Gurnos, a southern spur of Gorllwyn - second highest point of the Cwmdeuddwr Hills - stands sentinel overlooking Cwm Dulas. As such, it is a fine viewpoint, not least looking towards the Old Red Sandstone Escarpment of South Wales ranged upon the horizon.... although it has to be said the view down into the cwm itself is pretty special, too.
The high plateau possesses more than just topographical splendour, however: a Bronze Age ring cairn located at SN9229057867 is well worth seeking out by those Citizens Cairn revelling in the off-the-beaten track.
I approached from the approx east - initially along a bridleway leaving the minor road near Ty Nant farm - heading between Wennallt and Lan Fawr, prior to veering westward and fording the wondrous Nant Cyfyng. Sounds simple enough, right? Except the monument wasn't where I assumed it would be (it does not appear upon OS mapping), having instead been erected by its Bronze Age architects to command a different aspect and thus completely ignore said fabulous views of Cwm Dulas. Serves me right for making assumptions. Suffice to say, I got there in the end.
Hey, if your map reading truly is as bad as mine and you wish to take the direct route, look out for a 'hump' above to your right while fording the tumbling Nant Cyfyng. The cairn is located to the right of this, not upon the plateau beyond as I had assumed. Although to be fair, any lover of the Welsh landscape will want to go walkabout and take in the fabulous views, regardless.
Should you not have already had the pleasure of visiting Gorllwyn's great summit cairns looming above to the north, a continuation from here would be one way of doing it. Just be sure you have enough energy in the tank, so to speak. And keep an eye on the cloud base since this is not somewhere to take chances in hill fog. Best return another day, if in doubt.
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Posted by GLADMAN
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