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

Caer Bach

Hillfort

Fieldnotes

I took heed of Skins advice and parked up at Llangelynin church, a pretty little church high up in the hills below Tal y Fan, reached by a thin little hair pinned road. In the corner of the church yard is a walled natural spring, perhaps used in the iron age by the inhabitants of Cerrig-y-Ddinas hill fort, though there are other wells and a couple of springs around. Some people could come just for the well, but there is a lot more up in these hills on the edge of Snowdonia, I've been up here a dozen times already and still keep needing to make return trips.

From the well I made my way into the next field, directly south, for in this field is a hut circle. Alas I could see nothing of it at all, not even a maybe. I didn't spend too long looking because I've got a long way to go, and many sites to get to. Orienting myself from the church to the peak of Tal y Fan, I more or less walked straight to the fort of Caer Bach. North west of the fort I first came to a stone circle, (be it stone circle or hut circle or kerb cairn I do not know) well half a one the other half had gone thanks to the footpath, tut.

This is such a weird hill fort, firstly it's not on a hill as such, of all the hill tops around they chose a slight bump of a hill. Maybe they weren't looking to dominate the whole valley down to the Conwy river, just the immediate locale, the path going past it is i'm sure an ancient one, an important trackway through the hills, the Roman road Sarn Helen is really close by.

The fort has ditches, but up on the fort proper there are what look like old walls, big boulders joined together by smaller fist sized stones. Then there's that big stone in the middle, aligned maybe on Moel Eilio, or maybe not.
Nearby is a strange megalithic structure, probably natural but possibly enhanced by human hands, the capstone on the chamber is too big and the chamber too small(see Sweetcheats pics) also nearby is a cairn, my next port of call, no idea what it's like so it could be a nice suprise, or maybe not.
So much to see, and so mysterious, marvelously mysterious.
postman Posted by postman
22nd June 2012ce
Edited 26th October 2015ce

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