Cerrig Duon and The Maen Mawr Stone Circle View all content for Cerrig Duon and The Maen Mawr

Certainly not the easiest site to locate, as suggested in the book an Ordance Survey map is needed. I should have paid attention. Alternatively I should have asked the hill hermits to the local goat dung heap. Having got hopelessly lost we ended up travelling south on the A4067 and turning off on the right turn signposted towards Crai & Trecastle (if you reach Craig-y-Nos country park you've gone too far). After approximately two miles down this narrow road it finally runs direcly alongside the stream as indicated in an earlier posting. I kept driving until the road and stream parted and made a hasty three point turn. There in front of us was Maen Mawr, clearly visible about fifth of the way up the hillside on a plateau. Again, as stated earlier, this site is not visible when approaching from the south. The stream proved a little treacherous to cross and the walk up the hill towards the plateau was equally difficult underfoot. One twisted ankle and one fall later we got there (be careful as there are stones littered everywhere). The elements clearly didn't want us there as the wind began to strengthen and dark clouds began to roll in. The site itself? Sad to say that having become tired from a long morning's drive first thing I noticed was the huge quantity of sheep shit and the remarkably spongey ground underfoot. Back to the point. As someone from the south-west of England the Rollrights, Stonehenge & Avebury are only shortish drives away but used to the dramatics of these sites the small stones of Cerrig Duon seemed humble and unspectacular but equally magical in feel. Call me daft I've started to assess places on their feel rather than the eye candy. Wind aside it is stirringly quiet on the plateau and the quality of the air is something I've missed since moving away from the country. Something made me not want to touch Maen Mawr - whether it was its imposing stocky form or the abundance of goat turds that surrounded it I'm not too sure.

Posted by Laughing Giraffe 20th June 2004ce

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