The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Cefn Glas

Cairn(s)

Fieldnotes

From Betws y Coed, head west, after Swallow falls but before the Ugly house (how dare they) turn left.
Passing the Roman fort Caer Llugwy look out for small left turn for a farm called Bryn Gefeilia, I parked at the bottom of the farm lane with plenty of room.
As I was putting my boots on a man walked past looking at me with some interest, through the open window he said "good mornin, going canoeing are you?"
I looked around vainly looking for something that might have given him that idea, but finding nothing I replied " no just going for a walk" .
This seemed to satisfy his curiosity he mumbled something about an empty campsite and he was off up the lane towards the farm.

After donning my entire waterproof collection, for it was one of those days that occur all too frequently in these parts, I followed the curious man up the lane. As I neared the farm he was coming back down the lane with his bag of farm produce and stopped to speak to me again, first he mentioned the weather, then asked me if I was going up Moel Siabod, I looked back slightly incredulously and answered " in this weather?'
Do you know your way around? was his next question, what is this twenty flippin quetions?
I lied and said yes not wanting to describe my uncanny sense of direction and near awsome map reading skills. He said good morning and off back down the lane he went.

Passing through the farm the footpath now takes over, through a somber crowd of wet calves and on to a three way crossroads, we turn right.
The wind is now directly thumping me in the face and little wet bullets sting it all over, I look sideways and see where i'm going out of the corner of my eye. Wales!!!
A small footpath turns left, ignore it and on to a gate and stile then another crosspaths, turn left again. It is off to the right of this track that the two hut circles are situated but I cant find them either, in this weather I'm not particularly bothered, I will be surprised if I can find the cairns.

Ten minutes on, the path impersonates a lagoon, its a muddy lagoon not in the slightest bit blue.
My internal alarm goes off and I start looking to the left just in time to make out a small bump rising out of the boggy hillside, even though there have been other bumps this one seems the one, as I get closer I can see stone and the spirit of Homer takes over as I let out a loud Woohoo!!!
If this cairn was anywhere else but high in the mountains it would have more visitors, it's tall, it's
stoney and a big cist proudly stares skywards, I do like a good cist, I could have kissed this cist I was that elated at finding it, Anneka Rice would have died trying to find this treasure. The spectacular view was curtailed to about 150 yards, there was no hint of the big mountain hidden so completely by the ground-clouds.

The other cairn was doing its best to stay hidden for a little while longer, as I waded through grassy bogs to the nearest likely looking bump, then to the next one and the next one, when finally I saw it, it was ahh there you are you cheeky little scampster, I do hope I'm not the only one who speaks to the stones when i'm alone.
Lower down a slight slope, and not as big as its near neighbour, this cairn is also full of charm. A small wall has been half heartedly built from its cairn material. But its main point of interest is its well preserved cist, still with its capstone but this is slowly being covered by the little wonder that is Sphagnum moss. Not fifty yards away two large rocks jut out of the squelchy ground, from the perspective of the cairn one of them looks like a standing stone.

It was about now that the batteries packed up, after only a dozen pictures, that'll teach me to delete the old ones whilst on site, its time to go, to a shop with batteries then on to some other little known treasure of Snowdonia.
postman Posted by postman
10th October 2011ce
Edited 10th October 2011ce

Comments (3)

Several laugh-out-louds there Mr P, great read, quality stuff. Something about being a tad barmy, wasn't it? thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
10th October 2011ce
Yup, tickled me too. A great read. blossom Posted by blossom
10th October 2011ce
Thanks,
The North Walean barmy army were recruiting so I signed up.
And they say train spotters are barmy, they just dont know.
postman Posted by postman
11th October 2011ce
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