Summer solstice sunrise 2011. The same sunrise at the time of the stone’s construction would have been further to the left, and neatly framed by the opposing leans of the two stones.
Images
My thanks to Cerrig for providing the ‘nudge’ to finally come here.
The ‘terminal’ cairn feature so familiar to visitors to Dartmoor’s great upland stone rows..... speaking of which, the high ground beyond forms the heart of Elenydd. Dartmoor on steroids, not a place to take lightly, no matter what the map might suggest.
Fantastic aura here........
Additional ‘stones’ uphill (NE) from the pair. Note, however, that there does not appear to be a coherent correlation to the ‘pair’ obscured by the reeds beyond. There are numerous others barely breaking the surface: whether these are naturally incurring or placed by human agency is a matter for the experts – however, one such example was a very suspiciously placed lump of quartzite... just saying.
The companion stone is concealed by the tall reed beyond
What an exquisitely sited stone setting – not depicted upon either 1:50 or 1:25k OS map. There certainly appeared to be more stones in situ than just the pair, although I could not see how these could’ve been incorporated into a single ‘row’ as such.
Route to Hafod stone pair
The cairn, or what’s left of it. Looking S/W towards the stones, and beyond in the direction of Llandovery.
The alignment, looking N/E, towards the cairn.
The S/W stone, looking S/W.
The N/E stone, looking S/E.
A pair of identical standing stones, about 3 feet tall and 60 feet apart, on a summer solstice sunrise/winter solstice sunset alignment.
There is also a small cairn 40 meters to the N/E in the alignment.
Articles
There is an extended section within Dexy’s ‘difficult’ third album – perhaps one of the ‘80’s lost classics? – during which frontman Kevin Rowland attempts to convey the ‘essence’ of his girlfriend to guitarist Billy Adams. Now, to be fair, it may appear a straightforward enough question by the latter: “What’s she like?” Nevertheless, one is subsequently awestruck by the sheer stoicism exhibited by the erstwhile associate as Rowland resorts to a series of ‘whoahs’, trademark ‘strangled yelps’ and assorted guttural utterances to (finally) make himself understood by his wingman. Yeah, even with the almost infinite nuances of the English language at his disposal, clearly, where the emotional content is too intense, sometimes words are not enough. Despite being the catalyst – along with the dextrous opposable thumb – for the arrogant supposed primacy of us homo sapiens over the other non-microbial species inhabiting this crazy, spinning globe, there would appear to exist a threshold, an unseen, yet all too real barrier, beyond which the vernacular is of little, if no further use? Where we must delve into the deepest recesses of the human brain searching for reference points... for precedents from our primordial past.... in an attempt to articulate how we feel. The ‘howl’ of anguish, the ‘whoop’ of joy. To discover, beneath the thin veneer of civilisation applied by successive agricultural, industrial and information revolutions, that we differ so little from our so-called ‘primitive’ forebears at base level – indeed, from other coexistent life forms; the absurd Victorian notion of humankind ‘created in god’s image’ starkly laid bare as the sham it is... when our crowning achievement – compositional language – cannot cope with the range of our experience.
Sure, it could be alleged that we know a lot about the world these days. Why, anyone with internet access can now espouse fact after fact at the click of a mouse, or swipe of a smart screen. But what IS knowledge without context? Indeed, what use are facts without the means to utilise them for the common good? Perhaps T S Eliot summed up our dilemma as well as any in 1934:
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?..”
Eliot, of course, was writing convinced of the surety of his Anglo-catholic tenets, the implication being religion is the ultimate source of wisdom, offering pre-formed ‘templates’ for living. For what it’s worth, I agree with the entreaty but disagree with the conjecture, rather suggesting personal knowledge lies in experience... collective knowledge – or ‘wisdom’ – in corroborated experience. Not in uncritical acceptance of the spew of ‘information’ Kraftwerk warned us was a’coming in 1981 – let alone ancient so-called ‘holy’ texts – but in the personal journey. That, in other words, Darwin was right: there is no higher authority to defer to for clarity, life simply making it up as we go along. We are all ‘winging it’, so to speak. To learn, we must therefore boldly go. Yeah, any ‘meaning’ inherent in existence is down to us alone. And if the words do not come, improvise.
