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Tristan's Cairn

Cairn(s)

<b>Tristan's Cairn</b>Posted by thesweetcheatImage © A. Brookes (26.5.2012)
Nearest Town:Bethesda (7km WNW)
OS Ref (GB):   SH68916418 / Sheet: 115
Latitude:53° 9' 29.58" N
Longitude:   3° 57' 38.95" W

Added by GLADMAN


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Approaching the cairn from Carnedd Llewelyn, it looks like a nothing of a marker cairn. The cairn itself is very small, even a walker looking for a pile to drop a stone onto might turn their nose up. In fact, my eye is drawn far more to the amazing views, down to Cwm Eigiau and Ffynnon Llyfant far below to the left, Ffynnon Llugwy to the right. Not to mention the Bwlch Eryl Farchog ridge below Pen yr Helgi Du. And Tryfan.

However, as we draw near it becomes clear that the cairn is beautifully positioned on a natural knoll of rock, right above the cliffs that drop away to Cwm Eigiau. If you want a suitably awe-inspiring place to lay a heroic warrior to rest, you couldn’t imagine anywhere much better. Whether this really was the final resting place of a Bronze Age chieftain, or an Arthurian knight, I still couldn’t say. The sky gods certainly have this place in their eye-line whatever.

I leave not knowing any more about its prehistoric authenticity than I did when I came, but I’m glad we came to find out. If you want a high, lonely spot away from the crowds, with breathtaking views, this might do it for you too.
thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
6th June 2012ce

You wont be able to see this cairn from the car, in fact you can't see this cairn from anywhere except up in the mountains, way up in the mountains. So get off your arse, get some comfortable clothing and some stout shoes (don't know what that means but..) and come and see not just this cairn but some of the best countryside there is in Wales, or Britain for that matter.
Situated just below Carnedd Llewelyn, third highest mountain in Wales and England, and just above Craig yr Ysfa, a narrow ridge between Pen yr Helgi Du and Pen Llithrig y Wrach, I may have said at times that some other areas are beautiful, but if that is so then this place is heaven, an earthly paradise for those of us who like beautiful places.

Tristan, as in Tristan and Iseult, was a Knight of Arthur's round table, Tristan whose name in Cornish means sadness, went on the grail hunt with all the other knights. After not finding the grail (we all know it is a person) he was buried here in Snowdonia. Or so they say.....
The cairn itself is a bit of a weird one, it is either the small, very small pile of stones on a natural knoll half way up the mountain ,or it is the knoll itself. From the south the knoll looks very cairn shaped, if it is the cairn it would be bigger than the two on Grach and Llewelyn.
But regardless of who is buried here if anyone at all and regardless of how big the cairn is it's the place that boggles the mind, and my mind was utterly boggled, I wish I was there right now.
postman Posted by postman
28th May 2012ce