Grand Cairn de Barnenez

In Plouezoc’h, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Morlaix, you’ll find the oldest part of the Barnenez Cairn, made from dry stone and dating back to 4850-4450 BC! It’s the oldest known megalithic site in Europe, and according to André Malraux it would have been better named ‘The Prehistoric Parthenon’, due to its sheer scale and age. In the information centre, a large scale model explains just how the monument is set out. The cairn is made up of eleven dolmens and as many burial chambers. Ten of these are completely covered and are only accessible via a dry stone passage roofed with horizontal slabs. Although not great in number, a diverse range of artefacts has been recovered from archaeological digs here (polished axe heads, spearheads and flint tools).

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