The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

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Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen (Standing Stones) — Fieldnotes

The valley of the two stones - don't know how you say electricity pylons in Welsh! But somehow, if you make your way up here at the right time they just don't seem to matter. Winter is the best, preferably at twilight, this place just has such an atmosphere. The two huge standing stones stand on the horizon as you rise out of the valley to look down towards Anglesey (there's the remains of a Roman Road here) - and they almost seem like gateposts, the entrance to another world. I often wonder if that was their intended effect.

Y Meini Hirion (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes

This place is amazing, not just for the circle itself, but because I believe it is part of a huge ritual landscape which has not been properly documented. The area consists of the tops around Tal Y Fan, and the circumference is dotted with monuments. The various structures in the vicinity of Meini Hirion are the most well known, but there are also circles, huge megaliths and a dolmen above Rowen in Bwlch Y Ddeufaen (Valley of the two stones), and a very old church with a traditionally sacred well in the churchyard at Llanbedr y Cennin. On the tops directly above this I believe there are the remains of another massive megalithic monument, although not being an archaeologist I can't be certain of this. This is a fascinating area which is deserving of much more archaeological interest.

Old Bewick (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) — Fieldnotes

My great Aunt and Uncle used to live at Old Bewick, so I used to walk the hill and moor endlessly as a kid, when the ring cairn was just a bunch of cists in the heather - a stone age cemetry, my Dad used to say. Scared the shit out of me! Bla Wearie is the proper name for this place, the area by the old shepherds house and crag. It is probably the most evocative place I've been to, and now with the reinstated presence of the ring cairn! My Dad carved his name in the rock when he was a kid, but I've never found it.
To be honest, no matter how hard I looked when I was a kid, I could never find the rock carvings on Bewick Hill. From the other posts they sound amazing, maybe it's about time for a return visit!
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