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Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
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Gorllwyn is one of just two 2,000ft summits - the other being the beehive-cairned Drygarn Fawr - which entice unsuspecting 'proper' (ha!) hillwalkers to the obscure, soggy uplands feeding the Elan Valley reservoirs near Rhayader. I'd wager many leave disappointed.... never to return. Fair enough. There are few 'spectacular' views to be had here, no soaring ridges, nothing to impede the mist from sweeping in to make navigation a complete and utter bloody nightmare. So please, please do not take this area lightly since, contrary to appearances on the map, I reckon The Cwmddeudwr offer some of the roughest, most testing walking in all Wales, courtesy of a paucity of paths and an abundance of rough, tussocky, ankle twisting grass and bog. Yeah, it's almost as if the area wants to be left in peace, unviolated by the tourist boot.... but if that sounds like a challenge to you... right on, my friends! Go for it, since there's cairns, fallen monoliths and an unrivalled vibe in them thar hills. For starters the 2,011ft sumiit of Gorllwyn is crowned by the messed about remains of a large cairn, described by the Clwyd / Powys Archaeological Trust thus (PRN 3002):
'Substantial round barrow (cairn) located on the highest point (summit) of Pen y Gorllwyn. Constructed as a mound of heaped stone, still standing to a height of 1.4m. The monument has been disturbed by the construction of an OS trig point which has been cemented to the highest point of the barrow. Incorporating the trig point, in the north-west quadrant of the barrow, is a 'C' shaped shelter 3.7m in diameter and 1.2m high, with a hollowed centre. Two further, smaller shelters have been created on the south-east side of the barrow. There is no evidence of kerbing or other features (CPAT 2005)'.
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Posted by GLADMAN
21st November 2011ce
Edited 21st November 2011ce
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