Gors Fawr

Also known as:
Cylch y Trallwyn
Nearest town:
Narberth (15km S)
OS reference:
SN135294
OS sheets:
145, 158
Latitude:
51° 55' 52.76 N
Longitude:
4° 42' 46.85 W

Images

Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by AdrianStallwood

This red coloured stone, on the footpath a few hundred yards NE from the stone pair, looked like a piece of shaped megalithic cheese

AdrianStallwood
AdrianStallwood Jan 29, 2025
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by AdrianStallwood

The nearest outlier with Orion overhead (with dog instead of attack ships on fire). This is a chunky groover

AdrianStallwood
AdrianStallwood Jan 29, 2025
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

Looking north towards Foel Feddau and Carn Sian. The Cerrig Meibion Arthur stones are below the hills.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

Looking west. The rounded hill in the centre is (I think) Mynydd Bach.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

Towards Foel Cwmcerwyn, the highest point in Pembrokeshire.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

Just off from the circle is what appears to be small ring of low stones, looking very much like a little kerb- or ring-cairn. Nothing on the SMR that I can see, but it looked quite obvious on the ground.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

The southeastern arc, with the jagged Carn Menyn on the left skyline.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

Looking southwest, once the gaze was wrenched away from the Preseli backdrop.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by thesweetcheat

I’ve wanted to come here for almost a quarter of a century, it really didn’t disappoint. Looking towards Mynydd Preseli.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2023
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by GLADMAN

Looking towards Y Preselau.... if there is such a thing as a soul, well, this should inform it.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 20, 2016
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by A R Cane

We couldn’t really have asked for a better backdrop. Thank you Preseli Mountains.

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane May 27, 2015
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by A R Cane

The outliers which align on the Summer Solstice (apparently).

Image credit: A R Cane
A R Cane
A R Cane May 27, 2015
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by GLADMAN

The other outlier is within the gorse to the right.......

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 2, 2009
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by Kammer

Taken 19th April 2003: Lou took this shot as we left the circle (from the south east).

Image credit: Louise Marshall
Kammer
Kammer May 22, 2003
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by Kammer

Taken 19th April 2003: The smaller, and most northerly of the two outlying stones, with the OS Landranger map for scale.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer May 22, 2003
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by Kammer

Taken 19th April 2003: The two outlying stones from the south, with Lou William and Alfie for scale.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer May 22, 2003
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by Kammer

Taken 19th April 2003: The most northerly stone in the circle, looking towards the two outlying standing stones (marked with an arrow). In the distance is the Preseli range, with Carn Meini on the left.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer May 22, 2003
Image of Gors Fawr (Stone Circle) by Kammer

Taken 19th April 2003: Looking at the circle from the south (yes, that’s the south Louise!) with Carn Meini in the distance. The little red dot on one of the stones is William pretending to be a fireman.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer May 21, 2003

Articles

Gors Fawr

AdrianStallwood
AdrianStallwood Jan 29, 2025

A very soggy nocturnal visit to Gors Fawr after two days of torrential rain, making the bog siting even more sodden and sucky than usual. Compensation was given in that finally the stars were visible after days and days of murk.
The suggestion (and apparent antiquarian accounts) of an avenue between the circle and the stone pair seems to feel ‘right’ on the ground, although being also the route of the footpath that cuts across to Mynachlog-ddu Common it’s obviously well walked.
However, there are some more rocks along the path that seem a bit odd, like they could have been placed. A reddish weathered rock that looked like a giant wedge of cheese (of the same kind that holds the little plaque at the entrance to the site) was striking. What if the avenue to the outliers was part of an ancient trackway (following the footpath and then the modern road) up to the skirt of Carn Sian and via that onto the Preselis? All speculative, but the area around is littered with (still) standing stones like Glynsaithmaen and Rhos Fach, all of which would surely have existed for centuries as contemporaries in the landscape.

Gors Fawr

C
CARL Jul 6, 2010

Visited 30.6.10.
This is a really lovely place to visit – very atmospheric. A 2 minute walk from the layby, opposite a bungalow. There is a nice new slate sign which states the circle was errected between 2,300 – 1,200 BC. When visiting don’t forget to look out for the two standing stones a short distance from the circle to your right. One is about 6ft high, the other about 5ft ish. Please try to visit this site is you are able. Well worth a visit.

