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.

Grand menhir de Saint-Eden

Trip No.203  Entry No.532  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 3

Log Text: This is the menhir that the chap I met last night was telling me about, right at the edge of the Grève (rocky shore), and unfortunately the sea has claimed it. It is now fallen and laying top down into the sea when the tide is in. Perhaps its one of those menhirs that came down to the sea to drink at midnight, had too much and didnt make it back. Or perhaps came down one night when the tide was not a big one, and fell over while trying to quench its thirst. Whatever, its a great pleasure to find this almost forgotten stone which is not marked on any map.

The stone is a lovely top heavy shape, some would say phallic, and about 8 metres in length. Its a pity it cant be re-erected somewhere, although obviously not in its original cliff edge position. There was an old farmer chap working in some fields nearby who told me that he could remember it standing, but he had no idea when it fell, but it was a long time ago. Fantastic.

Grand menhir de Saint-Eden

Trip No.214  Entry No.1  Date Added: 28th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Finistère (29))
Visited: Yes on 16th Apr 2014. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Splendid fallen menhir, right at the edge of the sea, and bigger than I recall it. Now got some pictures with Dad in it for scale. Dad thought it looked like it had a snake or serpent head

Grand Menhir de Counozouls

Trip No.205  Entry No.84  Date Added: 28th Oct 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Languedoc:Aude (11))
Visited: Yes on 12th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: After a seemingly very long drive south from Quillan, along roads hacked into cliff faces, passing through numerous massive gorges which at times I never thought the campervan would fit through, I arrived at the village of Ste Colombe-sur-Guette. A few more miles south along the road in the valley, then climbing steeply up the side of the gorge, all the time bearing in mind theres a 3 metre height limit signposted, but which thankfully turns out to be only at one side of the road. Turn left and cross the bridge towards Cournozouls, and go a further 1.7 kilometres, until you come to a double right hand bend.

There is room to park here on the outside of the curve, and just here can be found this massive menhir, standing below the road on the steep hillside, with a little path leading down to it, and thankfully the trees around it now cleared. The stone now stands proudly in the open, with a lovely view of the village across the valley. The stone stands over 8 metres in height, making it the biggest in southern France, and one of the tallest in the entire country. It is a large granite lump, and initially looks a bit like it might be a natural lump fallen down the mountain. However it certainly looks to have been shaped, and wedged into its upright position, and I am assured it is a proper menhir.

Grand Menhir Brisé

Trip No.203  Entry No.350  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 3 Access 3

Log Text: Much has been written about this place by others already, and I wont spend valuable daylight by sitting and writing anymore for myself, except to say that it is all very different to what it was in 1987, and that the current thinking is that the Grand Menhir was once just one of 19 stodd up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The othher menhirs were broken and used for other purposes.

Grand Dolmen du Ferrussac

Trip No.205  Entry No.150  Date Added: 11th Nov 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Languedoc:Hérault (34))
Visited: Yes on 18th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: 300 metres further along the road to the east from the Petit Dolmen, can be found the Grand Dolmen du Ferrussac. Which compared to the others I have seen around here is a bit of a monster. It is right beside the road, again with parking and sign.

On top of a natural mound, and within its tumulus of stones, the main chamber stones tower above everything. The tumulus is about 16 metres in diameter, and has an encircling ring of large slabs. In the centre is the main chamber, 4 metres long by 1.6 metres wide, and well over 2 metres high with a massive 4.5 metre long by 2.5 metre wide capstone on top. The entry passage is at least 5 metres long, less than a metre wide and a metre high, topped with four capstones, and is largely slab sided. Between the entry passage and the main chamber is a partitioning entry stone. The entrance faces southwest, at 235°.

It's not perfect, there has been a lot of restoration and concrete, including half of the western sideslab, but its a pretty impressive monument. There are supposedly a couple of fallen menhirs between 50 and 100 metres to the south of the dolmen, but this land is fenced off, and with some pretty mean looking horned cattle in there, so I wasn't going to look too hard.

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.

Grand Breuil Menhir

Trip No.204  Entry No.24  Date Added: 6th Jul 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: This menhir is easily found at Grand Breuil, right at the junction of the D.112 and the road for Lezonnais. The stone is about 3 metres tall, and in a little grassy area beside the road junction. It looks to have been nicely shaped, and is cared for to this day. There is a very nice garden on the opposite side of the road, all landscaped and with little megalithic creations in it.

Graig Lwyd Cairns

Date Added: 7th Nov 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Conwy)
Visited: Yes on 13th Sep 2023. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: Last on my itinerary for today are the Graig Lwyd Cairns. There is the one large cairn within the open access land which looks like a cartoon volcano, conical, steep sides and a crater in the top. Viewed with Moelfre and the other mountains behind it, it reminds me very much of the chains of volcanoes in the Auvergne. The other cairns are in the walled and fenced off fields to the north, and I have no way through to have a close look. However from a low point in the wall, I can make out a couple of places where there are stones standing proud of the ground, possibly a bit like Circle 275. Time to get back down to Penmaenmawr, I have been up here much longer than I initially intended, but then again it has been glorious up here and I am in no real rush other than to get a pint before the pubs shut. The path down is a killer on the knees, so steep and long, I can hardly walk by the time I get back to the car. In need of a pint, time to check what might be open using the useful WhatPub link on the Portal's sitepages. Disappointingly, if its correct, the Fairy Glen will be closed, but the Gladstone in nearby Dwygyfylchi is open, where I have a nice sit outside in the sunshine with a pleasant pint of Facer's, a new brewery to me.

