Picket Barrow

Date Added: 8th Oct 2020
Site Type: Round Barrow(s) Country: England (Wiltshire)
Visited: Yes on 4th Oct 1998

Log Text: Visit lots of ancient sites on a long off road cycle tour from Avebury to Windmill Hill, along the Wansdyke and back up Kennet Avenue

Picws Du

Date Added: 10th Apr 2023
Site Type: Cairn Country: Wales (Carmarthenshire)
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 5 Access 2

Log Text: From Fan Brycheiniog we set off back northwards and then headed off in a westerly direction across the open boggy moorland, which would not have been a good idea in weather any worse, but it was now quite bright and I was able to pick a reasonable route between the bogs and peat hags! Once onto the path along the westerly edge of Fan Foel, it was steeply down and then slowly up the steep slope to the top of Picws Du at 749m, which is once again topped by an ancient cairn. The remains of this one are in a better, more natural condition than the others up here, no doubt helped by a lesser number of visitors, as the path here is much less worn and eroded. The remains are probably still abut a metre in height, and topped by a modern walkers cairn. Around the outside it was possible to make out a nice circle of kerbstones. From here it is possible to see down to Llyn y Fan Fach in the hollow below, the glacial lake which is the home to the Lady of the Lake legend. With the winds swirling around the mountains, it does indeed make all sorts of patterns on the surface of the lake, as if it is bubbling and boiling away heralding an appearance. It is really fabulous up here, the views extending southwards to the Bristol Channel and beyond, while northwards over the cliff edge up to the Cambrian Mountains. There are many heavy storms moving around across the landscape but thankfully we are missed by the worst of them for the rest of the day. It is of interest to see them tracking over in a north-easterly direction, the shadows of the clouds making constantly moving patterns on the moorland below. There are many ravens flying around, usually in pairs, making their deep cawing calls to each other, which can be heard from miles away.

Pierre a Cupules (Arnac)

Trip No.204  Entry No.169  Date Added: 20th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Limousin:Haute-Vienne (87))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: On a green grassy area at the southern edge of the village of Arnac, is found this nice standing stone, standing about 2.5 metres tall. But the noticeable thing about this stone are all the cupules, or cupmarks, engraved into it.

Not immediately obvious in the mid day sunshine, but the first marks to stand out are on the southeast edge, where there appears to be a couple of rows of 35 mm diameter holes running in a line up the edge. Closer inspection shows a very flat southern face - possibly with checkerboard markings on it, and cupules running up the edges from top to bottom. On the northern face, also flattened, the whole stone is covered with these cupules, loads and loads of them. There must be at least a hundred. There does not appear to be anything on the two sides of the stone.

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.

Pierre a Sacrifice (Putifay)

Trip No.204  Entry No.320  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Polissoir Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 12th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: Near to the dolmen de Putifaie, and right beside the road can be found this stone once thought to be a sacrificial stone. It's now known that the grooves and channels in the stone are the result of it being used to polish axes and other implements. I have to say that I couldn't see anything much in the way of polishing surfaces, the various shapes in the stone looked more natural to me. Perhaps the polishing grooves are under the tree roots etc which are growing on one side of the stone.

Pierre Aigue, Richebourg

Trip No.202  Entry No.43  Date Added: 28th Mar 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Mayenne (53))
Visited: Yes on 30th Apr 2005

Log Text: Allée couverte down near a stream seen across a large field near Richebourg farmhouse. There were no signs and I couldn’t see how to get to it. The remains of what I saw looked quite long and made from large rounded brown stones.

Pierre au Rey

Trip No.201  Entry No.18  Date Added: 25th Mar 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Nov 2004. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Perched high on the cliff top near Cap de Flamanville can be found this strange antiquity, situated in the small garden behind a café, right on the cliff edge. Easily found to the west of Flamanville, just follow signs to “Semaphore” and where the road runs out there is a car park and picnic site as well as the café.

It consists of four large rounded rocks, and doesn’t look like any other dolmen I have ever seen. At first, the rocks look like natural big rounded pebbles, in some kind of pile, but how did they get there like that ? Closer inspection reveals several other stones on the landward side, obviously placed in their position, which would have at one point formed some kind of entranceway to the main chamber, which consists of three large rocks forming a triangular shape, with the fourth rock balanced on top.

A couple of the large rocks have carvings on them, including a human form on the top boulder, but it is unknown as to whether these carvings are ancient or from more modern times, when it was used as a lookout point by the customs men. Some theories suggest that this is not a dolmen in the usual sense of the word, but some kind of ancient seagoing navigational mark.

