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Llety'r Filiast

Burial Chamber

<b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechopsImage © Copyright Rebecca van der Putt
Also known as:
  • Llandudno Burial Chamber

Nearest Town:Llandudno (1km ENE)
OS Ref (GB):   SH773829 / Sheet: 115
Latitude:53° 19' 42.3" N
Longitude:   3° 50' 33.4" W

Added by IronMan

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Photographs:<b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by tjj <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by tjj <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Meic <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by postman <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Vicster <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Vicster <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by treaclechops <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Moth <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Moth <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Jane <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Jane <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by Jane <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by stubob <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by IronMan <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by IronMan <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by IronMan <b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by IronMan Maps / Plans / Diagrams:<b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by tjj Artistic / Interpretive:<b>Llety'r Filiast</b>Posted by tjj

Fieldnotes

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Visited 13th Sept 2017: my second visit to the Great Orme. The first two and half years ago was specifically to visit the Copper Mines. This time we went went up to the top of the Great Orme by the tramway from Llandudno - which is a recommended and enjoyable experience. As before, however, there was a fierce wind blowing along with daunting rain showers sweeping in over the Great Orme headland. Wonderfully dramatic but not really walking weather. Had a look around the Visitor's Centre and learnt about Cromlech ar y Gogarth or Cromlech on the Great Orme (Llet y'r Filiast). The helpful volunteer told me it could be found about 150 metres below the Great Orme Mines so we used our tramway return tickets to take us back down to the Halfway Station. From here we found our way down to some houses on the higher edges of Llandudno - and asked a local resident. The cromlech was actually in a field at the end of Cromlech Road with a good stile into the field. In the great scheme of magnificent restored portal tombs this one was quite small but none the less very satisfying to find on that wind swept chilly North Wales day. The cherry on the cake of a memorable day. tjj Posted by tjj
17th September 2017ce
Edited 17th September 2017ce

I arrived at 03.45 am, the birds were singing for all they are worth, the all night afar glow of summer solstice was in the sky, and all was right with the world. The stones seemed to glow in the darkness, giving back the light absorbed in the day, (I know). the fence around it has gone, but the greyhound got out years ago. Photographing stones in very low light is a right pain, I wish i'd known at school what I know now, I would have got a plan, you would know me. But I didn't and you won't, and this is the best I can do. postman Posted by postman
21st June 2012ce
Edited 3rd July 2012ce

Re-Visited 10.12.11

As myself and Karen had managed to get a weekend away on the Great Orme it would have been a shame not to re-visit this site.

Unfortunately the donkeys are no longer in the field (apparently a baby donkey had arrived and so many people visited it caused parking problems for the residents!). The chap who owns the noisy, barking dogs told us that the donkeys had been taken elsewhere.

The wooden fence surrounding the tomb has all but fallen apart but most alarming was a sign in the tomb warning people against any more digging as the site is protected. I couldn't see any sign of digging but it is a worry.

The tomb itself is exactly the same as my last visit and is certainly worth a look when visiting the copper mines (which incidentally was shut this time of year).
Posted by CARL
12th December 2011ce

Visited 11.7.10.
Directions: After visiting the Great Orme Mine, take the first turning right coming back down the steep hill (Cromlech Road). There is room to park near the houses and there are convienient wooden steps into the field. A sign states that there is public access to the Burial Chamber only.
When I visited there were 3 donkeys in the field and thankfully no sign of the dogs. The donkeys were quite funny as one came over for me to make a fuss of and then the other two did the same not to miss out! I noticed that the wooden fence surrounding the chamber had been mostly chewed away by the donkeys - or is that the dogs?!! Still, worth a visit when seeing the nearby mines as it is so close and easy to get to.
Posted by CARL
21st July 2010ce

The donkeys are still there, and so are the dogs, Huskies by the look of them but they were mercifully quiet. The place does look like its all going to fall apart at any minute, I don't know if the big stoney mound that the chamber partly sits on and in is part of the chambers mound or if it's just a natural outcrop. (edit: it is)
Standing on the mound with the mines just a hundred yards away and the chamber right behind you is it obvious to assume the occupant/s of the Greyhounds lair were big cheeses at the mine, what did they do? what was there role in the mine ?
Went on holiday to Llandudno dozens of times as a child, now were planning a return in the summer, what goes around comes around.
postman Posted by postman
25th March 2009ce
Edited 21st June 2012ce

We had ended up at the Great Orme unprepared; having spent the previous day in Chester and being horrified by its "Boozed Up Britain" feel on a Friday evening, headed off to N Wales to escape the drunken hordes. We didn't have our usual array of OS maps, walking boots and waterproofs and only had a couple of hours to spend, so couldn't do any real stoning, so this was an unexpected delight!