Gors Fawr

postman
postman Feb 18, 2010

No problem parking, theres room for a whole hoard of megaraks (what do you call a group of megalith hunters?)
A cold and frosty morning, and since the glorious sunrise at Pentre Ifan a half hour ago the sky has really turned quite dark. Gors Fawr couldnt be any easier to find just walk from the car towards the mountains and you cant miss it.
Sixteen stones in all some fallen some still tallish and proud, some stones have that nice thick grass, some have a gorse bush and one or two have frozen pools round them.
Its a perfect place, the very short grass, ease of access, the view, and the perfect little circle, all contribute to making it a very good place to be, with a hint of Cornwallyness to them.
The pair of tall stones to the north east are a bit of a conundrum, are they explicitly connected to the circle?, are they the same age? which came first. Mysteries are good, far better than the simple truth, they say the truth will set you free,
but how free do you feel?
The only truth you need to know is that the Preseli’s are a mysterious and beautiful place, best appreciated from places like Gors Fawr.

Gors Fawr

Kammer
Kammer Dec 3, 2004

Visited 20th and 21st June 2004: After Moel Drygarn we went to pay our respects to Gors Fawr with some good friends who’d not been before. It was fun showing them round in the sunshine, collectively anticipating the Solstice dawn.

We spent the night in a static caravan at Trefach Campsite and headed back to Gors Fawr to see the Summer Solstice sun rise. There were a handful of people there, including two women who appeared to have spent the night in the circle in sleeping bags (madness!). Sadly it was not to be. Clouds obscured the view to the east, but it was good to be there so early and get a feel for the site in the eerie dawn light. Then it was back to the caravan for a celebratory fry up breakfast!

Gors Fawr

treaclechops
treaclechops Aug 31, 2003

A few days later, my fabulous mother had joined us (unfortunately, my enchanting sister was unable to do so), and she and Jane and I went out for a brief megalith one evening. We had very good light as we drove over the Preselis (again, along the B4329, with it’s dramatic view, just as lovely in the sunshine), and to Gors Fawr, the only stone circle in the area. This small and discreet circle isn’t easily obvious from the road, primarily due to the proliferation of gorse bushes surrounding it, lovely as they are in their golden splendour at this time of year.

Nonetheless, after a short walk along the footpath, we could see the short, dumpy stones appear. It’s a pleasant enough circle, but again, what was so dramatic was its location. The broad moorland spread before us for some distance, and then suddenly swept up to become Mynydd Bach – truly impressive. I tried to visualise what the view must have looked like when the circle was constructed, but feel that the barren slopes we see today offer more drama and sobriety. By now, the clouds were building, and the sun was playing hide-and-seek with me, providing even more dramatic shadow when it appeared. I’m not sure if I got the shot I wanted, despite being there for some time.

Gors Fawr

Kammer
Kammer May 22, 2003

Visited 19th April 2003: I confess this was my first visit to Gors Fawr, and it lived up to my expectations. It was really sunny, and visibility was good, so the Preseli range appeared formidable and central to the focus of the site.

The outlying stones to the north of the circle stand between it and the mountains. Beyond them (obscured by trees, gorse and buildings) are the Rhos Fach stones, which could once have been visible from the circle. Off in other directions are numerous standing stones, orientated towards the mountains. The probability that the people who erected those standing stones would have known, and possibly worshipped at Gors Fawr amazes me. The circle is a megalithic cathedral surrounded by little chapels (and gorse).

We eventually wandered over to the outlying stones, which are relatively large compared to the stones in the circle. All the gorse in the area has been grazed into topiary by the sheep (I assume) so the immediate landscape has a bit of a manicured feel to it. William seemed to like it though. When we got back to the car we found that Alfie had lost a sock (he’d been in the backpack) so I had to retrace our steps on my own. It was good to be out there without William tearing about. The place was that bit more tranquil.

Incidentally I found the missing sock, but if anyone finds a little woollen hat near Bedd Arthur please let me know.

Gors Fawr

P
Pete Mar 23, 2000

Gorse Fawr is wildly different to the nearby Pentre Ifan, but none the worse for that. It is located in the foothills of the Preseli Mountains and can be a bit tricky to find, but it’s worth the effort. With my back to the nearby lane on an overcast day the stones almost seemed to be lost in the backdrop of the mountains, but when (or if) the sun comes out it’s a beautiful place.

By car it’s approached down some pretty narrow lanes, which were full of ‘fun runners’ when I visited it, so it’s worth taking your time.

Folklore

Gors Fawr
Stone Circle
R
RiotGibbon Aug 20, 2001

Well, it’s said that if you stop your car on a hill on the roads around here, put it into neutral then take your brake off, it rolls up the hill...

...but I can’t get it to work.

Miscellaneous

Gors Fawr
Stone Circle
Kammer
Kammer Dec 17, 2002

The circle is just over 22 metres in diameter, and the site is made up of 16 stones in total. The two outlying stones align to the Solstice, and apparently one of them is known locally as the Dreaming Stone.

The name Gorse Fawr translated from the Welsh means big bog.

Topics

stone at Gors Fawr 6
H
hejog
Aug 2007
A second circle? 7
ocifant
ocifant
Jun 2004

Sites within 20km of Gors Fawr

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