Nothing upon the map... so making it up as I went along
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Posted by GLADMAN 25th November 2023ce |
Interestingly, Coflein reckons the 'Mynydd March' stone may once have been known as Mynydd Tarw... so once upon a time, we may well have had 'Bull, Cow and Calf' stones:
"A shattered monolith is located just off the south edge of a road, set back from it about 3m in what is now a ditch between the road and an old field bank which forms part of a forestry boundary. The stone is in three (visible) pieces. The largest is 1m high, 0.7m wide and 0.5m thick. Two much smaller pieces have become detached from each of two sides of the stone.
The stone is portrayed on Lewis Morris's map of 1744 where it is named Maen Tarw. About 100m along the road to the east is Buwch a'r Llo standing stone pair (which is not shown on the 1744 map. However, the latter are shown on Gogerddan Estate map of 1788, annotated `Maen Tarw?. [David Leighton, RCAHMW, 7 February 2013]"
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Posted by GLADMAN 13th November 2023ce |
This large Bronze Age funerary monument forms yet another piece of the (very) extensive Pumlumon jigsaw, set upon a 1,493 feet high hilltop overlooking Llyn Craig-y-pistyll, some 4.5 miles west(ish) of Pen Pumlumon-Fawr.
Now The Citizen Cairn had thought he'd seen all Pumlumon has to offer over the years... so it just goes to show that: 1) experience doesn't necessarily stop one from acting like a muppet... thinking you know it all, right?; 2) the plethora of Pumlumon's prehistoric riches would appear to know no bounds; 3) just because nothing is shown upon the map... doesn't necessarily mean there is nothing more to find.
But of course, tangible prehistoric reminders such Pen Craig y Pistyll's cairn are but an excuse - albeit an immensely rewarding one for their own sake - to get out and about upon unfamiliar (or, indeed, familiar) hills and take in that wild vibe. Here, as it happens, the initial impression upon arrival at the start of the walk is not exactly salubrious: the stark, ruined miner's barracks of the former Bwlchglas Lead Mine most certainly NOT a sight for sore eyes. Persevere, however, since a short, steep climb sees the traveller soon arrive at a well-made byway heading for Bwlch yr Adwy. These tracks are not my thing, however, so an ascent of the hillside to the immediate south beckons... and thus Pen Craig y Pistyll.
It would be rude not to make the continuation across the bwlch to view another round barrow at SN71978691 before sweeping westward back to the start. Just saying. Now being an English Gentleman - and having no wish to consciously offend - that is exactly what I did
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Posted by GLADMAN 27th May 2023ce |
Crowning the (unnamed?) hill immediately overlooking Bwlch yr Adwy to the north, this deceptively substantial, grassy monument complements beautifully the cairn crowning Pen Craig-y-Pistyll to the south-west.... and boasts equally excellent views looking east towards the main Pumlumon ridge and west for Cardigan Bay.
Stating the obvious, I guess... but incorporate both within a high-level horseshoe walk starting from Bwlch-glas and you not only avoid the idiot trail bikers playing 'broom brooms' down below, but will enjoy some pretty exquisite views into the bargain.
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Posted by GLADMAN 27th May 2023ce |
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