Llety’r Filiast

Also known as:
Llandudno Burial Chamber
Nearest town:
Llandudno (1km ENE)
OS reference:
SH773829
OS sheet:
115
Latitude:
53° 19' 42.3 N
Longitude:
3° 50' 33.4 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by thesweetcheat

Looking towards Great Orme summit. The slab on the floor of the chamber is broken from the capstone.

Image credit: A. Brookes (25.4.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 7, 2018
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by tjj

An interpretive model of the burial chamber in the Visitor’s Centre on the Great Orme headland (the light reflection in the glass a happy accident).

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Sep 16, 2017
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by GLADMAN

Looking across the capstone – beyond the fabulous Bronze Age mines – to the summit of the Great Orme.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 27, 2014
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by GLADMAN

Nice portal tomb, this.... although the location, overlooked by houses, lacks a little vibe.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Oct 27, 2014
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by postman

It’s not as dark as it looks, with the all night northern glow of a summer solstice.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 21, 2012
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by postman

All night northern glow of summer solstice

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 21, 2012
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by postman

Have hover boots will hover, looking over someones back yard.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 21, 2012
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by thesweetcheat

What appears to be the edge of a slab protruding from the mound.

Image credit: A. Brookes/Bloss (20.8.2011)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 24, 2011
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by thesweetcheat

General view of the chamber, with stony long mound behind. The highest point of the Orme rises to the left, the tomb sits in a natural bowl.

Image credit: A. Brookes/Bloss (20.8.2011)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 24, 2011
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by Moth

The full extent of the remaining mound

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Apr 2, 2005
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by Moth

It really is quite ‘diddy’, as Jane shows

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Apr 2, 2005
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by Jane

... with Great Orme copper mine in the background

Image credit: Jane Tomlinson
Jane
Jane Mar 28, 2005
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by IronMan

Over the top of the capstone. The mines can be seen in the foreground and the cable cars to the top of Great Orme in the distance.

IronMan
IronMan Jun 5, 2002
Image of Llety’r Filiast (Burial Chamber) by IronMan

The stone remains of the cromlech sat on the side of it’s large mound.

IronMan
IronMan Jun 5, 2002

Articles

Llety’r Filiast

tjj
tjj Sep 16, 2017

Visited 13th Sept 2017: my second visit to the Great Orme. The first two and half years ago was specifically to visit the Copper Mines. This time we went went up to the top of the Great Orme by the tramway from Llandudno – which is a recommended and enjoyable experience. As before, however, there was a fierce wind blowing along with daunting rain showers sweeping in over the Great Orme headland. Wonderfully dramatic but not really walking weather. Had a look around the Visitor’s Centre and learnt about Cromlech ar y Gogarth or Cromlech on the Great Orme (Llet y’r Filiast). The helpful volunteer told me it could be found about 150 metres below the Great Orme Mines so we used our tramway return tickets to take us back down to the Halfway Station. From here we found our way down to some houses on the higher edges of Llandudno – and asked a local resident. The cromlech was actually in a field at the end of Cromlech Road with a good stile into the field. In the great scheme of magnificent restored portal tombs this one was quite small but none the less very satisfying to find on that wind swept chilly North Wales day. The cherry on the cake of a memorable day.

Llety’r Filiast

postman
postman Jun 21, 2012

I arrived at 03.45 am, the birds were singing for all they are worth, the all night afar glow of summer solstice was in the sky, and all was right with the world. The stones seemed to glow in the darkness, giving back the light absorbed in the day, (I know). the fence around it has gone, but the greyhound got out years ago. Photographing stones in very low light is a right pain, I wish i’d known at school what I know now, I would have got a plan, you would know me. But I didn’t and you won’t, and this is the best I can do.

Llety’r Filiast

C
CARL Dec 12, 2011

Re-Visited 10.12.11

As myself and Karen had managed to get a weekend away on the Great Orme it would have been a shame not to re-visit this site.

Unfortunately the donkeys are no longer in the field (apparently a baby donkey had arrived and so many people visited it caused parking problems for the residents!). The chap who owns the noisy, barking dogs told us that the donkeys had been taken elsewhere.

The wooden fence surrounding the tomb has all but fallen apart but most alarming was a sign in the tomb warning people against any more digging as the site is protected. I couldn’t see any sign of digging but it is a worry.

The tomb itself is exactly the same as my last visit and is certainly worth a look when visiting the copper mines (which incidentally was shut this time of year).