There were in years gone past, other megalithic monuments in this area, in the form of large menhirs now destroyed, but of which the names and records survive. One of these called La Pierre-aux-Serpents, was 9 metres in height, but was destroyed around 1725 during construction of the chateau. Another, to the southeast at Percaillerie, was 5 metres in height but destroyed in 1890. It is also thought that there may once have been another of these cliff top dolmens at Corb to the north, destroyed before 1880 and of which no trace remains today under the nuclear power station.

Pierre Bercé (Naillat)

Trip No.204  Entry No.177  Date Added: 20th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Limousin:Creuse (23))
Visited: Yes on 22nd Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Signposted south from Colondannes, it was however only the one signpost and then 5 kilometers of guessing the way ! From the village of Naillat take the road out to the east at the back of the village, turn left at the cemetary, cross over the river and then go to the left. The Pierre Bercé is then to be found in a fenced off field about 40 metres from the road at a bend. It is on a little spur and looks out over the stream below, and is about 3 metres high.

Pierre Blanche (Pocé-les-Bois)

Date Added: 18th Sep 2010
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 29th Jun 2010

Log Text: None

Pierre Brune Dolmen

Trip No.205  Entry No.19  Date Added: 14th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Couldn't find on 31st Aug 2005

Log Text: A bit further to the south of Pierre-Soupèze along the same little farm road is a farm called Pierre Brune. There are no obvious signs of any dolmen, but there are lumps and bumps in the fields, and piles of stones in the fields.

Pierre Butée

Date Added: 29th Oct 2019
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Normandie:Manche (50))
Visited: Yes on 18th Jan 2015

Log Text: None

Pierre Cesée

Trip No.204  Entry No.317  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 12th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Although it looks a bit difficult to get to, this dolmen is actually very easy to visit, either by driving down the little trackway to the parking area right by it (which is signposted from the road), or by walking along the path along the banks of the river Loir. Its about a kilometre to the west of Seiches-sur-le-Loir as the crow flies, but not so straight forward by vehicle. The dolmen sits on the flood plain of the river Loir, which is just 150 metres distant, and is in a tremendous little spot.

Unfortunately, as is nearly always the case, it has suffered from vandalism in the form of graffitti and fires. The dolmen is a large Angevine dolmen, with its main chamber a rectanglar 8 metres by 4 metres, oriented 075° and high enough to stand up in. The single massive capstone is now unfortunately cracked into two pieces, as is the massive side slab on the south side. The north side has two large stones, and there is the usual single backstone. The porchway entrance, as is often the case, is a bit damaged and destroyed, there being only one front stone to the chamber, and one standing entranceway stone. The other is laying broken nearby, and there is no capstone.

I was thinking of not even trying to find this, as it looks a bit out of the way. Very glad I did, all thanks, as is so often the case, to looking at the 1:25,000 maps in the local supermarket !

Pierre Chaude

Trip No.205  Entry No.10  Date Added: 13th Oct 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre-et-Loire (37))
Visited: Yes on 30th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: About a kilometre to the east of the village of Neuilly, on the road to Paulmy, can be found this nice dolmen, about 50 metres to the south of the road in a hazlenut grove, and signposted.

The dolmen has a large single capstone which is now broken, sat on top of 6 support stones making a rectangular chamber about 3 metres by 3 metres internal dimensions, and almost 2 metres high at the top. The entrance to the dolmen is through a cut side stone at the eastern side, which has the opening made at the top.

The dolmen was excavated in the 19th century, and several skeletons were found, along with animal bones, polished stones, flint items and pottery. Nearby is the permanent spring of Fonteny, about 200 metres to the south.

Pierre Courcoulée (Landean)

Trip No.204  Entry No.327  Date Added: 16th Sep 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Ille-et-Vilaine (35))
Visited: Yes on 13th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: North of Fougères, in the forest, are several megalithic remains. The Pierre Courcoulée is towards the northwest of the forest and well signposted, it is just 200m from a big forest carpark and has its own circular walk which can be followed.

The dolmen is in a little clearing with signpost, and is the remains of a little allée couverte. The western end is fairly ruinous, but the east end is quite complete and has a closing stone. There are 7 metres of chamber remaining, with two large capstones covering most of it. As the eastern end is not the entry, I would think that this is a lateral entry chamber, with the entrance somewhere on the south side, like several of the other nearby Mayenne monuments. It is in the remains of a mound, and there is evidence for some of the stones of its peristalith still being in place.

Pierre Couverte (Pontigné)

Trip No.204  Entry No.312  Date Added: 12th Sep 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 12th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is a very pleasant find. It's well signposted from the village of Pontigné, a couple of kilometres to the west along the D.171 Rue Des Megalithes, and appears on the village plan with a photograph. This is most unusual in these parts where most are very hard, if not impossible to find. Once at the dolmen, its a 400 metre walk along a footpath through the forest from the road.

