Posts

What is Timetrails?

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Timetrails is run by a qualified archaeologist who gives guided, self-drive tours of many ancient and mysterious sites in central Brittany. All tours are conducted in English and they focus on sites dating from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Bronze Age. Depending on the tours you chose, you will visit Menhirs (standing stones), Cromlechs (stone circles) and several types of ancient burial monument known collectively as Dolmens. Your guide will explain about the lives of people in Brittany up to 6,000 years ago, highlighting their ingenuity and skill as they constructed monuments which demonstrate a deep understanding of engineering, the land, the seasons and the skies above them. At some sites you'll see enigmatic carvings which tempt us to speculate on the beliefs of prehistoric communities and you'll be amazed at some of their achievements. These tours are a unique experience for small groups, offering unrivalled access to an expert guide who will be happy to answer (or at

Places to Stay - a little bit of luxury on Carnac Plage

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Following on from my recommendations on places I think you'd enjoy staying, here's something that definitely isn't at the budget end of the market, but I think it's worth considering. If you’re planning a visit to the incredible archaeological sites of Carnac, don’t forget that Carnac is also a thriving seaside resort through the summer months. It offers several lovely beaches, a good selection of bars and restaurants, a casino and a wide range of accommodation options. For a little taste of luxury I can recommend the four star Le Diana hotel. It's right on the seafront and many of the nicely furnished rooms have views over the bay.   The bar and restaurant are on the expensive side but the quality is extremely good.     There’s a health spa and a lovely heated, outdoor pool and terrace, so you can combine your exploration of some prehistoric wonders with a little pampering.   I’ve not been paid anything for this recommendation. I just happen to have stayed here and

We're back, and busier than ever!

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  After a short pause in August while I visited Italy, I'm back out on the Timetrail again.   My tours are growing more and more popular and I'm finding new sites to visit all the time. I've recently added an extra site to the Locminé Loop tour which has a lovely little surprise in store. Tours are booking now for the remainder of September, part of October and selected dates in November. IF you are booking through Airbnb don't forget my tours are scheduled according to a fixed calendar. For more flexibility with dates and times, please contact me via email using enquiries@timetrials.fr See you soon!

Where do we go and how can you book?

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If you'd like to learn more about each of the tours we offer, simply go to the menu on the left and browse through each of our tours. You'll find pricing information at the bottom of each page. If you have any questions just use the contact form or email us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. With summer now in full swing (finally), our tours are getting lots of interest. Here are two of our guests enjoying the last site on our Meneac Markers tours this week.

We Accept Paypal

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We're happy to confirm that we now accept payment for our tours via Paypal.

Small groups mean a better experience

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    Over recent weeks we've been asked why we limit our tour group size to a maximum of seven guests. There are two reasons for doing this. Firstly, most of the sites we visit are not established tourist attractions and, therefore,have very limited places for parking vehicles (sometimes requiring us to park as safely as we can on verges). For this reason we like to ensure there are no more than three cars on each tour.   The second reason is that keeping our groups small means we can focus more on the needs and questions of our guests. Our tours provoke lots of questions so we like to spend some time exploring the answers with you. Experience shows us that a group of six is perfect for these types of discussions and debates.     #brittany #brittanyholiday #archaeologytour #archaeology

Magic across time

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Hearts and Hands   One of the things we love about visiting so many ancient sites is the pull they still exert on people, despite the thousands of years that have elapsed since they were built. Over several decades visiting sites together my wife and I have found that, no matter how remote they might be, we are rarely the only people there. That's not to say that these sites are crowded; far from it, but more often than not we arrive as somebody else leaves, or we leave just as somebody else arrives. There is something magical about these sites that has lingered, reaching out across the millennia to pull people towards them, often for reasons that are far too complicated, or personal to explain or even vocalise. This photograph was taken by one of our guests on a recent " Locminé Loop " tour as we walked along a pretty river valley which, in all probability, was the source of stone for some of the local monuments. What motivated people to come here and leave these marks?