Menhirs and Dolmens of Le Bernard

Hike through the countryside of the commune of Le Bernard to discover six dolmens, including the largest in the Vendée (the Frébouchère dolmen), four menhirs and a Gallo-Roman tower. Information panels are provided at each site. A significant part of the circuit is on tarmac. Can also be done by mountain bike.

Details

1531114
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.23 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 23 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 26 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 42 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 11 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the town hall of Le Bernard, Rue des Dolmens.

(S/E) Leave the car park, cross the road and follow Rue des Dolmens (D91) to the right towards the town exit. Pass the school and village hall on your left.

(1) After 500 metres, turn left towards the Dolmens de Savatole (sign) and you will immediately see a group of three dolmens. The first, called the Terrier de Savatole, is located in a field, the next two along the road. Continue along the road and, at the first crossroads, turn right into Rue de la Frébouchère. Continue along the road until you reach the sign and car park for the Dolmen de la Frébouchère.

(2) Take the path on the left leading to the dolmen. Along the path, on the right, you will see a menhir in the field. This menhir is only visible from a distance, as it is located on private property and access is prohibited. Retrace your steps.

(2) Continue left along Rue de la Frébouchère. After 300 metres, you will come to a field entrance with a sign saying "Private property. No trespassing." You can see the Menhir de la Frébouchère from a distance.

(3) Continue along Rue de la Frébouchère and, at the first intersection, turn right onto the road leading to La Penouillère. Continue along this road until you reach the intersection with the D91.

(4) At this intersection, turn left and continue to the first crossroads. There, turn right onto a road in poor condition. Continue to the next crossroads located after a pond on the left-hand side.

(5) Then turn left onto Rue du Plessis, following the sign for "Circuit Cyclable du Talmondais n°5". Stay on this road, ignoring a road coming from the right and then a path on the left. At the intersection (elevation 35), continue straight ahead.

(6) At the car park with the containers, continue straight ahead then turn left towards the Menhirs du Plessis. Turn left again into a wooded lane where the menhirs are located. Retrace your steps along Rue du Dolmen de l'Échafaud.

(6) At the car park, take the tree-lined path on the left. At the first intersection, turn right onto Rue du Puits. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue des Sagaies. At the next crossroads, turn left onto Rue du Mégalithe. Continue along this street until you reach the menhir in a field on your right.

(7) Continue along Rue du Mégalithe. At the crossroads, turn right. Follow the road to the Dolmen des Pierres Folles. The dolmen is on the left.

(8) Continue along the road. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. Go up a long hill and you will arrive at the Carrefour du Moulin du Breuil.

(9) Then turn right. After 500 metres, you will see the remains of a Gallo-Roman tower on the left.

(10) Continue along the road and, after about 150 metres, at the first intersection, take a gravel path on the left.

(11) At the end of the path, follow the road to the left and you will soon reach the Dolmen de la Cour du Breuil. Retrace your steps.

(11) Continue along the road (D21) to the town centre, ignoring three turnings on the left and one on the right. Pass the Romanesque church (which you can visit) and continue to the stop sign. Then turn right and head for the town hall car park on your right (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 25 m - Town hall car park in Le Bernard
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 26 m - Dolmens of Savatole
  3. 2 : km 1.32 - alt. 15 m - Dolmen de la Frébouchère
  4. 3 : km 1.87 - alt. 18 m - Menhir de la Frébouchère
  5. 4 : km 2.48 - alt. 20 m - Penouillère intersection - D91
  6. 5 : km 3.8 - alt. 21 m - Intersection with Route du Plessis
  7. 6 : km 4.88 - alt. 38 m - Menhirs du Plessis - Car park
  8. 7 : km 5.95 - alt. 41 m - Rue du Mégalithe
  9. 8 : km 6.84 - alt. 30 m - Dolmen des Pierres Folles
  10. 9 : km 8.2 - alt. 25 m - The Moulin du Breuil
  11. 10 : km 8.75 - alt. 24 m - Roman Tower
  12. 11 : km 9.6 - alt. 20 m - Dolmen of La Cour du Breuil
  13. S/E : km 11.23 - alt. 25 m - Town hall car park in Le Bernard

Worth a visit

There are numerous megaliths along the route (mentioned in the description). At (2), you can admire the largest dolmen in the Vendée. The slab is 9m long, 5m wide and weighs around 100 tonnes.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Loutre11
Loutre11

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The various sites are stunning and beautifully showcased. However, the routes between each point were dull and monotonous. This is a circular route best done by bike, not on foot.

