Hirnant Circle

Nearest town:
Machynlleth (17km NNW)
OS reference:
SN753839
OS sheet:
135
Latitude:
52° 26' 18.18 N
Longitude:
3° 50' 4.83 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Landscape context for the cairn circle in the Rheidol Valley, seen from the slopes of Disgwyfa Fach to the west.

Image credit: A. Brookes (28.5.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 6, 2023
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by thesweetcheat

What a superb site this is. Looking north up the Rheidol valley to (what I assume is) Drosgol, which is topped by cairns.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 3, 2023
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Graded stones in the SW arc. The white on the tops is wool, so the stones are obviously convenient for a good scratch.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 3, 2023
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by thesweetcheat

With Dinas hillfort the conical hill to the left of centre. The stones of the kerb appear to be graded and mirrored across the monument, with a run of stones rising to a single taller stone on two opposite sides (SW/NE) while on the other two oppposite sides (SE/NW) the stones are squarer and lower.

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 3, 2023
comment 2 comments
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking west across the Afon Rheidol towards Disgwylfa Fach and Disgwylfa Fawr (the latter crowned with a big round barrow).

Image credit: A. Brookes (27.5.2022)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 3, 2023
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by GLADMAN

Looking towards the wilderness that is Pumlumon [archive scan]

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Mar 19, 2016
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by GLADMAN

Looking towards the lower Pumlumon hills..

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Aug 9, 2010
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by postman

From the gate on the road

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Aug 26, 2008
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by Kammer

Taken 10th December 2002: Looking north west, with the eastern side of the circle in the foreground.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Jun 10, 2003
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by Kammer

Taken Autumn 1997: This was my first visit to Hirnant. With Toby acting as my guide I also paid my first visits to Dolgamfa Circle and Aber Camddwr on the same day. It rained really hard for most of the afternoon, so this is the only half decent photo I managed to take.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 29, 2002
Image of Hirnant Circle (Kerbed Cairn) by Kammer

This photo was taken on 28th August 2002 looking east. The light was appalling because it was late in the day and the weather was closing in.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Aug 29, 2002

Articles

Hirnant Circle

postman
postman Aug 26, 2008

It’s been a while since we all went to some stones together, so it was nice to have the whole family at this, another of Wales unsung heroes. The weather wasn’t perfect it was a monotone grey almost all afternoon but the stones made up for that. Also Eric left the gate open a bit causing a farmer to sit and wait out our visit, just to say could we make sure the gates are shut after yourselves, very understandable but a tad annoying, had I known I’dve gladly run back and shut it.
One of the stones is out of place and easily rolled over by one man, I pushed it back onto the circumfrence but it left a sad muddy gouge where it had been so I decided beauty came before form. I couldnt tell if it was even from the circle as it appears on none of Kammers pics.
It does get a bit swamped in all that ‘orrible thick grass but some shears or big scissors would clean it right up.

Hirnant Circle

Kammer
Kammer Aug 29, 2002

I’ve visited Hirnant a couple of times before. Yesterday I thought I’d pop up again after work and get some photos, but by the time we got there (about 8pm) it was nearly dark, so the end result isn’t very good.

The field that the circle sits in is covered in a type of reed that is common around here, to the extent that (at this time of year) the stones are almost entirely obscured by undergrowth. I guess this is what Grendel was referring to in his last post.

Like Dolgamfa to the south, Hirnant is situated on a plateau above the Rheidol gorge (now partially flooded by the Dinas Reservoir). The name Hirnant means long stream in English, so there may be some echo of a connection between the river and the monument that has lasted down the years. As with Dolgamfa there are beautiful views of the surrounding hills from the circle.

Sites within 20km of Hirnant Circle

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