To perhaps illustrate my (no doubt rather vague) point, consider the pair of small standing stones located a little to the south-west of the highest point of Cwmdeuddwr’s Hafen, an archetypally truncated hill rising to the south of the bustling Mid Walian market town of Rhayader. Not referenced upon either the current 1:50k nor 1:25k OS maps, Coflein notes the following:
“Remains of a stone alignment on the SW-facing flanks of Drum Ddu.... aligned from NE to SW along the ridge of the summit. Both stones measure c. 0.9m in height, 0.7m in width and 0.3m in thickness; they are situated 17.5m apart..” [FF/RCAHMW 09.05.2007].
So, we have the technical detail, granted. But, crucially, there is no image. Nothing to ‘speak to’, to communicate with the human psyche on an emotional, or what we might refer to as ‘artistic’ level. The prospective visitor, therefore, finds himself reprising Kev’s conundrum: ‘What are they like?’ I mean REALLY like? Why expend serious effort to visit a couple of stones stuck on, or rather in, a hilltop? More to the point, why did people put them up there, in that inhospitable location, in the first place? Yeah, I guess it is the subsequent response to such questions which drives the Modern Antiquarian (or not, as the case may be) to attempt to define that which, perhaps, can not be defined.
I confess that I do not start quite from scratch, a dimly recalled memory of an image posted by TMA user Cerrig (noted for a predilection for fieldwork over and above the ‘armchair’ PC-based theorising advocated by others) surfacing from the depths of my subconscious, like a compromised submarine, as I attempt to match the prevailing weather conditions to the ‘bad-but-not-that-bad’ potential itinerary over the breakfast granola. Yeah, that’ll do. The starting point is not exactly terra incognita, the terminus of the minor road heading approx south-west from the village of Llanwrthwl the springboard for a number of expeditions over the years. Nevertheless, I turn too early approaching from the A470 and follow the course of the River Wye for a while before realisation dawns: should’ve continued past the church (to its right) before swinging to the left. D’oh! The tarmac ends at the access track to Erwllyn, the route continuing as green trackway toward Cwm Chwefri, beneath the seriously be-cairned escarpment of Y Gamriw (the latter an essential visit for the dedicated Citizen Cairn’d in its own right). I manage to park – with consummate care since space is very limited for the considerate – before setting off along the aforementioned track.
In my opinion the walk is worth undertaking for no other reason than to experience the ‘ambience’ of the looming hills, regardless of any deviation to the extensive archaeology that surmounts them. For me, it is this unspoken, yet nevertheless subtly communicated aura of unforced existence, of things being the way they are simply by default, that represents the quintessence of the Cwmdeuddwr Hills. That’s not to say it’s a cosy, sugar-coated impression. Far from it. Copious evidence of recent rainfall combines with the heavy, leaden sky to portend a soaking for the unprepared; the uniform topography of the surrounding heights, devoid of what one might term traditional ‘mountain’ features, is somewhat bleakly disconcerting – threatening even, in a ‘Dartmoor-esque’ manner – alluding to navigational issues within hill fog which frequently blankets the locale. Yet, despite this – or perhaps because of this? – this visitor feels at home.
A half-mile (or so) along the track a path branches right to ascend the as-near-as-dammit 2,000ft Y Gamriw and so access its formidable array of cairns... and to the left for the somewhat lower Drum Ddu, crowned by the Bronze Age ‘Carn-y-Geifr’ (’Cairn of the Goats’) at its north-eastern apex. I follow the latter, initially passing through the great cairn cemetery ‘Carnau Cefn-y-Fordd’, a primary visit if ever there was one owing to the very considerable footprint of several of the monuments, not to mention ethereal vibe. However, I’ve been here before.... and Cerrig’s image is driving me onward. And, hopefully, upward. Yeah, just what lies upon that ridge? I mean, what is it really like? Having decided to stop off on the way back, I put my head down and make for the ‘summit’ of Hafen, this distinguished by a very marshy lake (or lakes, subject to the water table?). My navigational prowess, for once, proves adequate for the task in hand and I eventually spy two small orthostats beyond the crest.... ostensibly just as Coflein describes, complete with a small, associated cairn a little way to approx north-east. Needless to say, however, Coflein actually can not begin to convey what it is like to be here. What with the sun having seen fit to slip through a crack in the sullen cloud mantle and illuminate the hillside, the best I can manage is an involuntary series of exclamations more reminiscent of the anarchic pages of Viz than anything else... and certainly not appropriate for a community web-site. We’ll leave Dexys Midnight Runners out of this, methinks. Such is the sublime perfection of the stone pair’s placement within the landscape – sweeping vistas drawing the eye towards Gorwllyn, Drygarn Fawr and the Cwmdeuddwr heartland to the west, Builth Wells to south-west and Y Gamriw to north-west (etc) – that the visitor can be forgiven, I think, for failing in the poetry stakes.
