Cefn Sychbant

Nearest town:
Merthyr Tydfil (8km E)
OS reference:
SN98551095
OS sheet:
160
Latitude:
51° 47' 14.97 N
Longitude:
3° 28' 15.6 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by postman

The massive sink hole between the two very different kind of cairns.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 14, 2019
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by postman

Some of the big still working kerb stones.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 14, 2019
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by postman

Right next to a shake hole, that’s a sink hole to you and me, the ground literally disappears and collapses in on itself.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 14, 2019
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by postman

The cairn is almost surrounded by shake holes.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 14, 2019
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by postman

Falling away into the shake hole bottom right.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jul 14, 2019
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Approx SN989102..... the summit ridge of Cefn Sychbant can be seen to the right. No easy walking here.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

I believe this is the ‘round barrow’ at SN99591081... (Coflein’s NPRN 300936)... however may be wrong. Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du crown the distant skyline.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Yet another stone at approx SO000108.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Large fallen orthostat (?) at very approx SO000108

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Very approx SO000108.... note the next stone in the arc, top left, with another just out of frame in the long grass.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Large approx circular feature at – to the best of my recollection – c SO000108. The arc of low (fallen?) stones is indicated, with another (larger) example behind me. As will be noted the site possess a fine view along Pant Sychbant toward Cefn Cil-Sanws. Can’t see this logged anywhere on-line so members’ opinions most welcome. Stone Circle?

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 7, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant south- SN97951036. The cairn has been disturbed to erect a sheep shelter, now utilised by a pair of Red Kites as a feeding station, judging by the discarded animal entrails.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant south- SN97951036. The cairn in its landscape. The Pant Sychbant monument can be seen within its forestry clearing approx top right. The Mam C has just recently fallen past her midrift in the bog than separates the two cairns.... careful now.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

CEFN SYCHBANT SW... Looking approx east toward Cilsanws Mountain (top right).... bearing yet more cairns and, incidentally, another fine ring cairn. Note that the ‘grassy knoll’ more-or-less centre of image bears what I took to be a man made approx circular feature of large stones. Make of that what you will.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

CEFN SYCHBANT SW... yet another fine cairn. With a cloudscape to match.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

CEFN SYCHBANT SW... the hollow had traces of what might be interpreted as a cist. The equally wondrous cairn cemetery of Mynydd-y-glog rises beyond, middle distance.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

CEFN SYCHBANT SW... The excellent Pant Sychbant cairn can just be discerned at the foot of the forestry clearing. Beware of the intervening bog, however, one of the worst the Mam C and I have encountered to date.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

CEFN SYCHBANT SW – The south-western flank of Cefn Sychbant (across the ridge from the minor road bisecting Cwm Cadlan) is home to a series of progressively more impressive cairns in the vicinity of cSN97741023. This is a minor example.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 29, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. At the end of the day......

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 27, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. Retrospective ascending Cefn Sychbant...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 27, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. A Citizen Cairn’d... well and truly cain’d.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095 at nightfall... More kerbing.... or so it would seem.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. This is a very substantial monument for a ‘lowland’ setting. Believe it or not there is also a magnificent ring cairn a little west...

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095 Approaching nightfall... what appeared to me clear remnants of substantial kerbing.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. The monument is surrounded by ‘solution hollows’ in the limestone.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014
Image of Cefn Sychbant (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Cefn Sychbant North-east – SN98551095. From roadside..... there is so much to see here that I didn’t get back again until dusk.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014

Articles

Cefn Sychbant

C
CARL Oct 1, 2015

Visited 1.10.15

The beautiful weather this week had given me ‘itchy feet’ and I was desperate to take advantage of it. A day off work and here I was, back up the Brecon Beacons for the first time in many months.

This time I had my neice for company as she is very keen on history/prehistory and also managed to get the day off. She had only previously been to a couple of prehistoric sites so I thought I would treat her to a day out up the Beacons.

