Gareth Arthur (Member n0: 154)

Stone hunting in Brittany

“the broken great menhir” which now lies in 4 separate pieces but is believed to be the largest megalith, ever!

A day of stone hunting in Brittany

We started the day visiting Vivien’s exhibition, a series of photos taken of various stones and dolmens across France, Ireland and Sweden. I have to say, it is excellent.

We then visited the Locmariaquer megaliths, taking in “the broken great menhir” which now lies in 4 separate pieces but is believed to be the largest megalith, ever! We also dived in ‘table des Marchand dolmen’ - once inside, you can see the carvings on the wall and ceiling, which are fascinating - one of the carvings reminded me of a wheat field in the wind.

We then ventured to Tumulus de Kardo which is capped with a standing stone and what appears to be a incomplete stone circle, surrounding it. The last time I was here, the tumulus was in total darkness and full of water but has since had a light bulb upgrade! There are some carvings but very faint.

And finally, we were guided around the ‘Alignment du Menec’ by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide Matthieu.

The last time i was able to walk between the rows of menhirs, was some time in the 90’s. They have since been fenced off, to preserve the stones. However, it was nice to finally be back amongst them.

West Menec is made up of 12 rows of ‘Menhirs’ standing stones which is part of the larger site at Carnac. At the edge of West Menec is a tighter cluster of stones which form a stone circle. This has now be incorporated into the village of Le Ménec. To say it’s impressive, is an understatement. 4km of row upon row of standing stones.

Until the next time, Kenavo.