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Wales
Hendre WaelodDolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
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Follow the footpath up to the right from the gate hole, turn right into a brambly snicket, then left, and stay against the hedgerow until passing into a small wood. There are footpath markers to assist. You will be able to see this intriguing chamber silhouetted against the sky-line. In your eagerness to get up close to the monument, which forms the edge of two raggedy barbed-wire fences, take two seconds to locate the kissing gate 50 feet up to the right at the edge of the wood; using it is infinitely easier than scrabbling through tetanus-loaded wire. This secret, compact dolmen – the only one of the Conwy valley's portal dolmens sporting the customary high portal stones – looks down a tranquil bend in the Conwy valley, towards Llandudno and Great Orme. Although compact, it is deceptively huge from a distance, resulting in the viewer feeling a little surprised on arrival. What is most certainly huge, however, is the capstone. It is utterly gigantic. Despite the fact it has slipped down on the northern side, enough space remains to see the interior of the chamber. It is possible to wriggle inside, which I thought of doing until noticing how the capstone is held in place. (See pictures). Frances Lynch in CADW's publication Gwynedd says this is not for the squeamish. Quite right she is too – I didn't fancy the idea of being crushed by a ten-ton capstone, albeit an appropriate way for a Modern Antiquarian to perish. With my wide beam-end, the dislodging of rocks one way or another was sure to occur. When the arresting Kate saw the pictures the next day, she said "Well, at least it would give you an idea of how it feels to be a grain of wheat under a quern stone." Although I was initially a tad disappointed in this site, it has stuck in my mind, and on reflection, I enjoyed it very much. It does have something about it which lingers in the psyche. I liked the remaining portal uprights, and the solidity of the site. I imagine if there are bluebells in the wood, it will look most agreeable throughout May. We would have stayed longer – Jane could have made a fab painting of the river vista – but a chilly wind chased us away to the next site. This post appears as part of the weblog entry Three Go Mad In Conwy: Part I
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Posted by treaclechops8th April 2005ce |
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Hendre Waelod, also known as Allor Morloch, is in a lovely position overlooking the river Conwy on the edge of the valley on a gentle slope 300ms from the river. But it has suffered from neglect and screams to be cared for or it will be lost. But you don't have to look too closely to see the power and the glory of this monument. It mostly consists of a giant capstone, perhaps two and half metres in diametre and certainly three feet thick. I'll repeat that in case you missed it, because it forced me to do a double take. A giant capstone... three feet THICK! WOW! The supporting stones are small and appear to have buckled or melted under the weight. But they are still there, in pretty poor condition, granted, but they still hold the capstone up. Festooned around with rusty barbed wire, it now forms part of an evil fence on which I almost tore off some highly sensitive parts of my anatomy. (Warning, don't try to 'scissor' over the fence, use the kissing gate further up the hill). It is largely this sense of it being rudely used as part of a fence and a sheep shelter that contributes to its forgetten, abused unkemptness. This post appears as part of the weblog entry Conwy crusade: three burial chambers and a stone row
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Posted by Jane27th March 2005ce Edited 28th March 2005ce |
| This site sits in an excellent location above the mouth of the Conwy. Two large standing stones, which may have marked the entrance, now double up as fence posts, unnecessary amounts of rusted barbed wire surround them. The chamber itself is partially collapsed, and there have been no attempts at the usual brick and cement repair - a major plus point. The capstone is a massive bulk, much thicker than many I've seen. It is still possible to climb inside the chamber (just) and the bulk of the capstone, from this position, is overwhelming. Off the beaten track, and presumably rarely visited, this site is well worth the effort. |
Posted by IronMan7th May 2002ce |
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I've looked really closely at Kammer's old photographs below and in the 2nd photo it looks very much as though there was another tall stone flanking the Northern Portal stone. There is a stone probably cut down on the southern side. Frances Lynch says of this site. "This is he only one of the Conwy Valley portal dolmens with the traditional high portal stones- in this case, originally 3m high and probably covered by a separate lintel, now lost. The chamber behind is large but rather low, covered by an enormous capstone which has slipped to the North. Access from the portal to the chamber is blocked by a low slab which can be seen by crawling under the capstone. The tomb stands on a sloping site and the soil has engulfed the bottom of the portal stones and filled the forecourt area. One stone of a possible facade flanking the entrance is visible on the south. The remains of a long cairn can be traced by the line of stones in the footing of the fence." Michael Senior in his book Cromlechs and Cairns of northern Wales says that the capstone is estimated to weigh some 22 tons. |
Posted by blossom27th August 2011ce Edited 27th August 2011ce |
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George Eastman House ArchiveAn old photo identified as 'Bodnant Cromlech' by Alvin Langdon Coburn (there's also a second photo of the site). Sadly it's undated, but was probably taken in the first half of the 20th Century. As an interesting point of contrast compare Coburn's photo to this one by IronMan: http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/5321 |
Posted by Kammer10th June 2004ce Edited 10th June 2004ce |
Megalithic WalksA brief description and images of this site and Maen Y Bardd (scroll down the page for Hendre Waelod). |
Posted by IronMan 1st May 2002ce Edited 30th July 2003ce |
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