And there’s more: according to Cerrig, there is method in this aesthetically pleasing madness, the stones apparently being erected upon a summer solstice sunrise/winter solstice sunset alignment. So there you are, quite literally the implications are cosmic. ‘Whoah!’ Yeah, one can be told such things... but it means little, if anything, without personal context. To stand and gawp at Nature’s doodling and subsequent attempt by local humankind to effect some emotional ‘connection’ with the planet... with existence... with notions extending beyond the mundane to consider what it means to be human. To gain some insight beyond the capacity of mere words regarding just ‘who we are’. As Dave Gahan once observed, ultimately ‘words are very, unnecessary’. OK, a clumsy Martin Gore-ism, granted. But true nonetheless. Once the inability to verbally articulate is noted – even to oneself, as humans are apt to do on occasion – other media must be employed, whatever they may be. Yeah, at such times one can only sit back and enjoy the silence. So I do, the waterproofs serving their purpose when the weather, inevitably, periodically changes the available palette of light. And time flies. Well, doesn’t it just?
The map depicts a cairn – Pantmaenllwyd – some way to the south-west. However, I concede that the combined distance/height loss will be too much for me today. However, I’m aware there are (apparently, since again not shown upon the map) a couple of cairns gracing this wonderful landscape somewhat nearer to hand at SN95675937. Certainly worth a look.....
themodernantiquarian.com/site/19763/hafen_drum_ddu.html
Returning a couple of hours later – I think, could be wrong... since time appears to blur up here, the visitor consumed by a paradoxical perception of stark reality (wind, rain, cold) co-existing with, well, I don’t know what... a sense of transcending the here and now, as if peeking beyond a door ajar to somewhere where time has no meaning – it is clear that I am truly in thrall to this place. Yeah, a couple of small, intentionally(?) ‘wonky’ stones stand upon an obscure Mid Walian height. Why bother? Well, until we can learn to truly articulate what our ancestors, perhaps, were attuned to from our hunter-gatherer days... the subliminal forces which other species with more ‘calibrated’ senses relate to in everyday life – e.g the Earth’s magnetic field – I cannot answer that. As with sexual attraction, it’s a personal thing. To travel to spots such as this and experience is, perhaps, everything. To be able to say, in the words of the great South Walian comedian Max Boyce, ‘I know. Cos I was there!‘
Jolted out of ‘the mist’ – as I recall Cope once referred to this mind-set – by a glance at the watch, I realise I still have to make my way back to the car in order to camp up before dark. The ubiquitous upland ponies regard the lone figure forcing his way – occasionally stumbling, at other times sinking – through the tall summer fern and bog with an apparent fusion of fear/curiosity as I give up all pretence of remaining dry-shod. Great rock piles materialise around me as I pause to survey the scene: Carnau Cefn-y-Fordd. All is silent, save the wind acting upon my jacket and the familiar calls of (now similarly unseen) Equus caballus.. neigh, neigh and... well, not quite, Francis. As it happens I do not like to reprise previous visits to ‘lowland’ sites – not when there remains so much that is new to see – but the urge is inexorable. Standing in the ‘bwlch’ between Y Gamriw and Drum Ddu/Hafen, the landscape context of this great Bronze Age cemetery is now all too obvious, the vibe hanging in the air like overwhelming humidity before the storm. The thought occurs: why aren’t places such as this and its surrounding hills venerated and cherished to even a fraction of the degree of, say, Stonehenge or Avebury? I would attempt an answer, but, as usual... I don’t have the words.
