Set upon the lower south-eastern flanks of Gyrn Wigau, to the north of Cwm Caseg, this prehistoric enclosure grouping is cited by Coflein as a 'wandering wall settlement'. In other words - unless you were in the know - it looks pretty much like just extensive sheepfolding from the Bera Bach/Drosgl ridge above. Just goes to show what is under your very eyes all the time, doesn't it? Anyway, to quote Coflein:
'1. An area of relict enclosures & structures, extending over an area, c.450m E-W by 250m, set on the N side of a minor stream channel on ground falling to the S at the foot of Gyrn Wigau: a more recent sheep-fold complex occupies part of the site.(source: RCAHMW 1956 (Caernarvon I), 139-40 No.492)'
and ....
'2. 'On the very steep northern slopes of Cwm Caseg, above Bethesda, is a very fine example of an upland settlement with a series of large enclosures defined by low stone banks. These have no evidence for wall facing and there is not enough material for them to have been walls in the real sense of the word. If they had been meaningful boundaries there must have been a timber element, such as a hedge or fence. On a slope as steep as this the enclosures could only have been used for stock as the soils are too thin and stony for any agriculture to have taken place. Settlements of this type are typically associated with small and ill-defined hut circles. The locations of many early upland settlements have been re-used and, as in this case, some of the stones have been removed to make a more recent sheepfold.'Crew and Musson, 1996, 'Snowdonia from the Air', SNP/RCAHMW. Page 20.'
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Posted by GLADMAN
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