This card by Artaud-Nozais in Nantes of the alignments at Kermario in Carnac (Morbihan) is captioned “where are found the most beautiful menhirs” shows a row of the larger menhirs on the west with some of the smaller ones down the slope in the background.

The impressive allée couverte at Mougau-Bihan in Commana (Finistère) has an 11m long chamber with a terminal cell at the end; 5 of the orthostats are decorated. In 1915 a local man saw nains (fairies) dance around it in circles at night singing songs. #FolkloreThursday.

Another allée couverte associated with fairies is that on Ile-Grande in Pleumeur-Bodou (Côtes-d’Armor). Here it was said that they came out on nights with a full moon and danced with anyone passing; if you danced well they thanked you kindly: but what if you danced badly!?

The dolmen angevin of La Frébouchère in Le Bernard (Vendée) was damaged by early “excavations” in 1833 and restored (probably fairly accurately) in 1887. Part of the tumulus survives on one side as part of a hedgerow. Card by Poupin early 1900s.

The menhir of La Pierre Fitte lies just N of the village of Traversay-le-Comte in St-Cyr (Vienne). It is a thin fissured slab some 4.5m tall and 3.5m wide at the base; a C19 report claims that someone dug to 12 feet without finding the base. #StandingStoneSunday.

A seemingly dressed block standing in the middle of the Forêt de Roumare in Montigny (Seine-Maritime) is often interpreted as a menhir re-worked in later times. This card c. 1910 by J. B. in Rouen.

The dolmen of Le Calvaire near St-Alban-sous-Sampzon in St-Alban-Auriolles (Ardèche) is typical of this region with a broad orthostat on each side which deliberately slope in, a terminal slab and one large capstone which overhangs every side. #TombTuesday.

The allée couverte of Mané-Roullarde in La Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan) has seen much stone robbing and only 4 capstones survive on the 19m long chamber. Three of the orthostats are decorated.

The alignments at Menec in Carnac (Morbihan) are known as the “Soldiers of St-Cornely” after a legend that the saint escaped from pursuing Roman soldiers when they were miraculously petrified. On views like this you can well imagine a legion on the march. #FolkloreThursday.

This card, published by the Café du Kreis-Ker, shows two of the three surviving elements of the lateral entrance grave at Keravel in Roscoff (Finistère); the encroaching artichokes eventually prevailed and all three parts of the tomb were destroyed in the 1940s.

Despite being partially ruined the allée couverte on Ile-Milliau in Trébeurden (Côtes-d’Armor) is an impressive site. It is known as Les Trois Tables en Place after the 3 capstones still on 15 supports; a 4th capstone lies nearby but a 5th mentioned in early descriptions is lost.

For #StandingStoneSunday today we have the magnificent 9.5m tall menhir of Champ-Dolent in Dol-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine) made from a 50 ton block of fine grained pink granite from 4km away which has been smoothed all over. Card by Sorel c. 1905.

The menhir of Bissin in Guérande (Loire-Atlantique), also known as Le Caillou de Gargantua, is slab-like measuring 2m wide at the base of the broad sides but less than a metre thick. It stands 3.5m tall. This card by Chapeau from before 1909 shows one of the narrow faces.

The dolmen angevin of La Pierre Folle in Commequiers (Vendée) was partially destroyed by quarrying activities in C19, then excavated and restored as much as possible in 1901. Traditionally the damage was said to be due to a fight between the Virgin and the Devil. #TombTuesday.

The simple dolmen of Passebonneau in Le Châtre-Langlin (Indre) has a 3.3m long heart-shaped capstone on 5 orthostats which elevate it to a height of just over 2m. There is a report that in 1840 it only narrowly survived being used as part of the bridge at Argenton-sur-Creuse.

The jagged, finger-like menhir of Le Verziau de Gargantua in Bois-lès-Pargny (Aisne) stands about 5m high and 1.5m wide at the base. One tradition held that Gargantua used it as whetstone to sharpen his scythe, another that it was a piece of grit from his clog. #FolkloreThursday.

The dolmen of Bouéry in Mailhac-sur-Benaize (Haute-Vienne) has a roughly circular capstone 4m in diameter with a slightly domed upper surface with 40 cupules pecked into it: hence an early description of it being like a giant tortoise shell.

This card by Artaud-Nozais in Nantes gives a slightly different view of the many smaller menhirs in a “pretty corner” of the alignments at Menec in Carnac (Morbihan).

The 2.7m tall Menhir du Bourg in Carnac (Morbihan) was classed as a monument historique in 1889 but is usually missed by those seeking bigger menhir fields as today it nestles alone among houses on the Impasse du Pouldève. #StandingStoneSunday.

Past stone robbing has reduced the cromlech du Moulin at St-Pierre-Quiberon (Morbihan) to an arc of just 41 close-set menhirs from the western edge. When intact it would have enclosed a bigger area than the cromlechs at Menec or Kerlescan.