Having been blown away by the copper mines, we were then let through a gate and pointed in the right direction of this broken but beautiful site; all glimmering white stones under blue skies(and 2 donkeys for company!) it was just lovely.
Vicster Posted by Vicster
18th November 2008ce

'The Lair of the Greyhound Bitch'. Appropriately enough, the house next door had a yard full of dog shit and a pack of hounds who barked long and loud on our arrival. In addition, the throb of bitchin' rap emanated forth - rather distracting in the otherwise secluded and peaceful setting of this small dolmen.

Unfortunately, the diminutive chamber is crumbling slowly away, much like a piece of Cheshire cheese. Enough remains to reveal what a charming structure it was, and happily, it is obviously looked after, as a helpful tourist information board is stationed nearby. The puddingy stone put me in mind of Carreg Samson, although there was no variation in the stones used here.

With its capstone in place, it would probably have appeared more dramatic, but sadly this broke in three or four pieces a while ago, and the chunks now lie where they fell. Remarkably, although access is very easy via the solid purpose built ladder at the foot of 'Cromlech Road' (big help, that), the site is very clean and tidy. I expected it to be 'The Lair of the Burberry Chavs', but there was not an empty bottle of White Lightening in sight.

Moth and Jane reckon that in its hey-day, Lletty'r Filiast would have been a similar size to Hetty Peglar's Tump, which mean it would have been a seriously important site. Its position so close to the Copper Mines (just a few hundred yards above), is also interesting. It wasn't as dramatic as I had hoped, but pleasant. At least Jane was bewitched, finding herself reluctant to leave.
treaclechops Posted by treaclechops
8th April 2005ce

Just 50ms from the great open gash of Great Orme copper mines, down at the end of Cromlech Road is what is left of Llety'r Filiast burial chamber, standing in a field by some houses one of which is clearly inhabited by a dog-lover.

The chamber is exposed and quite trashed with half its capstone broken off, pieces of rock strewn about. But it still stands, supported by great flat slabs upon which grows great white blotches of lichen. Stretching out behind it rises a massive tump of cairn material. No doubt the people who were laid to rest here were those from the mining community who worked the awesome*(!) copper mines just beyond.

Moth and treaclechops didn't like it as much as I did. I loved it. I felt a real sense of connection with the people who build the monument because the fruits of their day-to-day labours were still visible at the mine. These were people who founded the first great British industrial revolution.
Jane Posted by Jane
28th March 2005ce
Edited 28th March 2005ce

We bumped into a guy who lived on Cromlech Road who showed us the chamber.. he said something about cromlechs and dolmens and one of them has a ring of timbers around, thats how to tell the difference? something like that....

He had some ace pictures of down the Orme mine before you had to pay to go in.
Crazy guy whose breath smelt of windolene.......
stubob Posted by stubob
14th October 2002ce

The large mound of this ruined Cromlech can be seen quite clearly from the Great Orme Mine. The field is private so there is no direct access from the mine, the only way to get here is to go into the village and find 'Cromlech Road', which leads to a stile and the Cromlech itself, which is clearly marked open to the public. The chamber is ruined, but enough stones are still standing to make this an impressive monument.

BEWARE On leaving the site we were chased by a huge angry dog, belonging to the people living in the house nearest to the cromlech. They made no effort to contain the beast, so it's safe to assume that they don't like visitors!
IronMan Posted by IronMan
5th June 2002ce
Edited 3rd December 2002ce

Folklore

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This is one of a few tombs in North Wales to have a name from folklore. 'Llety'r Filiast' means 'Lair of the Greyhound Bitch', a name shared with several other tombs in Wales. There is no surviving story to explain it. IronMan Posted by IronMan
3rd July 2002ce
Edited 19th August 2006ce

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George Eastman House Archive


An old photo of 'Llety-y-filiast' by Alvin Langdon Coburn. 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/11640
Kammer Posted by Kammer
10th June 2004ce
Edited 10th June 2004ce