Pontsticill ring cairn

Also known as:
Bryn Glas and Tredegar-fach
Nearest town:
Merthyr Tydfil (5km S)
OS reference:
SO05271177
OS sheet:
160
Latitude:
51° 47' 45.75 N
Longitude:
3° 22' 25.74 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

Small (clearance?) cairn a few yards SE of the ring cairn.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012
Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

The southeastern arc of the ring cairn’s stony bank, curving from bottom right to centre left and back towards top right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012
Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

The ring cairn is difficult to photograph, being very low to the ground surface. Here, it stretches across the width of the picture. The interior is bare of the reedy grass that surrounds the perimeter. Looking NNW.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012
Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

Fine view of Corn Du, Pen y Fan and Cribyn from Bryn Glas cairns.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012
Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

Detail of the centre of Bryn Glas cairn III. Note embedded slab.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012
Image of Pontsticill ring cairn by thesweetcheat

Bryn Glas III cairn, looking north towards the central peaks of the Brecon Beacons.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.9.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 28, 2012

Articles

Pontsticill ring cairn

C
CARL May 21, 2014

Visited 17.5.14

Directions:
From Merthyr Tydfil follow the brown tourist signs for Brecon Mountain Railway. Once you reach the station continue north along the road until you reach the village of Pontsticill. You will see a chapel with a phone box outside – park here. Walk up through the cul-de-sac, through the gate and onto the open moorland. The cairns are a 5 minute walk to the north east.

I was on my way home after a great days ‘old stoning’ and was feeling tired. However, it was a beautiful evening and as I was in the area I couldn’t resist a quick visit to Pontsticill.

The O/S map shows four cairns in a line running north/south and all four are fairly easy to find.

The first one you come to (and the easiest to spot) is Bryn Glas cairn III.
It consists of a low mound of grey stones – easy to see in the grass.

The next two cairns are very similar – low stony mounds with spiky grass sticking out.

The most northern cairn is the ring cairn.
This is the trickiest to spot but once you get your eye in it soon becomes apparent.

This is a pretty bleak area with the only decent view being over the valley to the east.

These cairns are easy to access and worth a quick look if you happen to be enjoying a visit to the Mountain Railway.

Sites within 20km of Pontsticill ring cairn