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Twyn Cae-Hugh

Round Barrow(s)

Fieldnotes

Visited 24.8.12

Directions:
Travelling east along the A468, as you go down the hill into Machen, take the first turning on the left. You then go under two railway arches and up a VERY steep hill. Keep on this narrow road (hoping that nothing is coming the other way) until you go over a cattle grid and onto Mynydd Y Grug common – park here. You pass Penlan farm on the right shortly before the cattle grid.

First impression I am afraid are not good as there is plenty of rubbish strewn around near the cattle grid. All the usual suspects can be found – take away cartons, cans of alcohol etc.
Why do people make the effort to come to this fairly remote place only to despoil it?
I can probably half answer my question as the views over Cwmfelinfach to the north are splendid. Would someone able to appreciate the location be the same type of person to drop litter?

Don’t let this first impression put you off and follow the track north west to the fine Twyn Cae-Hugh Barrow. The walk from the cattle grid takes about 25 minutes and you pass the two Twyn-Yr-Oerfel Barrows along the way as a bonus.
The Barrow is easy to spot on the right of the path just after you come out of the other side of the trees. It is fenced off but a gate gives easy access. Judging by the amount of scrambler motorbike tyre tracks around it is just as well it is protected by the fence.

The Barrow itself is large and covered in brambles, ferns and foxgloves.
The top of the Barrow has been dug into.
The views are not too good – particularly when compared with the smaller nearby Twyn-Yr-Oerfel Barrows.

Well worth a visit.

COLEIN states:
‘A large round cairn on the edge of a forestry plantation measures 25m in diameter and 2.5m high. A central depression measures 4m across and 1.3m deep. There is now no trace of the surrounding ditch’.
Posted by CARL
28th August 2012ce

Comments (1)

Great to see you getting to these little-known South Wales sites Carl, great stuff. thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
28th August 2012ce
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