Llyndwr Fawr

Nearest town:
Maesteg (5km SW)
OS reference:
SS88929435
OS sheet:
170
Latitude:
51° 38' 11.23 N
Longitude:
3° 36' 19.02 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The very ploughed-down barrow at the SW end of the group. Looking towards Exmoor (far left) across the Hafren.

Image credit: A. Brookes (5.3.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Feb 23, 2023
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking SW from one of the barrows at the southwestern end of the group. Swansea Bay and Mumbles can be seen in the distance.

Image credit: A. Brookes (5.3.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Feb 23, 2023
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The barrow with the trig, another behind to the left. Looking east towards Werfa.

Image credit: A. Brookes (5.3.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Feb 23, 2023
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Barrow immediately NE of the barrow with the trig pillar. Corn Du and Pen y Fan can be seen on the far left skyline,

Image credit: A. Brookes (5.3.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Feb 23, 2023
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Looking toward Mynydd y Gelli from Craig Walter. The reason for the photograph is that the bwlch (Bwlchgarw) apparently possesses several more possible barrows, together with a possible dyke. Hard to make out, but with more time...... Note that the Afon Garw rises from several springs below, to the right. Well, is that a fact? Ha!

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 4, 2011
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Looking along the alignment to the summit from the south-west. Not much remains of these, but it is enough.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 4, 2011
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Looking north-east from the trig point to three very denuded other monuments...... if you’ve very good eyesight you’ll just make out Pen y Fan and Corn Du, centre left skyline.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 4, 2011
Image of Llyndwr Fawr (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

By far the most recognisable of the seven cairn summit alignment... no doubt since it is crowned by an OS trig pillar.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 4, 2011

Articles

Llyndwr Fawr

GLADMAN
GLADMAN May 7, 2011

Easter Friday afternoon is mine to do with as I so wish. However it has to be conceded, with some justification, that a trip to the ‘industrial highlands’ of South Wales might well not be high upon most people’s lists. Nevertheless my trip to nearby Carn-yr-Hyrddod back in February has made a visit here essential. Simple as that.

The inhabitants of Abergwynfi are most probably a friendly sort, given the chance. However I decide not to risk parking beside a group of youths ‘mending’ a motorbike in the road and instead leave the car a little way to the east near a cattle grid, incidentally opposite a gate warning visitors to keep out in no uncertain terms. That’s nice..... anyway, the map shows a public footpath giving access to Mynydd y Gelli running beside the eastern extremity of the village. There’s no sign, however, and the going is very, very steep indeed. Nonetheless I crest the escarpment without problems and set a bearing for Llyndwr Fawr to the approx south. Not sure why, to be honest, since the weather’s fine. Habit, I guess, but never a bad one to develop upon the hills. Upon crossing the (dry) Cwm Ffos Griffiths, Bwlchgarw is not long coming, the landscape worthy of serious aesthetic consideration, in my opinion. In fact I feel suitably chastised for my patronising surprise. Here the map depicts not only a dyke (boundary or defensive?), but also a ‘Tumulus’. Later, perhaps?

For now I veer south-westwards (right, in other words) and once again ascend very, very steeply up the escarpment edge towards the OS trig pillar at the summit of the mountain. Here, heavy haze limits distant panoramas – where not restricted by the treeline – until several passing showers duly cleanse the atmosphere and reveal the summit plateau to be a superb viewpoint. Particularly coastwards to The Gower and approx northwards towards the mountains of the National Park, occassional wisps of smoke highlighting moorland fires sparked by the unusually dry weather of late. And moronic muppets throwing cigarettes from car windows.... it’s therefore a little disappointing at first that the NE/SW linear alignment of seven (count ‘em) grassed-over cairns are not more prominent in the landscape. In fact only that bearing the OS trig pillar is immediately recognisable as such. The others are denuded to varying degrees.... nonetheless, taken as a whole, what we have here crowning this mountain top is pretty special indeed. Why, there is even a possible eighth monument a little to the immediate south-west.

So why here, then? Perhaps this was just the nearest/most prominent hilltop to the settlement site of these people? Or then again, perhaps the rising of the Nant Garw in several springs just below and to the approx east of Bwlchgarw might have been the deciding factor? To my mind the frequency of the cairn/river source association is fast becoming too high to be dismissed as mere coincidence. A point worthy of debate, perhaps? For now, however, a further trio of cairns await discovery a little south of the summit upon Mynydd Caerau..

themodernantiquarian.com/site/13804#post-96336

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