The mysteries of Carnac

[shewhomust]

The south of Brittany, around the great bay of the Morbihan, is rich in megalithic remains: standing stones, chambered tombs, the lot. The best known of these are the aligned stones of Carnac, one of the first sites in France to be protected as a historic monument (thanks to Prosper Mérimée, the man who wrote Carmen): over 2800 menhirs arranged over a site 4 kilometers long. The first time durham_rambler and I visited Carnac was so long ago that I can't say when it was; I remember wandering among the stones, but then I'm so old that I remember wandering freely among the stones at Stonehenge. The last time we were there, there was a strike in progress; the visitor centre was occupied by people (staff or not, I don't know) who objected to the proposed 'improvements' which would, they said, restrict access to the site; meanwhile, parts of the site were open to visitors but others were closed by the strike.

That was long enough ago that the said improvements have now happened: there is a large car park, and a modern visitor centre, selling a wide range of books and souvenirs. In summer, admission to the stones is permitted only to guided tours, but off-season, starting from October 1st, there is unrestricted access. We were there on September 30th, so it was tours only - and we arrived late morning, to be told the next tour was at two o' clock. It was admittedly a glorious sunny day, and we often complain that France closes down its summer attractions too early in the year, but on this occasion we would gladly have had the winter deal. The staff made no attempt to sell us the guided tour: it was in French, they warned us. We might have decided to return after lunch: durham_rambler asked if there was a café nearby, to be shown the centre's coffee machine. Did they have a map, then, to help us explore independently?

They didn't, but the big map on the display panel showed some footpaths, and we set off on the road, peering over and through the wire fences at the stones. I repeat, the stones are magnificent. Few of them are really huge, but the effect of row upon row of straight lines is impressive, and the fencing really doesn't block the view or stop you touching at least some of the stones. More of a problem is that much of the time you are walking along the road; some local footpaths are signposted with information abut the stones, but they are liable to fizzle out; other footpaths coincide with the stones for a crtain distance and then wander off on missions of their own. The National Monuments web site speaks of "setting up themed pedestrian and cycle paths", but a simple map with a suggested route would surely have been no harder to prepare than a fancy visitor centre?

Naturally, summer season or no, the crêperie nearest to the centre was closed, and I was mentally drafting a post recommending visitors to bring a picnic, when we came across Chez Céline, a crêperie as well as a souvenir shop (where I also bought my next year's diary, my annual treat for myself).

The first mystery, then, is why the system - whether the problem lies with the rules, the staff or the staff's application of the rules = turns away paying customers. And the second mystery (and I can think of no connection between the two, other than poetic justice) is why this astounding collection of monuments is not listed as a World Heritage site? Aha! It is on the tentative list, whatever that means; sometimes the solution to a mystery is another mystery.

Comments

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Carnac is totally amazing.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

It is, isn't it? I hope that came through all the whingeing!

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

What a neat photo and neato post. I'd never heard of Carnac (yes, I am an unschooled Yank).

Are you around at all in the next week or two?

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

The rest of this week is a bit breathless, but if you can fit me in next week, absolutely!

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

I guess I'll have to let you know about next week; J will be finished with work (his last day is this Friday) and he wants to explore around the Lake District and stuff. Not sure what days we will be where...

We will have house guests for the next weekend (the 17th) and then we will be packing madly to be ready to move out on the 21st. The guys are coming to take our stuff to ship it across the Pond in the 20th. You would be most welcome to come round and see if there's anything in the kitchen that we can gift you. I'd have to have to throw stuff away...

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

So little time, so much to do...

Next week doesn't sound promising, does it? If you were free sometime in the first half of the week, that would be best for me, and you could give me a call at the last minute. Otherwise, at a pinch, I could do tomorrow (preferably afternoon) -

And I think it's time you came here -

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

The first half of next week sounds promising (maybe Monday?); I'd be glad to call you but I still don't have your number.

I'd also be glad to come to you but time is becoming a big factor; how long does it take to walk to yours? Also, I have some things in the cupboard/cooking stuff that I wondered if you might like. I'd hate for it to go to waste and my neighbours aren't terribly adventurous when it comes to cooking. I don't expect that they would be interested in pomogranate (sp?) molasses and such...

J has agreed that you and R should have our English Heritage cards but he asks that we post them to you on our way out of the country, as he'll be wanting to use them in the last few weeks that we're here. ;-)