The first port of call was Cefn Sychbant Cairn. Easily found and easily accessed. The recent dry spell of weather had made the ground pretty dry underfoot and we crossed the moor from the road without difficulty or wet feet.

The hill cloud had not as yet lifted and the breeze was cold. Danielle was suitably impressed by the cairn and I did my best to describe what it was, when and how it was built etc. This was Danielle’s first ever cairn – not a bad one start off on!

The only down side was the amount of rubbish along the side of the road. The usual stuff – plastic bottles, beer cans, wrappers etc. I filled a bag to take home with me but there was still a lot left behind. What’s wrong with these people? They don’t realise how lucky they are to have the wonderful Brecon Beacons on their doorstep. At least there was no litter at the cairn – couldn’t throw it that far no doubt :(

Cefn Sychbant

GLADMAN
GLADMAN Apr 10, 2014

Lying just south of the minor road traversing Cwm Cadlan at its eastern end, this massive monument may well qualify as one of the easiest visited major upland cairns in all South Wales (please refer to my Twyn Bryn Glas field notes for approach details, should you be so inclined... amongst other stuff). Needless to say I had no idea it was here before Carl’s note. Ahem.

Just a short stroll from available parking within a disused quarry, the monument stands surrounded by what Coflein terms ‘solution holes’. Now I’m not quite sure how these differ from the ubiquitous ‘shake holes’, but assume – OK, hope – a non-geologist such as I can be forgiven such craven ignorance. As I approach it is immediately apparent that, as well as being a seriously large cairn, the monument also retains elements of quite substantial kerbing in situ. What’s more I discover just the one empty plastic milk carton upon the great stone pile... not even a full pint, at that.. where, so close to the road and in overwhelmingly plain sight, I had expected a veritable rubbish tip. A very pleasant, unexpected surprise indeed. Famous last words, but perhaps the lack of ‘central excavation’ may have something to do with this (current) happy state of affairs.

The cairn is not alone, another (which I did not visit due to impending darkness) set a little to the approx north-east, the great ring cairn some way to the west at SN98321087, unseen in the advancing gloom of dusk. Oh, and according to the map there are quite a number more ‘round about upon the flanks of Cefn Sychnant. Numerous others to the north.

A great way to end the day, you might say.

Cefn Sychbant

C
CARL Feb 18, 2014

Visited 16.2.14

The remains of this Barrow (it looks like a Cairn) is a short distance south of Cefn Sychbant Ring Cairn.

It is only a short walk from the road – easily spotted.

The Barrow is quite large, approximately 20m across x 1.5m high. In essence a mound of grey stones.

Worth the short walk from the road if you ever find yourself in this pretty part of the Brecon Beacons.

Miscellaneous

Cefn Sychbant
Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 9, 2014

Cefn Sychbant East
SN98631101

Unfortunately fast approaching darkness ensured I did not have time to do this site justice.... consequently I left it – together with a neighbour further east at SN98921108 – for another day.

Set to the approx north-east of the much larger monument at SN98551095, the exact form appears uncertain. According to Coflein the monument is:

“...a grass-grown stony ring bank 0.3m high, 1.2m wide...diameter of about 10.5 to 11.5m. There is slight evidence for an inner kerb of larger stones. In the 1950s ‘a wrecked central cist’ revealed a sandstone disk 4cm in diameter and 1cm thick, now in the National Museum” [David Leighton, RCAHMW, Jan 1983].

As for the cairn located at SN98921108:

“...defined by two stony arcuate banks on the east and west separated by a distance of 10m and suggesting an overall diameter of 15.4m. The banks are 2m-3m wide and 0.25m high.... On the cairn’s outside west edge is a embedded a thick sandstone slab, perhaps the remains of a kerb. It is not clear if this is a remnant cairn... or a ritual monument of the ‘hengiform’ or ring cairn type....” [David Leighton, RCAHMW, 19 Oct 2010].

Sites within 20km of Cefn Sychbant