Jersey · JE

Faldouet Dolmen (La Pouquelaye de Faldouet)

In a quiet field on the heights of St Martin, Jersey, La Pouquelaye de Faldouet rises out of the grass like something dropped from another age. Built around 6,000 years ago in the Neolithic period, this dolmen—also described as a stone passage grave—is one of the most evocative prehistoric monuments on the island, and it is completely free to visit at any hour. What makes the site remarkable is how much thought went into placing it. The chamber is aligned with the rising sun on the spring and autumn equinoxes, a feat shared by only one other dolmen in Jersey, the nearby La Hougue Bie. Standing among its massive stones, you are looking at a structure engineered to mark the turning of the seasons long before written history.