The dolmen itself is a very nice Angevin style allée couverte, sat in a little clearing in the forest and well tended by the local community. The main chamber is rectangular, 5 metres by 3 metres internal dimensions, not quite tall enough to stand upright in. There are two large capstones on top of two southern side slabs, one large northern one (and a gap), with one large backstone and the two closing front stones still nicely in place. The porchway entrance is still pretty much intact, and is 2.5 metres long by 1.5 metres wide, and still topped by its capstone. The chamber of course opens to the east, with a bearing of about 080°.

As is so often the case, it has suffered from graffitti and fires, with lots of broken bottles laying about. Such a shame.

Pierre Couverte de Bué

Trip No.205  Entry No.269  Date Added: 13th Dec 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Indre (36))
Visited: Yes on 27th Sep 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 5 Access 4

Log Text: A couple of kilometres to the southeast of the village of Bagneux near to the hamlet of Bué, can be found this dolmen in a lovely situation in the forest. The dolmen is well signposted from all around, and from a parking place at Bué it is about 400 metres walk. The large capstone, 6m by 4m sits on top of a chamber 5m by 3m. It has a backstone and six sidestones in various positions of uprightness. The capstone is between 1 and 1.5 metres above the ground.

It has got its own bench nearby on which to sit and contemplate, with falling acorns a hazard, and a woodpecker pecking away amongst other things. This really is a lovely spot, and so gets a 5 for ambience.

I will make this my last megalithic site on my 6 months trip round France, it really is a nice place to finish on, and an unexpected dolmen at that.

It is now 2:30pm, and I really ought to be getting on driving back towards my sister's. Romorantin, Blois (roadworks), Vendome (Roadworks, big crane, school traffic), St-Calais (terrible traffic), Le Mans (rain, traffic jams), Alencon (slow traffic), Argentan, Flers (dug up, closed roads, diversions within diversions). It takes forever to find Vire, now in the complete dark, St-Lo (more diversions) and finally back to Sara's at about 9:30pm. I was amazed I didn't get tired or dozy at all while driving. Parked with 117630 km on the clock, 545 for today. Sausages and eggs (yummy), large beer, then to bed after seeing a depressing news on the telly. I've not missed missing all the bad news from around the world while away in my campervan.

Pierre Couverte de Corbeau

Trip No.204  Entry No.92  Date Added: 20th Jul 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Maine-et-Loire 49)
Visited: Yes on 16th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This one is quite easy to find, as it is signposted from the nearby hamlet of Bournée, and there is a little picnic area there, despite nowhere decent to park a camper van. It is on top of a hill, in a nice shady wooded area, surrounded by vines, roses and sunflowers, with Troglodyte villages and dwellings all around the area. I couldn't quite make out exactly what this dolmen is the remains of, it seems to be an allée couverte, rather than an Angevine dolmen. The entrance is at the east, and slightly smaller than the main chamber, but it's not a seperate entranceway, as it sort of opens up to the next pair of stones. The back end has all fallen, so difficult to determine. It is up to 10 metres long, 3 metres wide and 2 metres high, with three capstones still in place.

Pierre de Beaumont

Trip No.204  Entry No.270  Date Added: 11th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Centre:Eure-et-Loire (28))
Visited: Yes on 8th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: At the end of the road southwest from Vieuville at a place names les Maisons, there is a farm track which continues on down to a stream. Here in a field of horses is the Pierre de Beaumont dolmen. I couldn't actually get to it, but got to within 50 metres.

Its a nice looking thing, with its capstone still in place on top of several support stones, and I would estimate it to be about 4 metres square.

I met a lady here out walking her dog who told me that until recently you could walk right to the dolmen. Now it has been fenced off, and it is a great shame, and shouldn't be allowed.

Pierre de Couche

Trip No.203  Entry No.23  Date Added: 1st Apr 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Pays de la Loire:Loire-Atlantique)
Visited: Yes on 14th May 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 4

Log Text: In a little enclosure on the opposite side of the busy dual carriageway road from the campsite this stone is just over 2 metres tall in pale granite. It’s a nicely shaped stone but far too enclosed within the houses and noisy.

Pierre de l'Armoire

Trip No.204  Entry No.247  Date Added: 6th Sep 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Ile-de-France:Seine-et-Marne 77)
Visited: Yes on 6th Aug 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This dolmen can be found a couple of kilometres north of the village of Rumont, along the D.16a road. There is then a signpost to it, and it's about a kilometres walk from the road along a farm track.

The dolmen is within a cropped field, but has a reasonable area left around it, and is in the remains of a mound. it looks to be an Angevin type dolmen, with a rectangular chamber 4 metres long by 2.5 metres in width, and it is covered by a large capstone of irregular shape, up to 6 m by 4m, and it has a large hole in the west end. The entrance opens to the east at 115°, but there is not much of a porchway left, except some fallen stones. This was a nice find after all the recent poor dolmens, and nice to have it signposted.