<< Our Photo Pages >> Barnenez Cairn - Chambered Cairn in France in Bretagne:Finistère (29)
Submitted by TheCaptain on Friday, 28 February 2014 Page Views: 30736
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Barnenez Cairn Alternative Name: Barnenez TumulusCountry: France Département: Bretagne:Finistère (29) Type: Chambered Cairn
Nearest Town: Morlaix Nearest Village: Plouezoc’h
Latitude: 48.667600N Longitude: 3.8585W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
Macha eirrac5 angieweekender would like to visit
markj99 visited on 20th Sep 2023 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 I was suffering from Stone-Fatigue after a week in and around Carnac. I opted to drive for 3 hours to Cairn de Barnenez as a relaxing change. The monument was well sign-posted. The entry fee was a reasonable 6 euros. The epic scale of Cairn de Barnenez was intimidating at first. There are 11 parallel dolmens in the cairn running SE-NW, however all but one of the passages are closed to the public. It took me 45 minutes to fully capture the essence of the monument. Cairn de Barnenez is a recommended visit.
Catrinm visited on 3rd Sep 2022 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
lichen visited on 31st Aug 2022 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
richard_cammo visited on 2nd Mar 2022 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4
Chrus visited on 1st Jan 2020 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5
w650marion visited on 21st Sep 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 So big, it's difficult to fit into one photo! Interesting how the chambers changed in their construction over time, now easy to see due to the damage at the back. The chambers with the rock art are sealed but the visitor centre has photos.
bishop_pam visited on 2nd Aug 2019 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5
Lindesu visited on 15th Sep 2015 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5 Amazing! Such a magnificent structure overlooking the sea.
43559959 visited on 27th Apr 2014 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 5
TheCaptain visited on 16th Apr 2014 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 After our visit to Ile Carn, we really had to pay a visit to this, to show Dad the sanitised version of one of these big Brittany Cairns, and just how big they can get. Unfortunately, we arrived just after 5:00, and the man would not let us in, saying that yes, it is open till 5:30, but last entrance was before 5:00 (now about €5:50).
Never mind, we had time to wander round the outside, and although the fence and hedges now prevent any view from the south or east, from the north most of the cairn can be seen through a few gaps from where the cairn 2 is. I am not sure how many of the 11 passages and chambers can be entered these days, as most look closed off. However, for our purposes, this was enough of a visit really; as Dad said, it wouldn't be as good as the one out on the island.
TheCaptain visited on 22nd Jun 2005 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 3 Access: 4 This magnificent large cairn, is now signposted from miles around as Le Grand Cairn (de Barnenez). It costs €4.60 to get in, and there is a little visitor centre and shop, with replicas of some of the carved stones on display. Unlike 12 years ago, or whenever, you cannot go into many of the chambers, which are now walled off fairly crudely and unimaginatively, which I think really spoils the place. Its not just that you cant get in, but the way its been done really detracts from the view of the cairn and all its many entrances.
Only two chambers and passages are now open, these being the two beehive construction open chambers, but these seem to be cracking and breaking up. I was told by the man in the centre that they are not, and that they have been like that since their discovery. Perhaps its my memory, but I wonder if the 1960s restoration work is not lasting anywhere near so long as the original 6,000 year old work!
It's still a mighty impressive and imposing tomb sitting on top of its headland, and I think that more land has been cleared around it, allowing much better views over the Bay of Morlaix on one side, and Anse de Terenez on the other, which during this visit were full with a high tide, making the whole place seem truly wonderful.
I got talking to the men in the shop, and they were interested to hear about what I was doing, and one of the guys suggested a couple of places that I shouldn't miss. Commana allee couverte near Roche Trevezel, and Chapelle des Sept Saints near Lannion - a chapel built on top of a dolmen, which can still be seen.
johnstone visited on 15th Jun 2003 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
TheCaptain visited on 1st Jun 1993 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Cycling camping trip of north Brittany, day 4. Primel, Barnenez, picnic by Morlaix river. Carantec, St Pol de Leon, Roscoff. Overnight ferry back to Plymouth.
negus visited - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5
rrmoser neolithique02 DrewParsons Martin_L Ripley423 have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4.14 Ambience: 4.29 Access: 4.36
This quarrying has left part of the cairn removed, which allows a good view of the construction of the cairn, and a couple of the internal chambers open to viewing.
Dating back to 4500 BC, the cairn is 72 metres in length, 25 metres wide, 6 metres high and contains 11 burial chambers. One of the oldest pieces of major architecture to remain largely intact, it has been called the Neolithic Parthenon.
Built in two separate stages, using a different kind of stone for each part, the upper part is constructed of local dolerite, has been dated to 4400BC and has 5 chambers, while it’s more modern half is constructed of granite has been dated to 4100BC and contains another 6 chambers. It is constructed in several steps, with some of the external sides, notably the downhill end, having large slabs incorporated into the walls presumably to help keep it all in place.
The chambers are generally made of a central chamber, with a passageway leading to it of length 7 to 12 metres, the entrances all being in the southeast side. Most of the passages and chambers are slab lined and covered by large granite slabs, although one or two of the chambers have magnificent corbelled beehive type roofs. Several of the granite slabs within certain chambers have carvings on them.
One of the most impressive ancient monuments I have ever visited.
Visited Tuesday 1st June 1993
Base Mérimée (Historic Monument)
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124m NW 324° Barnenez cairn #2* Chambered Cairn
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