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Bougon Tumulus
Trip No.204 Entry No.134 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Barrow Cemetery
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 5
Bougon Tumulus submitted by TheCaptain on 15th Oct 2018. Overview of the magnificent Bougon site.
The necropolis plan From the catalogue of the archaeological site of the Musée des Tumulus de Bougon
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Log Text: A magnificent site not far from the town of St-Maixent-l'Ecole, and signposted for miles around. It was about €4 to get in (2005), and this includes everything. I spent more than three hours here, and went back the next day for more, as it had shut before I had finished seeing everything I wanted to, so it was good value. The raison d'etre for this site are the six ancient constructions of the necropolis, of which there are basically 5 tumulus mounds, all of different types, and all close together, which can be visited on a meandering walk around the grounds. With lots of parking and disabled access, there is also a museum built within the archaeological remains of an ancient priory, which is a great place to visit. The displays within the museum concentrate on the late stone age, when man settled down from nomadic hunter-gatherer to become builder and farmer, and all the associated crafts. There are the usual maps and collection of tools, but there is also an interesting display of ancient megalithic art, showing some lovely copies of engraved stones, which culminates in a full size reconstruction of the Gavrinis internal chamber. Outside there are displays of dolmen building, a 40 metre long longhouse based on archaeological finds, Souray sheep, ancient plants..... Everything. This is the best museum of ancient stuff I have been to. This is a must visit place.
Bougon Tumulus A
Trip No.204 Entry No.135 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus A submitted by TheCaptain on 29th Aug 2010. Approaching Tumulus A along the path from the southwest
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus A is a large round mound with a single dolmenic chamber within it. It's a massive dolmen, with a capstone estimated to weigh 90 tonnes on top of a 5 metre by 5 metre chamber 2.5 metres high. It is incredible. It is a pity the french graffitti disease has got here and people are carving onto the stones. Apparently Tony Blair was here in 2002, and has carved his name to prove it... Its also a pity, but the flash and exposure on my camera seems to be playing up.
Bougon Tumulus B
Trip No.204 Entry No.136 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus B submitted by TheCaptain on 30th Aug 2010. Bougon Tumulus B with its two chambers, seen from the southwest.
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus B is a long thin tumulus adjoining A, within which there are two dolmenic chambers, and also two funerary pits in the top. A superb reconstruction has been done here.
Bougon Tumulus C
Trip No.204 Entry No.137 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus C submitted by TheCaptain on 29th Aug 2010. Bougon Tumulus C viewed from the northwest.
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus C another large round tumulus, with a single small chamber within, about 2 metres by 1 metre. The entrance to this is now open, but the original was sealed. Adjoining on the back of this is another large rectangular tumulus with drystone walling.
Bougon Tumulus D
Trip No.204 Entry No.138 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Cairn
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus D submitted by TheCaptain on 29th Aug 2010. Bougon D seems to be more a defining line separating the necropolis into two parts and it winds in a serpent like form between the quarries used to get the stone to build the other tumuli.
It is about 70 metres in length, but only 1 or 2 metres in width and height.
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus D seems to be more a defining line separating the necropolis into two parts. It is about 70 metres in length, but only 1 or 2 metres in width, and it winds in a serpentlike form between the quarries used to get the stone to build the other tumuli.
Bougon Tumulus E
Trip No.204 Entry No.139 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus E submitted by TheCaptain on 30th Aug 2010. Approaching Bougon Tumulus E from the northwest.
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus E is a rectangular shaped tumulus, containing two dolmenic chambers. One of these would have been covered by a large capstone on top of slabs, while the other was almost certainly corbelled.
Bougon Tumulus F
Trip No.204 Entry No.140 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Chambered Tomb
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 5 Access 4
Bougon Tumulus F submitted by thecaptain on 24th Aug 2005. Bougon tumulus and dolmen F0.
This is stated to be the oldest known and dated man made building in all the Atlantic facing lands.
Inside the entrance is a round room, roofed not with a large slab, but with corbelling.
