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Iwerddon

Cairn(s)

Fieldnotes

Barely more than a week after my first failure here, I'm back for another go at this elusive cairn and cist. Once more I drive up through the forest on a very rough track, hairpin right turn, then a long looping left bend, the map shows a footpath running through here, couldn't see it last time and I couldn't find it this time, it has, most regrettably, gone.
So I end up having to park in the same place as I did last time, but I now know where the stream is, and to turn left there. The cairn is, map says, in between the stream and the footpath, I've already verified that the footpath has now gone, so I follow the mountain biking path to said stream , turn left and make my appearance on the large clearing seen on maps and google earth.
What an unpleasant place this is, absolutely dreadful, just awful, let me explain. It's not Wales' fault, that's to be sure, they put up a forest here, and then reaped it completely, I've seen what the earth looks like after they've taken all the trees, like a hundred bombs went off, like the Somme without the bodies, sorry, but it's just that bad, with tall grass all over it, at times chest height, holes that are leg deep, streams pass by heard but unseen, it is very slow going, nay it is a dangerous place to walk/wade.
Needless to say, that after two hours of solid swearing at the ground I failed to find it again, it's not big to start with, only ten feet wide and zero feet high, but the cist in the middle should be visible, V.P.Williams or maybe F.Foster from Coflein was there in March 2006, so I'm a bit stumped. I found a couple of likely looking maybe cairns, but both were too high and no cist. I looked under trees, I looked at all the grassy bits, all the stones, anything that peaked my curiosity got a good staring at, but, in the end I had to admit defeat. So I slumped onto the ground on what wasn't a cairn, and stared intently at the Snowdonian view north and west, it is a very good vantage point to see all the big mountains, on that ground alone I am still convinced there is a cairn with a cist up here somewhere. But in the back of my mind I remember that were all human and prone to making mistakes now and then.
Back down by the stream I start looking in a place I know the cairn not to be, but the hillock had short grass and some stones were visible, so I had a look, and found a low wall, with a horseshoe shaped open enclosure built into the lower end, I dont know what it is , but it's not a cairn with a cist in it, I decide to ask coflein when I get home, perhaps I can pin down the cairn if I know exactly where this "thing" is. I did, it's not on there.
Siiiiiiiiigh !
Defeated.
If someone else finds this cairn before me I'll drop me pants on Burton's corner on Saturday afternoon.
postman Posted by postman
19th October 2016ce

Comments (6)

I don't know how accurate this is, or if you've seen it before, but if it's right this should make it much easier to find. Evergreen Dazed Posted by Evergreen Dazed
20th October 2016ce
It'd also help if I posted the link

http://heritagetogether.org/wp-content/plugins/leaflet-maps-marker-pro/leaflet-fullscreen.php?marker=3095
Evergreen Dazed Posted by Evergreen Dazed
20th October 2016ce
Delete that second comment - he loves a challenge ; ) spencer Posted by spencer
21st October 2016ce
If you fancy a trip to Wales you can make him drop his pants on Burtons Corner, whatever that is. Evergreen Dazed Posted by Evergreen Dazed
21st October 2016ce
Thanks ED, it's pretty much the picture Ive got off Google earth, you can see the bend in the path north west of the cist, where I leave the path and get on the open pasture, I'll give it another go sometime between now and next summer, because I do love a challenge.
It's a busy part of the town centre, Burtons is a high end clothes shop.
postman Posted by postman
22nd October 2016ce
No worries, hope you find it next time.

I got my first ever suit from Burtons.

Real class.
Evergreen Dazed Posted by Evergreen Dazed
23rd October 2016ce
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