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.
