Cors y Carneddau

Nearest town:
Penmaenmawr (1km N)
OS reference:
SH71727471
OS sheet:
115
Latitude:
53° 15' 12.63 N
Longitude:
3° 55' 22.97 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The kerbed cairn with Tal y Fan under a brief crack in the clouds, and Moelfre to the right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (1.4.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 30, 2018
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The Druid’s Circle is located upon the ridge , top right.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 31, 2013
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The larger cairn...... nice kerb stones, too. The smaller, more shapely monument can be seen to the left of the post.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 31, 2013
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Toward Graig Lwyd... looks better down here, to be honest.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 31, 2013
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

A ruddy great drystone wall separates the field harbouring this beauty from the main path, obscuring the casual glance. Luckily I caught on descending from Graig Lwyd...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 31, 2013
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by postman

From on top of Moelfre (435m) a terrific view is had of a barrow a ring and a kerb cairn.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 16, 2010
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by postman

Looking down on a ring cairn and a kerb cairn from on top of Moelfre

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 16, 2010
Image of Cors y Carneddau (Cairn(s)) by postman

The ring cairn, and further back to the left of the telegraph pole is the kerb cairn

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Apr 12, 2010

Articles

Cors y Carneddau

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Feb 2, 2014

Walkers making their way westwards along the North Wales Path will be hard pressed not to notice the great Cefn Coch cairn. Guess that’s probably a ‘given’ (although whether its significance duly registers with the average punter is clearly a moot point). The more perceptive pedestrian, perhaps imbued with a passion for corporeal reminders of past humanity, may discern the remnants of a possible stone circle a little to the east. Nevertheless how many of the latter passers-by see fit to interrupt the striding, purposeful gait and pause to peer over the substantial dry stone wall bordering the track to the north, the agency nothing more than curiosity, albeit far from idle in this context. Ah, curiosity... what a wondrous thing to possess! Those that do will, perhaps, notice a pair of fine, mutually exclusive cairns lying in the pasture beyond, beneath the serrated top of Graig Lwyd... actually apparently a trio of monuments, although I was hard pressed to positively identify the last of the triumvirate myself.

Fortunately, considering my inherently poor sense of direction, I approached downhill from Graig Lwyd, where even I couldn’t fail to note the excellent kerbed cairn sitting below the course of a power line. Ah, yes. There’s no point in denying the adverse aesthetic impact of such things, even the wooden variety. However, to be honest, they do seem to become tolerable after a while, another feature of a landscape which has witnessed humankind’s industry for millennia. Or perhaps that’s just me?

In my opinion the kerbed cairn is a cracker, the stones much more substantial than I had anticipated. Nice ‘round’ amount, too.... always a good idea when defining a cairn. I concur with Postie’s count of eight orthostats, the sum of which combine to form a monument very pleasing to the eye, whatever may be looming overhead. To be fair there isn’t actually much ‘cairn’ remaining, the impression more that of a small stone circle. But I can live with that. I also have no issue with the excellent view looking approx north-east toward Ffridd Wanc, nor Moelfre, Y Meini Hirion and the northern Carneddau looming upon the upper southern aspect.

The other significant monument to be found within this field lies a little further south and is a much larger affair – a ring cairn with several tall(ish) orthostats upon the circumference of a pretty substantial, low, grassy cairn. To be honest it’s difficult to decide which of the two cairns is the supporting act, both, in my opinion, excellent examples of their genre. To put it another way imagine – if you can – attending a concert featuring both Joy Division and ABBA. Utterly different, admittedly, but both masters of conveying something of that most nebulous of elements... the human condition. Not sure which cairn is analogous to which band... possibly the kerbed cairn to JD owing to its sparser nature... but hopefully you get my drift?

As usual, more time is required than I have available before darkness descends. However spending my final hour at the aforementioned Y Meini Hirion seems the most apt way to end a rather splendid day above Penmaenmawr.

Cors y Carneddau

postman
postman Apr 12, 2010

Oh beautiful glorious sunshine, the first time I came here a few months ago it was so snowy and foggy that I couldnt even see my hands in front of my face (my exhaggeration), but this late afternoon visit is sensational, the birdsong, the playing children and the sunny views all came together perfectly, there was a summers day in the park feel to it, nothing to do but relax.
The two different cairns at Cors y Carneddau couldnt be any more dissimilar, the smaller kerb cairn has eight smallish stones and reminds me heavily of Cumbria’s Little Meg (minus art). Whilst the big ring cairn just fifty yards to the south east has maybe only half a dozen stones in its ring though theyre quite big. Cairn material oozes from the grass in several places within the ring reminding me again of Cumbria’s Brats hill stone circle.
Pretty little circle 275 over the slight hill has had many TMA visitors as has the Druids circle but I cant beleive no-ones been here but me, come on everybody exert your self a little this summer and come and explore North Wales biggest Necropolis/temples. ( probably not but what the hey)

Cors y Carneddau

postman
postman Jan 11, 2010

This is my fourth time up here but bizzarely ive never been to these before, they’re very close to monument 280. In an area barely a hundred square yards there’s a 2m high barrow, a ruined stone circle a well preserved ring cairn and a nice little kerb cairn, when I come back with the kids in a month or two for a sunset I will difinately come back here.

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