Gro Hill

Nearest town:
Llandrindod Wells (13km E)
OS reference:
SN92486204
OS sheet:
147
Latitude:
52° 14' 44.15 N
Longitude:
3° 34' 30.1 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Gro Hill (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Looking down upon the Caban-coch Reservoir leading the eye to the Dolymynach dam.... Drygarn Fawr rises top left skyline.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2019
Image of Gro Hill (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

There are so many unmarked cairns upon the hills of Elenydd that one might be tempted to think the OS decided it would be much more fun for people to find them for themselves....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2019
Image of Gro Hill (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

For me arguably the most pleasing cairn... Waun Sarn – with its own unrecorded cairn – lies beyond.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2019
Image of Gro Hill (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) by GLADMAN

Approaching Gro Hill from Esgair Gwar-y-Cae to approx south-west....

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Sep 23, 2019

Articles

Miscellaneous

Gro Hill
Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Jun 8, 2024

The Cwmdeuddwr Hills of Y Elenydd – ‘The Green Desert’ of Mid Wales – can be confusing places, even to those who consider themselves reasonably experienced in the locale.. so, first things first: please ensure you are not seduced by the relatively low height of these tops and erroneously believe you do not need map, compass and waterproofs. No intention here to teach anyone to suck eggs, as they say, but even the late, great, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas experienced complete navigational meltdown around these parts.

To emphasise the point, take a look at the Coflein records for Gro Hill and, in particular, the number of “Either not located at time of field visit or mis-sited” statements. Yeah, even experienced field archaeologists appear bemused by these hills.

The issues with Gro Hill are undoubtedly exacerbated by the fact that the OS has not recorded any prehistoric cairns here upon current mapping. Yet here they are, although possibly not where Coflein has them logged! The views on a clear day are sublime, the vibe delivering exactly what has brought me to these tops time and time again.

As a general overview, Coflein reckons:

“Gro Hill Cemetery comprises the remains of at least three small round burial cairns. The largest cairn is situated to the West and measures about 5.5 meters in diameter and up to about 0.4 meters in height. Within this cairn is an open visible cist measuring 0.9 meters from NW to SE. The southernmost cairn measures 3.5 meters in diameter and up to 0.2 meters in height. The easternmost cairn measures 4.5 meters in diameter and up to 0.4 meters in height. This cairn also has an open visible cist measuring 1 meter. All three cairns have suffered disturbance or robbing.
Source: Cadw scheduling description. [Foster/RCAHMW 18.09.2008]”

Sites within 20km of Gro Hill

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