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1) The first place we stopped was the museum in Velzeke, which reportedly had had a broken menhir in the grounds in 1993. The museum was closed and there was no trace of the menhir. My cousin Michael, who lives nearby, recommends the museum for a future visit. |
| 2) Next was the fake dolmen of Jolybos / Bois Joly, a nineteenth-century folly which adorns the Hogerlucht cemetery North of Ronse near Tournai. This was the one and only occasion where the GPS let me down; you can actually park quite close to it, but we were ill-informed and wandered through a bit of nature reserve before finding the cemetery. The correct co-ordinates are 50.765089, 3.608481 so if you use those you'll probably be OK. |  |
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3) Our first real antiquity was nearby, the dolmen known as Peetje en Meetje, where apparently the capstone was placed on top only relatively recently but two of the supporting stones are genuinedly ancient and, unlike many, still in their original location. 50.75993, 3.49318 |
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| 4) Not a megalith, but none the less fascinating: the Roman-era Tumulus du Trou de Billemont, near Tournai. The access road is particularly poor and it may not look like much (and someone had shot up the explanatory sign), but it has reconstructed Merovingian tombs just outside, and you can actually get inside and look at the (reconstructed) burial chamber. 50.57092, 3.46171 |
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5) Very near the Tumulus du Trou de Billemont is the peak of the trip: Belgium's largest menhir, the Pierre Brunehault, 4m x 3m x 60cm, framed by four poplar trees, on a gentle rise near a Roman road. Hugely satisfying. 50.52606, 3.41583 |
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By this point it was already lunchtime, so we grabbed what we could from a supermaket and admired the lovely old train station of Hollain.
| 6) Over to Mons now, for Le Polissoir de Saint-Symphorien in the square of the Mons suburb of the same name, after having been moved about a bit. I am sceptical that it was *just* for polishing flints. (Also, we were amused by the Filles de la Sagesse next door.) 50.43795, 4.00709 |
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7) Not very far away are the Menhir(s) d'Estinnes, casually on a rural street corner, apparently once buried in a field and then dug up again (a story we hear about a lot of these). The bigger one does look like the usual menhir, the smaller one looks more like it's just a rock, but of course you don't get many of those in Belgian soil. 50.4157, 4.1029 |
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| 8) La Piere qui Pousse, in Haulchin also not far from Mons and close to Binche. Like its neighbour at Saint-Symphorien, it has been placed in the main square, surrounded by what is currently a rather unkempt garden. 50.38381, 4.08188 |
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9) Moving down south of Binche, there's an interesting cluster about half way between Beaumont and Chimay. First, on a rural road leading to the French border, just off a crossroads, the Pierre qui tourne de Sautin - actually two stones, one of which has broken and been cemented back together again; we are assured that one is the Pierre-qui-Tourne and the other a polissoir. Nearby is a menhir-style memorial to two French resistance fighters killed by Germans in 1944. 50.15216, 4.21582 |
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| 10) Rouge de Rance. Modern rather than ancient, but really striking. In the middle of a roundabout in Rance (between Beaumont and Chimay). A tribute to the centuries-old red marble mined in the area. Probably the biggest of the stones we saw (though doesn't count as a megalith due to not being old enough). 50.1435, 4.2686 |
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11) The Pierre qui Tourne de Baileux. Farthest south and east of any of these, near Chimay. In splendid isolation on a poor-quality track. The farmer did look at us a bit quizzically, but he surely must be used to megalith fans. 50.03883, 4.40671 |
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| 12) Finally, up to Charleroi, or at least that part of the world, for the Dolmen du Mont de Viscourt, aka La Pierre du Diable. Gave us a true Spın̈al Tap vibe. Reconstructed in a carpark in Clermont village square. My Irish soul slightley rebels at these ancient monuments being moved from their original sites, but if they are put somewhere they will be seen, maybe it's not so awful. 50.25945, 4.31606 |
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13) Nearby is the least impressive of the ancient menhirs we saw that day, the Menhir de Cour-sur-Heure, which frankly is not trying very hard, just sitting in someone's garden. Intriguing markings but they are probably natural. Leans at a jaunty angle. A bit small. Again we got quizzical looks from the farmer. 50.300543, 4.379977 |
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| 14) But we ended on a relatively high note, the Pierre de Zeupire. Tucked behind a restaurant, 14 km SE of Charleroi, but pretty big, and presumably still in its original location. A bit overgrown, but atmospheric. 50.32916, 4.34833 |
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All of these are pretty accessible, and the less