Mane Lud Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.352  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Cairn Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: This is just a few hundred metres away from the famed sites at the Grande Menhir Brise, but it is not visited by many people, yet I think it is a better site than the Table des Marchands.

Still within its large long cairn of stones, it doesn’t look much from the outside, just a large broken capstone at the western end of the long mound. But a closer inspection shows there to be a passage down past a little chapel which has been built onto the end of it, which allows access into a large chamber.

The chamber is about 4 metres by 3 metres, and high enough to stand up in, and has many decorated stones, with a carved floor stone with an axe or plough in raised relief. The passageway to the chamber is about 10 metres in length, with about 5 metres at the chamber end being still covered, while the first 5 metres are open and much altered by the building of the chapel.

La Table des Marchands

Trip No.203  Entry No.351  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 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 stood up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The other menhirs were broken and used for other purposes.

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.

Er-Grah tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.349  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb 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 stood up in a row, and was toppled deliberately after only a couple of hundred years. The other menhirs were broken and used for other purposes.

Dolmen de Kerourang 2

Trip No.203  Entry No.348  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Couldn't find on 11th Jun 2005

Log Text: To the west of Crac'h, down beside the Riviere de Crac'h can be found the remains of another monument which is another important angled passage graves, rather like Luffang, but still with some of its capstones. Besides this are the remains of several other monuments.

Dolmen de Kerourang 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.347  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 3

Log Text: I couldn’t find this dolmen marked on my map on my way to Luffang, but stopped for another look on the way back, after another look at the map. It was very difficult to find, but it is still there to be seen, well hidden under very thick undergrowth. What I eventually found was, near to the trackway a couple of capstones sit on top of a little passageway completely surrounded and covered by gorse.

I later find out that there are in fact two monuments to be found here, within 20 metres of each other, and that they are both dolmen a couloir with large circular chambers, still fairly well preserved inside their mounds, still with some of their capstones. It's a great shame they are so overgrown and neglected.

While here looking about in the woods before I found this, I was approached by two offroad cyclists, who thought I was lost. I said no, I was searching for a dolmen, but they insisted that there was no dolmen here. I had left my map in the van, but they had one with them, so we compared notes, and I pointed to the clearly marked dolmen. No, they said, we are over here, pointing elsewhere. Well, I was pretty sure where I thought I was, as were they, so we agreed to differ, and go our different ways.

I decided to go back to the van, with just one more look in the woods where their map had confirmed that I should find something, and there it was - extremely well hidden. I called over to the cyclists, who had been standing about arguing and pointing at the map. They came, and I pointed out the stones. Oui, c'est vrai, c'est un dolmen! Turns out it was them that were lost ! They thanked me, and there was lots more bickering between them, then they parted with some very cheerful words and waving. As they cycled off, and they cycled off into the distance, the bickering turning to shouting and cursing, and a full scale argument ! I felt glad to have helped them out, as indeed they had helped me, by making me look just one more time for that damned dolmen !

Luffang Allée Couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.346  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Easily found in woodland near Luffang, just to the west of Crac'h, this is the remains of a long allée-couverte type structure, but with no coverstones remaining. The allée is not straight, but turns to the left about 45° after 6 metres of the entrance, before another 14 metres of stonelined passageway takes you to the end. Although there are no capstones, many of the sidestones remain in position, and its in nice cool woodland on this hot afternoon.

I understand that there was once a particularly nicely carved stone making up a part of this monument, but I did not spot it on my visit. I wonder whether this site was once within a large mound, rather like the Kernourze tumulus ?

Tombelles de Kernourz

Trip No.203  Entry No.345  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: The tombettes vary in size from about 10 metres in diameter downwards, and most are nowadays fairly flat. Most consist of the outline of some sort of burial chamber, with a surrounding circle of stones. Various chamber types are to be seen, from simple rectangles to full length stone lined passages.

Tumulus du Rocher

Trip No.203  Entry No.344  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Signposted, and with a parking area, this is a great find. There is a little walk along a wooded headland above the Bono river, and not knowing what to expect here, I was more than pleasantly surprised. It is signposted "Tumulus et Tombettes", and as well as a big tumulus, there are the remains of half a dozen or more smaller tumuli approximately in a line along the ridgetop.

The large tumulus is 30 metres in diameter and about 5 metres in height, with a single entranceway in the southeastern side which is open to the public. Bring a torch. The entrance leads into a curving passage, which is approximately L shaped, and about 20 metres in length, two sections of about 10 metres each. The passageway is made up out of a mix of upright slabs and drystone walling, covered with capstones. It is not quite high enough to stand up in until the end of the passage, where it opens up to 2 metres wide and high. Several of the upright stones have carvings on them, axes, crooks, serpentines etc, but these were difficult to see in the dark with the poor light I had with me. FANTASTIC !

The tombettes vary in size from about 10 metres in diameter downwards, and most are nowadays fairly flat. Most consist of the outline of some sort of burial chamber, with a surrounding circle of stones. Various chamber types are to be seen, from simple rectangles to full length stone lined passages. I don't know why this place is not more well known, I didn't really know of it before I visited, and its one of my favourite sites so far. Think I'll go for another look inside the big mound.

