Normandy Megalith - Pierre au Rey

Land is the secure ground of home, the sea is like life, the outside, the unknown. - Stephen Gardiner

Pierre au Rey - Normandy Megalith

The Normandy west coast cliffs have commanding views over the sea to the Channel Islands. These steep cliffs are some of the highest in Normandy and landing by boat would be impossible. But thousands of years ago the cliff tops became part of an important settlement for the local people. On these cliff edges they could survey the seas and local islands and by looking inland they could see the rich farmland that would be their sustenance.

Flamanville cliffs near the Pierre au Rey Normandy

There are the remains of an enormous horse shoe chamber placed on a highly visible promontory and all around It is easy to see their places carved into the landscape even today. Built somewhere between the Neolithic and late Bronze Age the burial chambers mark the edge between the sea and the land.

Pierre au Rey Barrow - Normandy Megalith

This place carried with it a possible spiritual influence of an edge between two different worlds. This tradition of building visible cliff edge lookouts continued until the 19th Century. One of the latest built in the 19th Century is called “la Semaphore” an old signalling station now a Gite and restaurant.

Semaphore station on the cliff edge - Pierre au Rey Normandy Megalith

Next to the newest of these construction is the oldest. The Dolmen, "Pierre au Rey".

At 92 m above sea level these "tripod rocks" have rested here a very long time.

This also has the appearance of a look out a megalithic construction on the highest part of the cliffs.

Digital Sketch Pierre au Rey Normandy Megalith

The original construction of the “Pierre au Rey” is from an unknown age but although it has an almost unique in look it does appear to follow late Neolithic to early Bronze Age building patterns. Carved Inscriptions found on the large stop stone were once believed to be Viking but were later found to be ancient Gaulish.

The discovery in the early twentieth century, of a Celtic necklace seemed to confirm this but the strangeness of the rocks placing still leaves much debate about the true origins of the “Pierre au Rey.”

In the 19th century, a mast was erected at the top of the highest rock to allow for "semaphoric signals" but eventually the signallers got fed up with clambering up onto the rocks and erected a larger platform 10 metres behind the Dolmen.

Digital Sketch Pierre au Rey Normandy Megalith

The “Pierre au Rey” Megalith is situated in the garden of the Semaphore and is part of the coast road near Flaminville on the North West Coast of Normandy. Still impassively keeping its secrets to itself thousands of years later, the “Pierre au Rey“ now even comes with a thoughtfully provided picnic table.
 google maps link to the "Pierre au Rey" (opens in a new window)

google maps link (opens in a new window)

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If you're interested in stone circles, standing stones and megaliths in general check out this index. Directions and locations available on each page.
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Normandy

Normandy Megalith - Pierre au Rey

Normandy Megalith The High Man of Hacouville

Normandy Megalith The High Man of Hacouville

Normandy Megalith the long man St Pierre Eglise

Normandy Megalith - Allée couverte de Bretteville

The Fairy Tree and the Devil of Rabey Wood

Brittany
Menhir de Champ Dolent Round Scape
 
A Walking Guide to the Saint Just Alignments

Markers - The Saint Just Alignments

Roundscape of des Pierres Droites Standing Stone Alignments Brittany

Awakening the Ancestors digital sketches and video of Standing stone alignments in Brittany

The eye of the lake l'étang de Quéhon

United Kingdom 

Knowlton Church Landscape Painting Dorset

Hill forts around the Blackmore Vale Dorset

The Devil Stone Bere Regis Dorset Megalith