Breizh

Menhirs and dolmens in North Finistère

Written by Charlotte
18 nov. 2024
Menhirs and dolmens in North Finistère

Famous for its menhirs, Brittany, and more specifically North Finistère, is full of emblematic sites. The Slow Village campsite invites you to set off on a journey of discovery discover the megaliths. You'll find menhirs and dolmens to the delight of travelers.

Want to see a menhir in North Finistère ? Follow the guide and discover surprising sites during your vacation at our campsite in Breizh Légendes.

Menhir in North Finistère: a visit during your vacation

Do you dream of seeing a menhir in North Finistère ? The Slow Village Breizh légendes campsite offers the ideal base for your vacations in Brittany near the Coast of Legends. Hunt for menhirs, Brittany's historic heritage, from your ideally located campsite, just a few kilometers from the Cam-Louis menhir and the Route des Mégalithes.

What is a menhir?

A veritable historical heritage, menhirs menhirs are stones erected in Neolithic times, mainly in Western Europe. In the past, they were used as geographical markers, agricultural tools to determine the seasons, borders or ritual ritual monuments.

Their transport and erection required sophisticated techniques, using logs for example. Sites such as Carnac, in Brittany, are famous for their alignments of menhirsThe Kerloas menhir is the tallest still standing in Europe.

The exact function of menhirs remains partly mysterious and subject to various theories, but one thing's for sure: you're bound to come across a menhir in North Finistère.

The menhirs of Kergadiou, a breathtaking landscape

The menhirs of Kergadioulocated in the commune of Plourin in Finistère, are Bronze Age megaliths. The site features a 10.40-metre-high menhirconsidered to be the second largest in Brittany after the Kerloas menhir.

Nearby, you can also admire a recumbent, unfinished menhir, recognizable by its unpolished walls. According to legend, a lady from the British Isles stole the menhir from a witch who, enraged, attempted to destroy it by throwing a boulder. Missing its target by several metres, the boulder stuck in the ground, creating the recumbent menhir. Every menhir in North Finistère tells a surprising story.

The megalith route, in search of the menhirs of Finistère

Would you like to discover the menhirs of North Finistère ? The megalith route is for you. Don't delay in discovering the most beautiful menhirs in Finistère. Discover in particular :

  • L'allée couverte du Guilliguy: funerary monument at the tip of North Finistère
  • Carn Island cairn: discover the three coloured dolmens and admire an exceptional monument
  • The Saint-Gonvel sand dolmen 
  • The Île Melon dolmen
  • The menhirs of Kergadiou : let yourself be lulled by the legend of the most famous menhir in North Finistère ;
  • The Kerloas menhir: located in the Pays d'Iroise region, this menhir is almost 9.50 m high.
  • The Kereven menhir

At the tip of Brittany, near the beaches beaches of northern Finistère, menhirs and dolmens stand in your way. But what's the difference? Both terms refer to megaliths, i.e. stone constructions stone constructions. In general, dolmens are burial sites, while menhirs were used as landmarks. In both cases, they represent symbols of North Finistère.

Your campsite near the Cam-Louis menhir

Do you dream of admiring menhir in North Finistère ? Your Slow Village campsite is the ideal base for your vacation in Brittany. Relax by the sea and enjoy the comfort of our accommodation.

Discover for example the Cam-Louis menhir just a 25-minute drive from our campsite.

For more information on a visit to a menhir in North Finistère or about your vacation at our campsite, please contact us.