Sites within 20km of Hafen stone pair
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Hafen (Drum Ddu)
photo 10 -
Carn Pantmaenllwyd
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd
photo 18 description 2 -
Carn-y-Geifr
photo 10 description 1 -
Carnau Cerfn y Ffordd Stone II
photo 3 description 1 -
Saith Maen
photo 5 ondemand_video 1 description 1 link 1 -
Llethr Waun-lwyd
photo 8 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Blaen Ganolwyn Fach
photo 2 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Carn Wen, Garth (Llanwrthwl)
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Ffynnon Mary
photo 2 -
Graig Ddu (Y Gamriw North-East Ridge)
photo 11 description 1 -
Y Gamriw
photo 13 description 2 -
Banc Ystrad-Wen
photo 13 description 1 -
Y Gamriw (North)
photo 7 description 1 -
Garth (Llanwrthwl)
photo 7 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Cryn Fryn
photo 10 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Waun Sarn
photo 10 description 1 link 1 -
Ty Mawr
photo 4 description 1 -
Capel Rhos
photo 3 description 1 -
Gurnos
photo 8 ondemand_video 2 description 1 -
Crugian Bach
photo 25 forum 1 description 4 -
Llanwrthwl Churchyard Stone
photo 8 description 3 -
Gorllwyn
photo 21 ondemand_video 2 description 3 -
Gro Hill
photo 12 description 1 -
Crugian Bach Cairn(s)
photo 10 description 1 -
Pen-y-Gorllwyn Stone
photo 5 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Dol y Felin
photo 4 description 2 -
Esgair Gwar-y-Cae Settlement
photo 1 description 1 -
Craig Cnwch
photo 4 description 2 -
Ty’n Y Graig, Craig Cnwch
photo 20 description 1 -
Carn Gafallt
photo 11 description 2 -
Newbridge on Wye
photo 11 description 2 -
Bryn Wern Bridge
photo 5 description 1 -
Darren (Llanafanfawr)
photo 5 description 1 -
Maen Cam
photo 1 description 1 -
Waun, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 9 description 1 -
Esgair Ceiliog
photo 8 description 2 -
Rhos-y-Gelynnen
photo 10 description 2 -
Bwlch-y-Ddau-Faen
photo 10 description 2 -
Gurnos
photo 8 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Carreg Bica
photo 6 description 1 -
Carn Wen (Gwastedyn)
photo 8 description 2 -
Llyn Gwyn
description 1 -
Carnau, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 8 description 1 -
Beddau Folau
photo 15 description 2 -
Cefn Llyn
photo 4 description 2 -
Waun Lydan
photo 7 description 2 -
Garn Wen, Llanfihangel Abergwesyn
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 -
Cefn Ceidio
photo 5 description 4 -
Ty Lettice
photo 12 description 2 -
Banc Trehesglog, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 6 description 1 -
Banc Trehesglog, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 6 description 1 -
Pen Twr Ring Cairn, Cefn Gardys
photo 7 ondemand_video 1 -
Drygarn Fawr
photo 20 description 2 -
Pen Maen Wern
photo 9 description 2 -
Crugyn Gwyddel
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 description 2 -
Maen Serth
photo 13 description 4 link 1 -
Briddel Felen Standing Stone
photo 1 description 1 -
Clap yr Arian
photo 4 description 2 -
Little Hill VII
photo 2 description 2 -
Broomy Hill
photo 2 description 1 -
Little Hill cairn III
photo 1 -
Little Hill cairn II
photo 1 -
Banc Paderau
photo 6 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
The Beacon (Llandrindod)
photo 4 description 2 -
Carneddau North (Builth Wells)
photo 12 ondemand_video 2 -
Creggin
photo 5 forum 1 description 1 -
Maengwyngweddw
photo 3 description 2 link 1 -
Carneddau Hill (Builth Wells)
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Marteg Valley
photo 31 description 2 -
Cwm Berwyn, Carneddau (Builth Wells)
photo 12 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Pen y Garn-goch
