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Rhiw Burial Chamber

Burial Chamber

Fieldnotes

Visited 26th May 2012

As I walked from the Rhiw youth hostel, where I’d left the car, I kept my eyes peeled for this one on the approach toward Maen y Bardd, but the smaller of the two ‘Greyhound’s Kennels’ is not easy to spot, hunkered into the hillside as it is. Only after reaching the dolmen of Maen y Bardd itself, and spending some time at that lovely place, did I dig out the OS map, and compass in hand headed off to the ENE.

The jumble of stones across the hillside kept drawing my eye, each one seeming to possibly signify the location of the chamber, but putting all my trust in the compass I soon spotted the ‘blasted tree’ a huge hawthorn canted over at an angle which pointed out the chamber.

And what a place it is! A lovely earthfast chamber, seemingly opening into the hillside. I scooted inside, the chamber surprisingly spacious, although low roofed it must stretch back a good 6’. It’s nice and sheltered in here but still light and airy, mossy growths on the inner stones make it seem like the entrance to a subterranean underworld and I spend some time soaking up the atmosphere, and feeling as if I’m embraced by the earth.

Back outside the chamber I try to get an idea of the layout of the site. A few small stones stand outside the chamber, and a vague outline of a mound once covering the chamber can just be discerned, the whole shape of the burial chamber looks to me almost as if it might have been a wedge-shaped tomb. This enigmatic little chamber is certainly a cracker.
Ravenfeather Posted by Ravenfeather
30th July 2012ce

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