Kervengu Dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.343  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3

Log Text: This is a nice looking dolmen in the middle of a field of sweetcorn, with no obvious access to it. From a distance, it looks like a single large capstone on top of three supports, but this is probably wrong. There is a tree growing beside it.

Allée Couverte dite de Coguer Neguinan

Trip No.203  Entry No.342  Date Added: 10th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 11th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 5

Log Text: In an area on top of a hill overlooking a stream is the hamlet of Le Palastre, with its dolmen. I found quite a few stones here, but was not sure what the official dolmen is ! There is lots of big stones around, none of which looked too convincingly like a dolmen as opposed to natural. The best fit to the map is a series of three large boulders in a row, in the front of somebodies garden right in the centre of the hamlet. There are also some significant looking stones a bit down the hill beside the chapel yard wall. I have since learned that I dont think I found the dolmen, which is positioned somewhere behind the house.

Cohporh Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.341  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 2 Access 3

Log Text: This poor menhir is totally enclosed by massive undergrowth, and just the top of the 3.5 metre tall stone can be seen poking its head out. It looks to be a good one in there somewhere.

Allée couverte du Net dit Clos-et-Bé

Trip No.203  Entry No.340  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: Just 40 metres from the nearby menhir can be seen a long mound, but which is completely overgrown in the middle of its field, which was empty at the time of my visit. Closer inspection reveals there to be many stones in the mound, and at least two capstones still in position on top of what is a 21 metre long allée-couverte.

Menhir de Clos-et-Bé 1

Trip No.203  Entry No.339  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 3 Access 4

Log Text: This menhir which is about 3 metres tall, and just 40 metres from its neighbouring dolmen, is getting swamped by undergrowth in the middle of a field, which was empty at the time of my visit. It has got some lovely lichens growing all over the the sparkly granite.

Saline est menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.338  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir) Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This is a little menhir, probably broken, and not much more than a metre in height, just inside somebodies front garden, but easily visible from the road.

Pointe de Men Maria dolmen

Trip No.203  Entry No.337  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5

Log Text: This poor little dolmen is walled in within a carpark, which I suppose at least protects it a bit. It is superbly situated on a little headland which seperates the Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys harbour from the beach - a very desireable place apart from the car park.

The dolmen is a simple dolmen with a little corridor, but it is not too easy to make it all out, there was possibly a lot more of it once, and it has probably been much modified. the single capstone is 3 metres by 1.5 metres, and there are half a dozen supports, with various other stones laying about.

Petit Mont

Trip No.203  Entry No.336  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 3 Access 2

Log Text: This enormous cairn, built between 4600 and 2500 BC is on a headland jutting into the sea to the south of the Arzon peninsular. The whole headland is now owned by the local government, and is undergoing major restoration work. The cairn is now well fenced off, and visits were closed for the day when I arrived, so the best I could do was to look at it from a few places through the fence.

There were two large chambers within it originally, with lots of decorations of various types. The whole cairn was much modified by the Germans in 1943 as a part of the Atlantic wall defenses, and concrete bunkers were built within the cairn. These concrete bunkers are being kept, as a valid part of the cairns history and re use.

Bilgroix Point Menhir

Trip No.203  Entry No.335  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Modern Stone Circle etc Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: Right on the tip of the northern headland at the eastern entrance to the Golfe de Morbiihan, is a nice little parkland area. Within this is a nice modern menhir which has been carved into Mama Mari, the lady of the sea. It is most convincing, and it is nice to sit here watching all the boats nipping about with some tremendous overfalls as the tide rushes into the gulf. There is somebody arsing around out there, reversing a yacht out through all the current and waves, which is confusing many people, and there is lots of shouting going on. I could sit here and watch the world go by for hours, but I'd best move on.

Bilgroix allée couverte

Trip No.203  Entry No.334  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Passage Grave Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Yes on 10th Jun 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5

Log Text: This is an unusual monument, right near to the end of the northern headland at the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan, said to date from around 2700BC and unique in western France. It is an allée-couverte with a passage about 10 metres long, but other than a large slab at the back (western) end, it was made completely out of small stone blocks and drystone walling, with capstones placed on top of this. The long mound surrounding the passageway has two drystone walling sections.

The whole monument was later incorporated into defensive ditches and structures on the headland, which no doubt helped with its conservation. It is nowadays set in a delightful garden type area amongst all the houses, and when I was here in early June, it was all awash with brightly coloured flowers of all sorts. Californian poppies, lavatera, pinks, sweet-peas, carnations, marrigolds, daisies, and many others. Absolutely lovely.

Île Longue tumulus

Trip No.203  Entry No.333  Date Added: 4th May 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb Country: France (Bretagne:Morbihan (56))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 10th Jun 2005

Log Text: I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun.

Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its double cromlech. Many of the stones stand proud of the island, and indeed the sea, where these half submerged circles are situated, and can clearly be seen from here. Just beyond that is Gavrinis, with its large cairn and entrance overlooking the whole scene. The entrance seems to be looking directly towards me, although in reality it is probably looking a bit more towards the east. The cairn is clearly visible, looking pale against the dark background of a pinewood. A boat trip of people has just landed on the island for the guided visit to the cairn, with its magnificent carvings.

A bit further away to the west is Isle Longue, with its large tumulus at the south end of the island visible, and beyond that is Locmariaquer, with all its sites.