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

Graig Wea

Barrow / Cairn Cemetery

Fieldnotes

I parked the car on the forest track south west of the cairns, right by a junction of forest tracks, I couldn't get all the way down it as there is a barrier blocking the way. So off for a walk I go, sciatic leg not problemising the route at all. The track should terminate in a turn around/parking area but impatient as I am I strike out off piste up the tree covered hill. Immediately out of the trees I start coming across cairn like features, are they the southern most of the cairns, without my compass I'm not at all sure so I keep going up. Passing a ring feature on route, what it is I am unsure, it's not on the map or coflein.
I can see the two summit cairns on top of the hill but pass them by in favour of the north west pair of cairns. But the compass is still in my other coat at home and I've somehow totally lost my bearings, i'm not looking in the right place at all, darn it.
I mosey on over to the two summit cairns, they aren't particularly impressive. The lesser of the two is just a large bump with some stone poking through the short grass. But the other is bigger, not higher, but bigger, and more stone, a large boulder and a stone that could have been a cist cover. But the most featuring feature is the tall modern cairn with a statue on top, from a distance I thought some wally was stood on top of it, but I was the wally, partially lost and failing eyesight.
God I'm old.
But who built this modern cairn here ? is that legal ? and who is it a statue of ? the female figure carries two water jugs, is it a rain bringing fetish, if so tear it down now, Wales has enough rain.
The views are extensive, who knows which way I was looking but I reckon I might have been able to see the Berwyns and the Arenigs.

After, back home I can see where I went wrong, now I know I only saw two of the seven cairns, but is it worth going back to complete the job ?
Maybe.
postman Posted by postman
26th January 2014ce

Comments (3)

Bad leg, failing eyes, you're still getting out more than the rest of us! (although I see Drew has been wandering about in the dark too) thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
26th January 2014ce
If only there was some kind of points system, I'd give him a few. postman Posted by postman
26th January 2014ce
The jury from Crewe says "10 points" thesweetcheat Posted by thesweetcheat
26th January 2014ce
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