Visited 6th April 2003: Maengwyngweddw is only a short walk from the road, following a rutted ridgeway track that's used by off-roaders and bikers. There's a lot of erosion caused by these vehicles, and it's getting worse because the bikes are making new ruts on either side of the track (presumably as they diverge from the route to avoid the puddles). I'm not a big fan of the 4x4 lot, but I really hate off-road bikers 'cos they bring erosion and noise pollution! I'll stop ranting now.
Maengwyngweddw is a small lump of quartz, partially shielded by reeds. Approaching from the west it's easy to see. For some reason that isn't entirely clear to me, there are a number of old broken bricks scattered around the area. They're not modern packing stones, but there are a few around the hollow immediately next to the stone. The hollow is presumably caused by livestock, so perhaps the bricks were intended to stop this erosion. I recently saw a similar thing at Tafarn y Bwlch but done with stones. Maengwyngweddw is a Ceredigion style standing stone - small and squat. It's worth visiting for the views, but not if you like your prehistoric sites on the big side.
In his book The Spirit Paths of Wales (ISBN: 1-85284-289-X) Laurence Main describes the site in a way that suggests he travels with a tape measure. He also sheds some light on the meaning of the site's name.
Maengwyngweddw (White-widow Stone) is a striking white quartz boulder about 3ft high and with a circumference of 6ft 8ins…
Another excellent little page by local man Roger Hulm. Hulm gives a translation of 'Maengwyngweddw' as, 'the stone of the white widow', and indicates that it's a possible allusion to the legend associated with Maen Serth.
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