No.588  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: High up on the clifftop near Pléneuf-Val-André overlooking the sea in two directions can be found this very overgrown cairn. Despite getting near after a very long walk round the coastal path, I could not get to the actual cairn through the gorse and brambles. Supposedly the remains of three dolmenic chambers with entry passages can be seen in the mound with drystone chambers, but there was no chance of seeing any of that for me on my visit. But what a fantastic place this is.

Ville Hamon Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.590  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This poor thing is a bit of a mess. Difficult to find without a detailed map, but only a few dozen metres from a track, on top of a good sized mound, to the east of the town of Erquy. What remains is basically a large jumble of stones on top of a mound. It was probably a very large dolmen with entry passage, but the stones have mostly broken into a heap. One large section of capstone still sits on two bits of upright, but the rest is all on the ground. The stones cover an area about 6m by 6m, and several edge set slabs can be made out. Thankfully it is all tended to, and the undergrowth had been recently cut when I visited.

La Hautière

Trip No.203  Entry No.593  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a fairly large allée couverte in a field to the east of the D.768 road between Créhen and Trégon, which had just been cropped for hay when I visited, so it was easy to get to. The main passage is about 14 metres long, oriented to 155°, and has 6 capstones still in place. Many of the sidestones have fallen inwards, so there is not much of a covered passageway left, more a long pile of stones ! The large western endstone can still be seen in its place though.

Ville Bellanger allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.589  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Just beside the D.52 road, 3 km north of the village, and a km south of La Bouille and all its industrial sites, can be found this allée couverte, either in somebodies garden, or a little public area besides. The remains are a bit of a jumble, but an allée almost 10 metres long aligned at 050° is clear. Whether it has an external cell at the western end, or whether its a fallen capstone I can not be sure, but the chamber appears to be divided. A pleasant little find, and lots of nice foxgloves growing here at the time of my visit.

Ville Génouhan allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.592  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 27th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just to the south of the busy D.786 road between ND de Guildo and Trégon can be found the remains of this allée couverte. I find it strange that although it is signposted, has got a little parking area, is kept within a little grassed area within a field of maize, and has got several hundred metres of well tended footpath to it, the monument itself is left to become thoroughly overgrown.

It's the remains of a fairly standard looking allée couverte 12 metres long with orientation 125°, and there are still 6 capstones in place. Most of the sidestones seem to have collapsed inwards, making much of it not much more than a long pile of stones.

Tanouëdou tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.578  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This is a large bronze age tumulus, diameter 40 metres and height 6 metres, which once contained a tomb made of wood and stone within which were found many bronze weapons, gold studs and jewelry when excavated in 1865. It is signposted and found on top of a hill behind a farm to the south east of Bourbriac. There are several other smaller tumuli nearby.

La Roche (Uzel)

Trip No.203  Entry No.587  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This little menhir is probably about 2.5 metres tall, standing on the slopes above the road and stream, positioned just outside a wood, making it visible from the road. I thought this to be a strange place for a menhir, on a slope this steep.

Notre Dame-de-Lorette Alignements

Trip No.203  Entry No.586  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Just outside the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette chapel is what I have seen described in various sources as a cromlech, allée couverte, tumulus or long barrow. From my visit, I have to say it is difficult to say just what this is the remains of. There is a signpost which says that it is the remains of a neolithic long barrow.

Basically, just to the north of the chapel are two rows of stones, lined up at about 100°, which are 20 metres long and 10 metres apart. The two rows are of different stones, the northern row being being chunky blocks of grey quartz, while the southern row is tall slender pointy green dolerite. Around the western end are some more blocks which could be seen as making a horseshoe. So perhaps it is all of the above, the outer ring of stones around a barrow, from which the remains of any allée couverte have long since gone.

Whatever, it is all in a very pleasant position, high up on a hilltop with glimpses of splendid views between the trees. It's all very nicely tended green parkland with a few picnic tables. Obviously a special place for many thousands of years, with many different signs of human reverence.

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette spring

Trip No.203  Entry No.585  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Holy Well or Sacred Spring Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Just to the west of the little chapel at the top of the hill is a nice little spring with a full blown well house built on top of it. Water gushes up into a crystal clear pool, and there is even a tap with a local authority certificate of cleanliness. There is of course a cross and suchlike also. The well is legendary for curing earache !

