The French department stones

[salar55]

We always take pics of the department boundary signs ,  another little game when on tour. Lets hope the holidays can start up when Europe gets the all clear. 

[Pingu]

If you insist 


Col de Peyresourde by The Pingus, on Flickr

[salar55]

 Thats an easy one unloaded. https://www.udrop.com/9fnG/Scan-210302-0017.jpg

[Pingu]

There's also this type:


Vaucluse, Drome by The Pingus, on Flickr

[T42]

Duh! Trying to get a better view of that, I moved my head to the right.

[Pingu]

Here you go 

[yorkie]

Here's one, sadly partly obscured by my big fat hairy arse!!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Good photos! I'm curious about these. How widespread are they? One on each border or just sporadic? And what happens when departement borders move; do they move/alter the stone or just leave it there, with outdated names or in a position that's no longer relevant? Are there many like the Four Shires Stone on the borders of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and... oh there are only three? http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=422915&Y=231700&A=Y&Z=120&ax=423560&ay=232300

[salar55]

Is this it.https://www.udrop.com/53iu/P7052048.jpg Part of the 100 cols route in Drome, well sometimes you have to zig zag in and out of the Departments over the cols.

[Pingu]

Is this it.https://www.udrop.com/53iu/P7052048.jpg Part of the 100 cols route in Drome, well sometimes you have to zig zag in and out of the Departments over the cols.

Yup. There's also this on Col de Fontaube which is not in as good condition:


Col du Fontaube, Drome by The Pingus, on Flickr

[Pingu]

Here's one, sadly partly obscured by my big fat hairy arse!!

Even more obscured:


Col du Galibier! by The Pingus, on Flickr

[Pingu]

Another:


IMG_0652 by The Pingus, on Flickr

[Pingu]

Not sure if this one counts, though:


Col Agnel by The Pingus, on Flickr

[yorkie]

Here's one, sadly partly obscured by my big fat hairy arse!!

Even more obscured:


Col du Galibier! by The Pingus, on Flickr

I did get a photo of the sign sans my ugly mug, it was on another machine!

When I got to the top of the Galibier, a huge Dutch motorcyclist was taking cameras/phones off cyclists as they arrived, to take a decent photo for them, with the words "I will make photo for you, you have climbed this huge mountain, you deserve better than a shitty selfie!!"

[Pingu]

 

[bobb]

More country stones with Département sign in second pic.

[salar55]

loaded eco touring Thats better but why
  no drop box on this forum. , all these image sites are ransomware just waiting to pounce .

[salar55]

A favourite one

[The French Tandem]

How widespread are they? One on each border or just sporadic?

I'm not sure there's an official rule, but usually you see them systematically when the border is on the summit of a col. There are some stones on flat lands, but they are more sporadic then.

And what happens when departement borders move; do they move/alter the stone or just leave it there, with outdated names or in a position that's no longer relevant?

Borders never move, don't you know?  More seriously, I have seen only one example of such a stone at a no longer relevant place: the Col du Hantz used to be on the French-German border a long time ago, but the stone is still in place.

A

[salar55]

Another marker but an interesting one, the first 1000 m col climbed on the Tour de France.

[Cudzoziemiec]

How widespread are they? One on each border or just sporadic?

I'm not sure there's an official rule, but usually you see them systematically when the border is on the summit of a col. There are some stones on flat lands, but they are more sporadic then.

And what happens when departement borders move; do they move/alter the stone or just leave it there, with outdated names or in a position that's no longer relevant?

Borders never move, don't you know?  More seriously, I have seen only one example of such a stone at a no longer relevant place: the Col du Hantz used to be on the French-German border a long time ago, but the stone is still in place.

A

Well, it still is a border, but no longer an international one! I wonder if the auberge and the building with the suspiciously wide door opposite used to function as customs houses?

Ed: I see there's an HGV parked in a layby just the other side of those buildings, with a suitably Franco-German name: Klein & Fils. 

[The French Tandem]

Ed: I see there's an HGV parked in a layby just the other side of those buildings, with a suitably Franco-German name: Klein & Fils. 

Some locals would tell you that Klein is not a German name, but a typically Alsatian name 

A

[Pingu]

I'm not sure there's an official rule, but usually you see them systematically when the border is on the summit of a col. There are some stones on flat lands, but they are more sporadic then...

Col de Vars doesn't (didn't) have one.

[JStone]

Montagne Noir, south of Mazamet, en route to Col de la Prade & Carcassonne (2014)

[The French Tandem]

I'm not sure there's an official rule, but usually you see them systematically when the border is on the summit of a col. There are some stones on flat lands, but they are more sporadic then...

Col de Vars doesn't (didn't) have one.

It appears to have one now: