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Craig ty-glasCairn(s)
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Just how extreme can stone hunting get ? I came across this site whilst cruising coflein's blue dots late one night, it can get rather addictive. I might never have come here if not for Craig Rhiwarth(fort) and Bedd Crynddyn(barrow) across the valley, and over the hill across the valley is Glan Hafon weird cairn, they all exceeded my expectations, and the scenery is very easy upon the eye so I just had come back here one maybe two more times, high above the Tannat valley once more. I've been sat at home the last two days nursing my poor sciatic leg, but sitting down makes it hurt more, the only relief is walking, strange that, it's like treating obesity with doughnuts, so whats good for work is also good for stone hunting, and this cairn requires some leg work, not as much as I put in, but a long walk all the same. I parked in a parking for one spot near a big house on a bend where on the map it says Buarth Glas. Map also says there is a footpath entrance round here somewhere but I couldn't see it, so I walked down the road past the big house 'till I got to a gate going in the desired direction, up. Following a line of trees up hill, and followed by a line of curious and tiny sheep I meet up with the north/south path that runs at the bottom of the cliffs, Craig Y Castell, obviously so named because of the well spaced towers of rock jutting out into the valley. Heading south on the aforementioned path, with Craig Rhiwarth dominating the other side of the valley and once more showing why it was used as a fort in the Iron age, I look up between the rock spires and think I can see an easy way up, then deviate from the path without even giving it much contemplation at all, just having a closer look. Before I know it I've gone too far to turn back and keep heading up. It was mostly easy enough except for the last fifty yards, it took as long to traverse that last bit as it did the whole walk, grabbing handfuls of heather to help haul myself up, sitting out of breath every ten vertical yards, slipping, and watching two farmers talking blocking the road far below, are they watching me, to see if I fall, if i do, I wont be driving home,it's very steep, so I don't give them the satisfaction and eeeeeeventually I get to the top. I throw my self onto the soft sodden flat hill top, reveling in it's flatness. After what felt like longer than it probably was, it seemed I wasn't going to have a heart attack after all, and my thoughts turned back into stone hunter mode, I stood and looked across the barren moorland hill top and saw with childish glee that my shortcut had at least taken me straight to the cairn, it sat not fifty yards from me, I walked slowly over. Coflein states that the cairn is 7.5 meters across and half a meter high, sounds about right, and "showing elements of a cist" but that sounds to me as if it's totally knackered and only a couple of telltale stones still exist, enough to say "elements of a cist". But I was pleasantly pleased to find exactly half of it left, a large rectangular box three to four feet long sunk into the ground with two side stones still in place. About six feet east of the cist is a large flat stone, after I'd liberated it from it's mossy confines I could see that it would not cover the cist, but, two would do it nicely, but there aren't two, was the other broken, or is it just a flat stone after all, or an out of place kerb stone. Talking of kerb stones the cairn still boasts some kerbing on it's north to west arc. So, it's not the biggest of cairns, but it's above the grass line, it has a big cist and even some kerbing, that's a good cairn that is. And I wont go into the views much, only to say that they are good, especially to the south, and even on a dull but rainless day. Needless to say I didn't go back the way I came, I'd give you some directions but then i'm clearly hopeless at finding the easy way. Stay on the path. |
Posted by postman5th February 2014ce Edited 5th February 2014ce |
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This enigmatically placed cairn first came to my attention only two years ago, perusing the map whilst gazing across the valley from the excellent Craig Rhiwarth hill fort. As it transpired a slog to the curious (ancient?) summit cairn of Glan-hafon last year accorded a further opportunity to ponder a visit. Simple things.... So... upon traversing the wild heather moor from Y Bala, the B4391 descends, in an appropriately dramatic fashion, to the village of Llangynog. Crossing the Afon Eirth a right turn accesses a dead-end minor road heading toward Cwm Rhiweirth. Easy parking is to be had just before the house at Glan-yr-Afon whereupon a short walk northward brings the traveller to the Nant Buarth Glas, a field gate on the left between houses accessing a public footpath (the gate secured with string in such a farcical manner as to require me to climb the thing). It is then a case of utilising said path, following the arrows, so to speak, to the point where it meets the main bridleway heading south. Now since the somewhat overbearing crags of Craig Ty-glas are those towering above to the west, it is necessary to ignore the bridleway and look for a copse of (larch?) trees, within which you'll locate a track - well, sort of - heading steeply uphill to the left of the tumbling stream. The cairn, bearing obvious elements of a former cist, not to mention kerbing, enjoys panoramic views across to the mighty Craig Rhiwarth. Worth the effort. |
Posted by GLADMAN13th November 2018ce Edited 13th November 2018ce |
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A couple of pics of cairn with cist http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/306543/images/CRAIG+TY-GLAS%2C+CAIRN/ |
Posted by postman 9th January 2012ce |
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