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Visiorandonneur 79
Visiorandonneur 79

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We hiked under beautiful sunshine.
The route is interesting and offers some beautiful discoveries.
Highly recommended

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Meuh meuh
Meuh meuh

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very interesting tour. The walk was very pleasant

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krokro89
krokro89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a pleasant and interesting walk thanks to the dolmens and their information panels.
After the last dolmen (point 10, I think), I recommend turning back along the path and turning left at the end of it to avoid the fairly busy and therefore dangerous road between points 3 and 4, as already pointed out by a previous hiker who even placed a sign on the route to avoid the RD91

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milet
milet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Overall, it's fine. It's just that the first Savatole dolmen isn't visible at the moment because it's in a field of very tall flax.

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mick15
mick15

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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BULOT JEAN-CLAUDE
BULOT JEAN-CLAUDE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note!

At point 3, continue north to the next intersection to avoid walking on the dangerous RD 91 road, starting at 4.

Jean-Claude BULOT, hiker and 1st Deputy Mayor

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Cassiopeew
Cassiopeew

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few minor clarifications:

Note that the menhir mentioned in point 2, which is only visible from a distance, is the Frébouchère menhir mentioned in the following paragraph (2e 2).

in point 3, there is an error: the road does not lead to La Penouillère. La Penouillère is the starting point, as can be seen when arriving at the D91 (where a sign indicates the opposite direction as being La Penouillère). There is a small private pond with a house at the intersection of the path and the D91.

at point 4, the pond mentioned on the left-hand side is not visible; it is an elevated reservoir where a large mound can be seen, but the water cannot be seen from the path.

At point 5, unless I am mistaken, I did not see any signs for the Talmondais cycle route no. 5

Everything went well.

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Restonzen
Restonzen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike was my first experience with Visorando, and I am impressed by the reliability of this application. To be on the safe side, I printed out the route details, but reading it on the screen and using geolocation proved to be very effective. It would be useful if the entire route, which is marked with signposts, could be identified in the descriptions.
A beautiful hike, during which we discovered some very interesting historical heritage.

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GASTON 52
GASTON 52

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

apart from the dolmens at the start, which we see on the road as we arrive, and just the passage a little further on, there is nothing else of interest to see on foot, as the path is not very good

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Cricri85
Cricri85

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, we followed stone by stone (menhirs and dolmens) a real treasure hunt that we enjoyed once again thanks to your tour.
There were lots of tarmac paths, but as it rained a lot, our feet stayed dry. The campsite behind the school no longer exists; it has been replaced by a village hall. Knowing the area, we preferred to walk behind the school on Rue de la Frébouchère to avoid the busy and dangerous D91. We reached the Savatole dolmens on the right-hand side.
WP4 We took the field opposite with a mown path that follows the D91.
Thank you for these beautiful discoveries in the Vendée countryside.

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rico3185
rico3185

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good hike, but not much shade when the sun is out. There are many more small tarmac roads than paths.
Nevertheless, it's a great way to discover the local menhirs and dolmens.

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Erikarine
Erikarine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

As we are Bretons, we were interested in seeing the dolmens in Vendée. We were not disappointed. It is magnificent.
A bit of a drive but not very busy
Easy walk

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Cart60
Cart60

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 3 on the map, you can continue straight ahead and then turn left to cross the D91 and continue straight ahead!

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darquenneslouis
darquenneslouis

i saw the route in preparation for a trip in June 2020

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