Located in a wondrous position upon the southeast flank of Y Garn, the easternmost 2,000ft summit of the uncompromising Y Rhinogydd, this Bronze Age round cairn still contains the remains of a rectangular stone coffin - or cist - within its centre, together with a large kerb stone or two.
The setting is indeed spectacular, the hills rising across the valley of the Afon Mawddach crowned by the Iron Age hillforts of Foel Offrwm and Foel Faner, both well worth a visit in their own right. Gold has been found in these hills - no, really - yet, to my mind at least, this tangible reminder of past local society is worth far more than mere untarnishable metal?
Reached by a forestry track from the head of the minor dead-end road ascending Cwm Yr Wnin from Llanelltyd, the terrain hereabouts is pretty easy going by the standard of the Rhinogs. Nonetheless, the sense of 'exposure'... of being perched above the everyday world, aloof from its petty foibles... is palpable, making this a great choice to hang out when the energy reserves are not at their highest, perhaps?
Coflein reckons:
"A round cairn (ca 7.5m in diameter) with an approximately rectangular slab sided central cist (0.2 x 0.4m). The whole is sited prominently on a hilltop with wide views. The cairn itself appears to have been robbed, probably for material used to build the large enclosure nearby. The cist would have been used for a crouched burial." [John Latham, RCAHMW, 12 Oct 2010].
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Posted by GLADMAN
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