Cairn of Barnenez — Attraction in Morlaix

Thousands of years old and rescued from a company taking away the stones at the beginning of this century, what remains is very impressive as is it's setting on a headland overlooking the Baie de Morlaix. The damage caused by quarrying, which took a bite out of the side of the cairn, at least allows you a view of the construction of the inner chamber of three of the eleven passage graves. You can also enter one of the passages created so long ago. Take your time to absorb something of the atmosphere and feel of the place. I found it fascinating to imagine that the mudflats of the bay were once meadows bisected by the river at the time the cairn was built. Rising sea levels since have altered the view, which is still panoramic. The visitor centre is small and I thought the experience could have been enriched with a more comprehensive display of artifacts. Be aware everything closes for the French lunch break so time your visit...

Total waste of 14 euros. Thrown out before having any time to look around. Absolutely no warning from the woman at the desk that they were closing for lunch shortly, instead she pointed us to go and watch the short film first. No apology at all, instead she pointed to a sign saying it closed at 12.30, which was on the wrong side of the open door, rather than with the opening times opposite. All they could say was come back at 2, which was not possible as we had a bus to catch before then. Terrible service. I came here before in 2009, a good memory now spoiled. Also only one passage is now accessible, so it seems only one of the engravings can be seen, not that we had time to...

Mind you, there is rather little to see but a massive pile of stones, but consider that half the cairn was constructed 6500 years ago and the other half 5500 years ago and that they made false (corbel) domes already, which in fact you can see. They also used slabs of stone to roof the tunnels and some burial chambers, which is kind of impressive because of the size of the slabs but really very simple from the point of view of statics. The false domes however are more advanced. And this was long before the pyramids! But you won't find much information and you need some interest in pre-history to appreciate...