Marteg Valley

When I read Carls field notes the WOW word jumped out most, I found it on Google earth, or at least where it should be, it couldn’t be seen, and with my awesome map reading skills coupled with Carls spot on directions, it was easy as pie to find this little gem of a hidden treasure. No trickyness involved, all straight forward. As you approach the cairn, I was thinking “is that it?, is that it?” but in an excited way not a disappointed way, apart from Cwmbiga long cairn and Pen y Gaer fort these would be my only stones of the day as all the others are barrows, and I do like a good kerb cairn.

This is a good kerb cairn, It’s got lots in common with themodernantiquarian.com/site/2523/dolgamfa_circle.html and themodernantiquarian.com/site/2156/hirnant_circle.html , but it’s surroundings are what takes the biscuit here, high on a hillside looking over the Afon Marteg, and away to the west up into big hill country, heavily cairn’d big hill country.
The cairn is another half buried donut, but unlike other donuts this one has sprinkles. Six large stones erupt from the cairns outer edge, and the inner scoop has a long stone half buried in it, cist or bedrock I don’t know. The main feature of this cairn is it’s placement, on it’s rocky spur jutting into the Marteg valley, below dark imposing boulders and cliffs. Stunning !!!
Then for the first and last time that day it started to rain on me, in my haste to “get out there” I neglected to bring a coat, so we hurriedly returned to the car for some much needed fuel intake (blue cheese butties, mmm)