Pen Allt-Mawr

Also known as:
Pen Allt-mawr
Nearest town:
Crickhowell (5km SE)
OS reference:
SO207243
OS sheet:
161
Latitude:
51° 54' 39.91 N
Longitude:
3° 9' 10.7 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Tripping out on the sheer beauty of this top mountain-top site. Mynydd Llangorse (left) and the elephantine bulk of Mynydd Troed (both not short of ancient sites) fill the skyline looking from the summit cairn.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jul 20, 2019
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The far superior southern cairn of the mountain...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Dec 5, 2015
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Southern cairn, looking approx north.... Mynydd Troed is centre.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 30, 2015
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

West(ish) toward the Brecon Beacons.... a few more ancient cairns upon those heights, too.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 30, 2015
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Looking northish from Pen Allt-Mawr’s summit cairn. The approx locations of some of The Black Mountains’ other monuments are indicated.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 30, 2015
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The summit cairn, its wide footprint overlain by the stupid shelter built from its stones.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.5.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 13, 2014
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Substantial spread of stonework in the footprint of the summit cairn. Looking towards prominent Mynydd Troed, Castell Dinas hillfort and the Y Grib ridge leading up to Waun Fach (right).

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.5.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 13, 2014
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The substantial southern cairn. There is plentiful scree on this mountain to construct cairns from.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.5.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 13, 2014
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking SW from the southern cairn towards the Brecon Beacons.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.5.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 13, 2014
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The interior of the damaged southern cairn. Wonderful positioning right on the lip of the escarpment.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.5.2014)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 13, 2014
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The western profile of Pen Allt-mawr and Pen Gloch-y-pibwr, rich with Bronze Age cairns. The snow-capped peak of Pen y Gadair Fawr (also be-cairned) can be seen at the extreme left of the picture. Coed y Gaer promontory fort is in the trees on the ridge sloping down from the left-hand edge of the picture.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.12.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 23, 2012
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Looking approx south beyond the massive southern cairn to the Pen Gloch-y-Pibwr monuments (far right end of escarpment)

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2011
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The interior of the southern cairn is horribly mutilated by so-called-walkers, complete with empty drinks bottle. Yet the monument is so substantial the sense of permanence remains.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2011
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The summit cairn..... the OS trig pillar is not worthy.... but then again we owe them so much.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2011
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Walking in the footsteps of the ancestors.... as testified by finds of a Neolithic arrow head and Mesolithic flint in the vicinity.... approaching Pen Allt Mawr and its Bronze Age cairns from the approx north. Pen Cerrig-Calch (centre) and the impossibly elegant ‘Sugar Loaf’ (far left) are also so graced.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2011
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Towards Pen Allt-Mawr from Pen Cerrig-calch. Tal Trwynau is the ridge seen across Cwm Banw leading to Pen Twyn Glas, location of a Bronze Age arrowhead and a flint find.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 24, 2010
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The summit cairn, with Mynydd Troed (far left), Castell Dinas (left) and Waun Fach (right) on the skyline behind.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.3.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 16, 2010
Image of Pen Allt-Mawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Pen Allt-mawr summit cairn. Mynydd Llangorse is to the left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.3.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 16, 2010

Articles

Pen Allt-Mawr

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 16, 2010

Approaching from the south-east (27.3.2010), this is an easy walk along the edge of a grassy saddle from Pen Cerrig-calch summit cairns. The path follows the eastern edge of the plateau, overlooking a steep drop to the valley below. There are extensive views of the central Black Mountains ridge (Waun Fach and Pen y Gadair Fawr) to the north-east.

The summit itself is at the northern-most tip of the plateau, beyond which the land drops steeply away and the wind whips up over the escarpment. The summit cairn itself is typically ruined, with a heavily eroded concrete trig pillar next to it. During a brief stop in this rather bleak spot a glider flew past at eye-level.

The second cairn lies on the western edge of the plateau, at SO206238, between the summit and the further pair of cairns at Pen Gloch-y-pibwr. This cairn has a great view of Mynydd Troed, below and to the north-west. Whatever statement was being made by the people who built these cairns, these are high places, overlooking a wild and untamed landscape even four thousand years later. But ... not a place to linger in a biting north wind, so it’s off round the escarpment edge to Pen Gloch-y-pibwr cairns.

Sites within 20km of Pen Allt-Mawr

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