OS map required as lots of puttering around on unclassified roads.
Black Mountains group of chambered long cairns. On open heathland.
The site is on the western side of the hill Mynydd Troed. With views down to the largest natural lake in Wales: Llangors Lake. If the weather is good you can see the tree covered man-made crannog (settlement built on an artificial platform of timbers) on the lake (there is no public access to it).
Ty Isaf chambered tomb is on the eastern side of the same hill.
Approaching from Llangors, take the road that goes past Ty Mawr farm and stay on it.
When the road forks take the right one.
If all has gone well you will pass a sign for a farm called Cockit.
100m ahead up a steep hill is a cattlegrid.
Proceed to the top of the hill and with any luck you are in a parking area.
To your right is the main haul up Mynydd Troed.
On your left is a gate, go through it.
Rather than take the main track up the hill, there is a fork to the right.
Look for the taller bracken mound amongst the shorter bracken just to the right of this track, say 100m from gate.
Usual stuff: impressive views, etc.
Cadw gives the measurements for the oval mound as 20m long and 16m wide and 1.5m high, and orientated north-northeast to south-southwest.
The term ‘recent historical disturbance’ is apt for it, as it would appear to have been quarried quite heavily. It was only discovered in 1921.
Visiting the site, there are a three stones poking up out of the ground; two of them set at right angles, which give the appearance of being a chamber with missing capstone. The stone appears to be Old Red Sandstone.
There are a few others stones poking up here and there across the undulating mound as well as a few big hollows, which may indicate where chambers once stood. These stones appear to have been set on edge as opposed to just lying about.
As always, worth a look in, but I wouldn’t visit it as a birthday treat.