Travel Guides Crafted by Experienced Archaeologists & Historians
The megalithic stones of a large passage tomb in amongst trees in autumn foliage.

Megaliths, Menhirs & Fairies in North Eastern Brittany

North eastern Brittany is well known for its medieval heritage. Here a handful of towns have retained a quaint Middle Age charm, attracting visitors throughout the year. This part of France also has much older megalithic sites that should not be overlooked. Not least because one of these sites is one of the largest of its kind. Thomas, an archaeologist and founder of Archaeology Travel, recently spent a few days tracking down many megalithic sites and researched the associated urban legends and myths. 

The megalithic stones of a large passage tomb in amongst trees in autumn foliage.
La Roche-aux-Fées, with 41 stones and around 20 m in length, is this the largest dolmen of its kind in the world?

Megalithic Sites in North Eastern Brittany

Looking down the covered passageway at La Roche-aux-Fées.
Look at the entrance to the 'covered alley' tomb.
An interior view of the covered passage tomb at La Roche-aux-Fées.
Inside the megalithic tomb.
Two very different menhirs at Sel-de-Bretagne, one white and one black.
The Sel-de-Bretagne menhirs.

Menhirs & Local Legends

Two pieces of rock from the same menhir known as La Table-aux-Fées Saulnières.
La Table-aux-Fées Saulnières.

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La Roche-aux-Fées

Forty-one enormous stones make up a passage, or covered alley, that is 20 metres in length, four times as long as it is wide. Most archaeologists ad enthusiasts alike accept that this is the largest such megalithic in the World. The dolmen is aligned inn such a way that it catches the rising sun at the winter solstice. The land around it is now a well kept parkland that has a Visitors Centre, which is only open during the summer months

La Table-aux-Fées de Saulnières

This dolmen is on gated and locked private property, and so it is inaccessible to the public. There is nothing much to see anyway, other than two very large stones, one of which is over two metres in length. As with all the other megaliths in the area, these two seemingly abandoned stones feature in local folklore and are thought to have been left by the fairies (fées) when they were taking stones from Saulnières to la Roche-aux-Fées.

Sel-de-Bretagne Menhirs

Two standing stones can be visited on the outskirts of the town of Sel-du-Bretagne, and are in a small field that has been fenced off that can be accessed via a footpath from the town square in the village. These two stones are known locally as les menhirs du Champ de la Pierre et du Champ Horel. According to local folklore these two striking stones were abandoned here by the fairies while they were making the nearby Roche-aux-Fées passage tomb.

Archaeology Travel Writer

Thomas Dowson

With a professional background in archaeology and a passion for travel, I founded Archaeology Travel to help more people explore our world’s fascinating pasts. Born in Zambia, I trained as an archaeologist at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) and taught archaeology at the universities of Southampton and Manchester (England). Read More

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