photo 9 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Carregwiber
photo 7 description 1 -
Carregwiber (stone 1)
photo 4 description 3 -
Esgair Irfon
photo 10 description 1 -
Drum Nant y Gorlan
description 1 -
Esgair Crawnllwyn, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 6 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Ffrwd Stone
photo 4 description 2 -
Garth (Duhonw)
photo 8 -
Lluest Aber Caethon, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 8 description 1 -
Castle Bank
photo 21 ondemand_video 1 description 2 -
Llyn Dwr
photo 3 description 1 -
Gelli Hill stone
photo 5 description 3 -
Gelli Hill
photo 15 description 4 -
Esgair Beddau, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 10 description 1 -
Gilwern Hill
photo 5 description 2 -
Gelli Hill Cairn
photo 7 description 3 -
Pawl Hir
photo 4 description 1 -
Nant Cwm Dwfn
photo 1 description 1 -
Cwm Stone
photo 4 description 1 -
Carreg Wen Fawr (Llanwrthwl)
description 1 -
Cae’r Maen
photo 8 description 1 -
Carn Ricet
photo 3 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Garn Dwad
photo 12 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Beili Hwlyn Barrows
photo 1 description 2 -
Castell y Garn
photo 9 description 1 -
Esgair y Llwyn, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 5 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Rhiw Afon, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 9 description 1 -
Lan Fraith
photo 8 description 1 -
Carn Wen, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 7 description 1 -
Banc Cynnydd, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 8 description 2 -
Carn Nant-y-Ffald
photo 11 description 1 -
Dernol
photo 2 description 1 -
Banc y Celyn
photo 21 description 1 -
Hundred House Common
description 1 -
Esgair Gerwyn
photo 2 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Tri Chrugiau, Mynydd Epynt
photo 7 ondemand_video 1 description 1 link 1 -
Glascwm Mill Cottages
description 1 -
Crugyn
description 1 -
Esgair Garn, Llanddewi Abergwesyn
photo 8 description 1 -
Twyn-y-Big
photo 20 description 1 -
Domen
photo 1 description 3 -
The Mount /
Bedd Garmon description 1 -
Graig Camp
photo 10 description 1 -
Llandegley Rocks
photo 5 description 1 -
Cwm-y-Saeson
photo 6 description 3 link 1 -
Blaen Clawdd Du, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 5 ondemand_video 1 -
Tan-y-Coed
photo 2 description 2 -
Cwm Maerdy
photo 6 description 1 -
Henriw Standing Stone
photo 7 description 3 -
Larch Grove
description 1 -
Fedw
photo 5 description 1 -
Y Gaer, Llanddewi Ystradenni
photo 9 -
Pen-y-Bwlch (Ystrad Fflur)
photo 6 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Giants Grave
photo 13 ondemand_video 1 description 2 -
Banc Blaenegnant
photo 2 description 1 -
Carn y Groes
photo 8 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Esgair-y-graig
photo 4 -
Cefn-y-Gaer
photo 10 -
Pen-y-Bwlch (West)
photo 12 ondemand_video 1 -
Talcen Yr Esgair (Esgair Elan)
photo 6 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Esgair Clochfan
photo 4 description 1 -
Maen Hir
photo 4 description 2 -
Maen Hir, Glan Fedwen
photo 15 ondemand_video 1 description 2 -
Domen-ddu
photo 8 description 1 -
Cefn Cerrig
photo 14 -
Carn Blaen Glasffrwd
photo 16 -
Llanerch Stone
photo 4 description 2 -
Bryn y Maen
photo 11 description 1 -
Cefn Wylfre
photo 2 description 2 -
Domen Milwyn
photo 7 ondemand_video 1 description 1 -
Gwaun Ymryson
photo 7 description 1 -
Craig y Lluest, Cwmdeuddwr
photo 15 ondemand_video 2 description 1 -
Mynydd Epynt (Eastern)
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Twyn-y-Post
photo 10 description 1 -
Blaen Henllan
description 1 -
Nant-y-Maen
photo 5 description 2