Maen Bredwan

Also known as:
Careg Bica, Carreg Bica, Maen Bradwen and The Hoat Stone
Nearest town:
Neath (4km E)
OS reference:
SS724995
OS sheet:
170
Latitude:
51° 40' 45.24 N
Longitude:
3° 50' 44.8 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Maen Bredwan (Standing Stone / Menhir) by postman

If Stanley made standing stones this would be it.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Oct 13, 2015
Image of Maen Bredwan (Standing Stone / Menhir) by postman

One of the tallest stones in all of Wales.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Oct 13, 2015
Image of Maen Bredwan (Standing Stone / Menhir) by postman

The pear shaped cairn and the 4.3 metre high stone.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Oct 13, 2015

Articles

Maen Bredwan

postman
postman Jun 17, 2010

The map suggests that you could perhaps drive quite close to the stone, we couldnt find the right way though and ended up taking one of the prettiest of welsh walks up to the stone.
I thought I was near enough guessing my way up, but the path led directly to the hill top and the stone, through mixed woodland with occasional views down to Neath, at the top it gets really steep and steps made from earth and wood are cut into the hillside, we saw a Jay here.
The stone comes into view slowly as you approach the hill top, then when you get closer you realise just how big 4.3 metres is, its about two and a half of me.
The stone sits on a wide ridge and though used as a gatepost its hiding place is crap, if it was any more conspicuous it would be jumping up and down. The lofty summit of maen Bredwan is angled, like far off llech Idris and much further the stones of steness.
Why nobody has made it here before me I do not know, just the walk up with son, dog and football through the lush wooded slopes was a  wonder in itself but to find such a big standing stone as well is a treat indeed.

Folklore

Maen Bredwan
Standing Stone / Menhir
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Jun 16, 2004

This stone on Mynydd Drumau goes to the Neath river for a drink every Easter Sunday morning, according to Grinsell’s source in ‘Folklore of Prehistoric Sites in Britain’. The link below mentions that children used to race to the stone on Easter Sunday – I guess that they were trying to get there before it slunk off, or to get there before it got back?

The stone is 4.3m tall, so does not look particularly well camouflaged in its current guise as a gatepost, as you can see from the photos on Megalithica.

Sites within 20km of Maen Bredwan

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.