The three dolmens are fairly close together about 3 1/2 km north-east of the village. Leave the centre of the village by the 'Rue du Dolmen', a very narrow lane passing to one side of the large fountain, and continue on the road through the new lotissement and steadily uphill for about 3 1/2km. The countryside is beautiful and after the vines you'll arrive in an area of smallish evergreen oaks. The site has a small car park on the right hand side of the road and an information board

Alternatively, leave the village centre on the D111 towards Caunes. About 500m from the village centre, immediately after the Cave Cooperative which is on your left, turn left. The sign post indicates 'Dolmens' amongst other places. Continue straight up the hill for about 3 1/2 km.

The three dolmens are :

• The Dolmen de Jargantière , (also known as the Palet de Roland) - thought to date from around 3000 BC, this dolmen has been maintained and restored by a volunteer association in Villeneuve since 1972.

  Legend has it that Roland, a nephew of Charlemagne, cut the large stone with a few rapid strokes of his sword and then hit it from the Val d'Homps to Narbonne and back again. He wanted to be buried nearby and his burial site is said to be 'le Tombeau de Roland', a short stroll away from this dolmen.

  The view from this dolmen over the central plain of the Minervois towards Alaric is magnificent especially in the somewhat clearer weather of September.

  (The 'dolmen des fades' at Pepieux is also sometimes called the Palet de Roland)

• The 'Tombeau de Roland' (Roland's tomb) - a long slit cut into the rock. Situated a few hundres metres from the Dolmen de Jargantiere and accessed by a path through the woods of small evergreen oaks.

  Although thought of as a dolmen, it is more likely that this very regular gash in the rocks is a sign of early extraction of marble.

• The Dolmen of Roque Traoucado (Roque Trucade) - is situated on the opposite side of the road from the other two sites. From the diversity and quantity of funerary objects found in this dolmen, it is thought to be a collective burial site dating from around 3000BC.

This whole site is beautiful and a tribute to the love and care it receives from its supporters in Villeneuve. At an altitude of around 450m, it is slightly cooler in summer, the vegetation is slightly different and it is well worth a visit.