Le Déhus, also known as Dehus Dolmen, is a prehistoric passage and chamber grave and you are probably thinking that it sounds like the last place you would take your kids, however, my girls really enjoy it, think low ceilings, limited lighting and side chambers with large stones to sit on, they will be making up spooky tales within minutes!
Location
Dehus Dolmen is in Le Déhus Lane in Vale, North Guernsey. We found it impossible to find without using our sat nav. It is in the middle of a residential street and all you can see from the road is a mound of grass and a small gate in a stone wall. We saw bikes laid against the wall which prompted us to stop.
There is only space for 1 car to park next to the site however, there are public car parks a short distance away at the end of La Mielette Lane or Petils Lane.
Background
Le Déhus is a prehistoric passage and chamber grave about ten metres in length with a narrow entrance, large main chamber, four small side chambers and a roof of huge capstones.
One of the capstones in the main chamber bears a carving, discovered in 1916, of a bearded face, arms and hands, with what appears to be a strung bow with arrows and some designs of a possible symbolic nature. Known as the Le Gardien du Tombeau, or guardian of the tomb.
A large number of finds including a copper dagger and two copper rings dating from 3500 to 2000 BC were made by F. C. Lukis and his sons during their excavations of the tomb in 1837-1847, making it one of Guernsey’s oldest attractions.
What We Think...
We only spent about 5 minutes inside Le Déhus and the girls found it really interesting. They huddled into a side chamber and started telling each other spooky stories.
There are a few lights inside that you are requested to turn off when you leave so it’s not pitch black and you can see perfectly well without a torch. The ceiling is very low so adults will need to duck to get inside.
Once we had finished inside Le Déhus the girls climbed onto the mound of grass directly above and had fun dancing around, throwing themselves onto the grass etc, they just loved being higher up than us!
I am glad we found Le Déhus as it was good to see and sitting inside sparked the girls’ imagination. If you are passing it makes a nice quick stop off.
Address
Le Déhus Lane, Vale, Guernsey