Gouville-sur-Mer Menhir

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 28th Apr 2007

Log Text: None

Goughs Cave (Cheddar)

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Cave or Rock Shelter Country: England (Somerset)
Visited: Yes on 5th Jan 2014

Log Text: None

Gouffre de Padirac

Trip No.203  Entry No.125  Date Added: 7th Apr 2020
Site Type: Cave or Rock Shelter Country: France (Midi:Lot (46))
Visited: Yes on 23rd May 2005. My rating: Access 5

Log Text: Blimey it’s a big hole. Gaping Ghyll eat your heart out. I think this is the biggest natural hole in Europe. Its massive. No wonder the people were scared of it as being the way to hell until only last century.

Goose Stones

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Oxfordshire)
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jan 2007

Log Text: None

Goodaver

Date Added: 27th Jun 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Couldn't find on 11th Jun 2022

Log Text: On my way down to Wadebridge today, I didn't have time for the long walk through the forest, but thought I'd try the direct ways from the Bolventor - St Cleer road down the Fowey valley. Both these ways I have seen described. Plan A. up the curvy track at Trezibbet, which is clearly seen from the raad in the valley. I asked somebody tending lambs in the barns at the bottom, and got a friendly but definite no. No way through. Private land. Plan A.2. Up either track from Goodaver, one of which shows to be a path on my OutdoorActive routeplanner. All gates and ways across the river locked. Asked a man tending a tractor. A less friendly, No. Private. So, maybe another time with half a day spare to try the forest way from the north.

Goodaver

Date Added: 27th Jun 2023
Site Type: Stone Circle Country: England (Cornwall)
Visited: Couldn't find on 9th Jun 2023

Log Text: Stop at Webbs Down near Bolventor to try to walk to the Goodaver stone circle through the forests from the north. Its very hot, and about halfway there the forest tracks are all shut off, with barbed wire and CCTV. I look at going over the rough ground to the west of the forest, but it wont be easy. I then check my route map, and realise that the 5 km walk is each way, not a full round trip. Decide this is no good, and head back to the car, but I do get to visit the stone row. Time to go to Blisland for an afternoon pint.

Golden Grove

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: Wales (Powys)
Visited: Yes on 9th May 2004

Log Text: None

Golden Cap Barrows

Date Added: 16th Oct 2020
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery Country: England (Dorset)
Visited: Yes on 15th Oct 2020. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 3

Log Text: Visit on a walk from Seatown up the coast path up and over the Golden Cap and around Stanton St Gabriel and back. Remains of 5 barrows can be seen on the open hilltop to the west of the highest point of 191m, the highest point on the British south coast. They are in a line along the top, but now very low and worn, clearly showing the Chert and gravelly golden sandstone of which they are constructed.

Goggleby Stone

Date Added: 9th Oct 2022
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: England (Cumbria)
Visited: Yes on 19th Sep 2022. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: i drive through Shap and up the lanes to the northwest, finding somewhere to park, then just a little walk to the Goggleby Stone. Slightly disappointed to find it not so large as I had been thinking, and also very crudely concreted into the ground.

Goërem Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.445  Date Added: 23rd May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 16th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: I came all the way out to this poor depressed village at the end of a long peninsula and stayed the night on the harbourside in order to visit this, "the finest angled passage grave in existance". Take a good torch it says. So on a nasty dull grey day I walk round the seafront and through the village till I eventually find it. It is right on the western seafront, in amongst the houses, and has a reasonable amount of land reserved around it. It would probably have a spectacular view if there was one to be seen through all the murk.

Its not a very big mound, just a big enough barrow to cover the passage grave, which is about 20 metres by 10 metres, and up to 3 metres in height maximum, perhaps more originally as the modern ground level is probably higher than it was, particularly with the sea wall here. The entrance is on the south side, but it's gated up, with an iron gate concreted in to the ground, so despite having two torches, I cannot enter and put them to use. But I have to say, that it's no doubt for the best, as the place is littered with broken bottles and other rubbish, with graffitti sprayed everywhere, and badly smelling of a toilet block. This poor little town is clearly suffering from a lack of jobs and investment, and seems to have a bit of a problem with bored youth compared to much of the rest of France. Its a great shame, as I was really looking forward to seeing this place properly. I would like to think that the excellent state of the internal structure is still as it was a few years ago, and that the engraved pillars of the passageway are still in good condition.

Gochang Dolmens

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: South Korea
Visited: Yes on 28th Feb 2014

Log Text: None