The mound and chapel from the north.
This photo gives some idea of just how big
the mound at La Hougue Bie really is.
Even the primary phase of the cairn, with a volume of 6,300 cubic metres was the
largest known
for an Armorican Passage Grave, and this volume was increased to 9,300 cubic
metres with the
addition of the later terraces. Finally the whole cairn and external
features were buried with earth, producing
what appeared to be a conical earthen hill. We could find no figures for the volume
of this final phase, but the
present dimensions of a 58m diameter cone, 12.2m tall with a truncated top 20m
in diameter would work out
at over 15,000 cubic metres, although this does not allow for the forecourt
void.