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Log Text: Bougon Tumulus F is a wonderfully reconstructed three stage construction. The earliest part, F1 has a small round dolmen within a cairn made of drystone walling with a corbelled beehive roof. This is said to be the oldest dated man made room in the world. Fantastic. F2 is a long thin construction adjoining F1. F3 is another circular construction at the far end of F2 from the F1 cairn. This contains a large dolmenic chamber under a massive capstone, and includes some engravings on some of the side slabs.
Dolmen des Sept Chemins
Trip No.204 Entry No.141 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 5 Ambience 3 Access 5
Dolmen des Sept Chemins submitted by TheCaptain on 31st Jul 2013. Sept Chemins dolmen can be found not far from the Bougon necropolis, just to the south of the Sept Chemins crossroads. It has been recently restored, and sits in a little area with parking and notice board.
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Log Text: La Pierre Levée, Sept Chemins dolmen can be found not far from the Bougon necropolis, which is just a couple of kilometres away. The dolmen, just to the south of the Sept Chemins crossroads, has been recently restored, and sits in a little area with parking and notice board. The chamber is about 3m by 2m, with two side slabs and a backstone covered by a nice capstone. The entrance is completely open to the full 2 metres width, and faces towards the southeast. A couple of smaller slabs mark out the short entry corridor. The dolmen sits in the remains of a 9 metre diameter circular cairn.
This dolmen is becoming much more like those of southern France rather than the large complex dolmens of a bit further north. The crumbling limestone from which it is made is also more like what is to be found further south.
Dolmen du Bourg (Exoudun)
Trip No.204 Entry No.142 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4
dolmen du Bourg (Exoudun) submitted by theCaptain on 20th Jul 2012. It is a bit of a wreck, and the capstone has fallen to the south with the collapse down the hill of the side stone. The back stone is still upright.
This has probably not been helped in the past by the building of a flat terraced garden for the big house below, which has been cut into the hillside here.
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Log Text: The remains of Exoudun dolmen are to be found less than 100 metres from the village centre and road junction, and it is signposted from there. It is a bit of a wreck, and the 5m by 3m capstone has fallen to the south with the collapse down the hill of the side stone. The back stone is still upright. This has probably not been helped in the past by the building of a flat terraced garden for the big house below, which has been cut into the hillside here.
Dolmen de la Garenne (La Mothe)
Trip No.204 Entry No.143 Date Added: 15th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 19th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4
Dolmen de la Garenne (La Mothe) submitted by thecaptain on 27th Jul 2008. The dolmen is in a clearing in the woods, and still mostly within its mound.
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Log Text: The Dolmen de la Garenne at Villedieu-de-Comblé is fairly easily found from the southern end of the village by following Allée du Dolmen up to the top of the hill and then walking along the footpath to the left into the woods. This is in all just a few hundred metres walk.
The dolmen is in a clearing in the woods, and still mostly within its mound. I cannot be totally sure what this is the remains of, whether it is one chamber with a long and angled passage, or more likely two chambers with entry passageways. The most obvious remnant is a 4m by 3m capstone still sitting above the ground on top of various crumbling support slabs. To the east of this are a lot more stones, which could be the entrance passageway, or the remains of another chamber. From here there is an entrance passageway going off through the mound to the south. It is possible that there are two chambers which both exit to the south.
However, there is just too much undergrowth here, and it has been too messed about with for me to be sure. There are deer in these woods here with me, which I can see as I sit and write this, watching me carefully.
Croissonnière Dolmen
Trip No.204 Entry No.144 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 2 Access 4
Croissonnière dolmen submitted by TheCaptain on 16th Sep 2010. Croissonnière dolmen is not much now, more just a large capstone and a pile of stones, tight up against the back hedge and fences of the new houses. It has seen better times!
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Log Text: Up on the hill to the southeast of the village of Nanteuil, right behind a road of new houses (Rue du Dolmen) can be found the remains of this little dolmen, a few hundred metres walk from the road. It is not much of a dolmen now, more just a large capstone about 4.5 m by 3.5 m, and a pile of stones, tight up against the back hedge and fences of the new houses. It has seen better times!
While I was here, there is a young chap out in his back garden, sitting under an umbrella, seemingly randomly shooting at things with an air rifle.
Les Doignons
Trip No.204 Entry No.145 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Les Doignons submitted by oldman on 1st Oct 2018. Site in Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79) France Close up showing the amonite revealed when the top was broken off this stone
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Log Text: In the book I have about Bougon, there is a map showing a dolmen and tumulus at Les Doignons. A drive past the area and there is nothing obvious to see.
Les Vinettes
Trip No.204 Entry No.146 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Log Text: In the book I have about Bougon, there is a map showing a dolmen and tumulus at Les Vinettes. A drive past the area and there is nothing obvious to see.
Pierre Levée de Bougon
Trip No.204 Entry No.147 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Log Text: Unless this is another name for the Dolmen des Sept Chemins, I could find nothing for this.
Roche d'Avon
Trip No.204 Entry No.148 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Deux-Sèvres (79))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Log Text: In the book I have about Bougon, there is a map showing a dolmen at Roche D'Avon. A drive past the area and there is nothing obvious to see except a major farm of this name.
La Pierre-Levée (Poitiers)
Trip No.204 Entry No.149 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Yes on 20th Jul 2005. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 2 Access 5
La Pierre-Levée (Poitiers) submitted by thecaptain on 24th Aug 2005. This nice dolmen can be found right in suburban Poitiers, fenced in a little park amongst the flats and houses.
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Log Text: Leaving a major shopping complex having been to buy a new camera, I saw a sign to dolmen, so just followed the signs. Past the Gymnasium de dolmen, past a school and along Rue du Dolmen, and there it is. This suburban dolmen is in a little well tended garden park area amongst the houses in southeastern Poitiers. It has a rectangular chamber about 4 m by 2 m and a large capstone sat on several supports along the south side, but fallen to the ground at the northern side. What a strange place to find something like this.
Dolmen de Laverré
Trip No.204 Entry No.150 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Dolmen de Laverré submitted by TheCaptain on 4th Dec 2007. This dolmen is a kilometre or so to the south of the village of Andillé, and can be found in the round wooded area behind the lone house to the northwest of the road.
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Log Text: Most of the fields around here have a bunch of bushes in the middle of them. I went over to two, but they both looked just like field clearance piles. There wasn't anywhere to properly park, nor to turn round and go back to where I think the dolmen must be, so I missed this one. I must try harder.
Vaintray menhir
Trip No.204 Entry No.151 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Vaintray menhir submitted by thecaptain on 8th Dec 2007. Just to the east of the hamlet of Vaintray, and about 100 metres south down a little cross track from the road to Aslonnes, can be found this little menhir, stood in a little grassy clearing amongst bushes in a region left clear of the fields.
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Log Text: Lots of new houses have been built in the area around this menhir, and I could find nowhere to get behind them to have a look. It is all very busy, narrow roads around here.
Andillé Dolmen
Trip No.204 Entry No.152 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Saw from a distance on 20th Jul 2005. My rating: Access 4
Andillé dolmen submitted by TheCaptain on 3rd Dec 2007. About 50 metres to the south of the road to the east of Andillé (Route de Dolmen), in a field of sweetcorn, I could just see the top of this dolmen.
There was no obvious way of getting to it to have a proper look.
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Log Text: About 50 metres to the south of the road (Route de Dolmen), in a field of sweetcorn, I could just see the top of this dolmen. There was no obvious way of getting to it to have a proper look, but it looks to be the remains of a little simple dolmen.
Pouzac Dolmen
Trip No.204 Entry No.153 Date Added: 17th Aug 2020
Site Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Country: France (Poitou:Vienne (86))
Visited: Couldn't find on 20th Jul 2005
Pouzac dolmen submitted by TheCaptain on 3rd Dec 2007. Even having the detailed map of the area, finding this dolmen was not easy.
It is to be found in the side of the hedge, and is getting rather overgrown.
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Log Text: I could find absolutely no sign of this. I should have the few minutes extra in the shop to have a look at or buy the 1:25000 map, rather than think I could go without.