Caillouan Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.579  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a massive 8 metre tall menhir which is positioned very near to a spring. It is rectangular shaped at the bottom, but gets larger as its height increases. The front (southern) face is lovely and flat, looking down the valley.

It is well signposted, and lives in a little grassy area of woodland, and is apparently well looked after. Just below is another lump of stone which I thought was meant to have been broken from the top in the 1960's, but unless the remainder of the stone has been reshaped and well weathered, I cant see where it was broken from. Perhaps it was once a pair of stones.

Liscuis 3 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.581  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

This seems to be a V shaped dolmen rather than a pure allée couverte with its chamber widening from less than a metre wide to greater than two metres wide for the main part. Approximately 12 metres long, it has three capstones in place, and faces approximately west at 210°.

It is suffering very badly, not only from graffitti, but also official damage in the form of footpath sign paintings and markings. There is a separate cell at the back, with an entry doorstone, at an angle, making a triangular entrance.

Liscuis 2 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.582  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

A bit further along the ridge than the other two, and off the main path, this one seems to have suffered a bit less from the vandalism. It faces north at 010° and is about 14 metres long, up to 2.5 metres wide, and 2 metres high, with the southern 3 metres being a seperate cell, both ends narrow down to only a metre wide. It has a paved floor, but there is only one capstone remaining in place. It is still mostly within its mound.

Liscuis 1 allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.583  Date Added: 10th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: There are three allée couvertes here on the hilltop on the ridge overlooking the river Dourla, and beside the busy GR37 footpath. They are signposted from all around, and are several hundred metres walk uphill and along the ridge from a little car park. They are all suffering badly from neglect and vandalism, which is a great shame as I was reading a book from 25 years ago which says that they have only recently been discovered and are in a wonderful condition and almost complete. I guess it doesn't help that the rock is a very splitty dark grey slate type rock, which now it is exposed takes little to break it. While I was up there, many people walked past, many kicking the stones as they went, with children (and adults) jumping up and down on them.

Right beside the busy (on a June Sunday afternoon) GR37 footpath, this allée couverte is suffering badly from neglect and vandalism. The chamber is 11 metres in length, and oriented to the east at 070°. Just two capstones are in place on the chamber which varies from 1 metre wide at the ends, to 2 metres wide at the middle. Part of the surrounding mound survives. There is a terminal cell at the western end, and a doorstone at the eastern end.

Coët Correc allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.584  Date Added: 8th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 26th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: A few kilometres to the east of Liscuis can be found this nice allée couverte. Once off the busy N.?? Road, it is thankfully signposted, as it's a bit of a tortuous journey to get there. From a parking place up a steep lane, it's then several hundred metres of walking, some of which is overgrown, to find the monument.

Once you get there, you are immediately taken aback by what has happened to it, presumably as an act of christianisation, as a large double staircased calvary has been built right over the end of the chamber ! A most interesting feature !

The prehistoric remains are of an 11 metre long allée couverte, facing east at 095°, but with a lateral entry on the southern side near the eastern end. The main chamber is about 1.5 metres wide, up to 2 metres tall, and is paved, but has only the two westernmost capstones still in place. There is a little vestibule arrangement south of the entry, which is blocked off with two doorstones, which have an oval entrance carved into them, which is only just big enough for me to squeeze through, a very nice feature. A pity it was all a bit overgrown though.

Île-Coalen allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.577  Date Added: 5th Jun 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Côtes-D'Armor (22))
Visited: Yes on 25th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: The remains of this monument can be found at low tide on the beach at the southwestern corner of Ile Coalen, which is just offshore from the mainland at the northwest entry to the Trieux river estuary. The island can be reached by walking from the mainland when the tide is out.

It is the remains of an allée couverte, the chamber of which has an orientation of 155°, the length of which was indeterminate to me. At the northwestern end is the remains of a seperate cell a couple of metres in length. Several side slabs, plus the two cross slabs are still in position, but the rest of it is a bit of a jumble, and has been knocked about a bit over the years. There is possibly the remains of a peristalith around it, or perhaps its bits of broken capstone, I cannot tell.

I enjoy coming to these island places - much more fun to come to than a field wall or suchlike.