Llety’r Filiast

C
CARL Jul 21, 2010

Visited 11.7.10.
Directions: After visiting the Great Orme Mine, take the first turning right coming back down the steep hill (Cromlech Road). There is room to park near the houses and there are convienient wooden steps into the field. A sign states that there is public access to the Burial Chamber only.
When I visited there were 3 donkeys in the field and thankfully no sign of the dogs. The donkeys were quite funny as one came over for me to make a fuss of and then the other two did the same not to miss out! I noticed that the wooden fence surrounding the chamber had been mostly chewed away by the donkeys – or is that the dogs?!! Still, worth a visit when seeing the nearby mines as it is so close and easy to get to.

Llety’r Filiast

postman
postman Mar 25, 2009

The donkeys are still there, and so are the dogs, Huskies by the look of them but they were mercifully quiet. The place does look like its all going to fall apart at any minute, I don’t know if the big stoney mound that the chamber partly sits on and in is part of the chambers mound or if it’s just a natural outcrop. (edit: it is)
Standing on the mound with the mines just a hundred yards away and the chamber right behind you is it obvious to assume the occupant/s of the Greyhounds lair were big cheeses at the mine, what did they do? what was there role in the mine ?
Went on holiday to Llandudno dozens of times as a child, now were planning a return in the summer, what goes around comes around.

Llety’r Filiast

Vicster
Vicster Nov 18, 2008

We had ended up at the Great Orme unprepared; having spent the previous day in Chester and being horrified by its “Boozed Up Britain” feel on a Friday evening, headed off to N Wales to escape the drunken hordes. We didn’t have our usual array of OS maps, walking boots and waterproofs and only had a couple of hours to spend, so couldn’t do any real stoning, so this was an unexpected delight!

Having been blown away by the copper mines, we were then let through a gate and pointed in the right direction of this broken but beautiful site; all glimmering white stones under blue skies(and 2 donkeys for company!) it was just lovely.

Llety’r Filiast

treaclechops
treaclechops Apr 7, 2005

‘The Lair of the Greyhound Bitch’. Appropriately enough, the house next door had a yard full of dog shit and a pack of hounds who barked long and loud on our arrival. In addition, the throb of bitchin’ rap emanated forth – rather distracting in the otherwise secluded and peaceful setting of this small dolmen.

Unfortunately, the diminutive chamber is crumbling slowly away, much like a piece of Cheshire cheese. Enough remains to reveal what a charming structure it was, and happily, it is obviously looked after, as a helpful tourist information board is stationed nearby. The puddingy stone put me in mind of Carreg Samson, although there was no variation in the stones used here.

With its capstone in place, it would probably have appeared more dramatic, but sadly this broke in three or four pieces a while ago, and the chunks now lie where they fell. Remarkably, although access is very easy via the solid purpose built ladder at the foot of ‘Cromlech Road’ (big help, that), the site is very clean and tidy. I expected it to be ‘The Lair of the Burberry Chavs’, but there was not an empty bottle of White Lightening in sight.

Moth and Jane reckon that in its hey-day, Lletty’r Filiast would have been a similar size to Hetty Peglar’s Tump, which mean it would have been a seriously important site. Its position so close to the Copper Mines (just a few hundred yards above), is also interesting. It wasn’t as dramatic as I had hoped, but pleasant. At least Jane was bewitched, finding herself reluctant to leave.

Llety’r Filiast

Jane
Jane Mar 28, 2005

Just 50ms from the great open gash of Great Orme copper mines, down at the end of Cromlech Road is what is left of Llety’r Filiast burial chamber, standing in a field by some houses one of which is clearly inhabited by a dog-lover.

The chamber is exposed and quite trashed with half its capstone broken off, pieces of rock strewn about. But it still stands, supported by great flat slabs upon which grows great white blotches of lichen. Stretching out behind it rises a massive tump of cairn material. No doubt the people who were laid to rest here were those from the mining community who worked the awesome*(!) copper mines just beyond.

Moth and treaclechops didn’t like it as much as I did. I loved it. I felt a real sense of connection with the people who build the monument because the fruits of their day-to-day labours were still visible at the mine. These were people who founded the first great British industrial revolution.

Llety’r Filiast

stubob
stubob Oct 14, 2002

We bumped into a guy who lived on Cromlech Road who showed us the chamber.. he said something about cromlechs and dolmens and one of them has a ring of timbers around, thats how to tell the difference? something like that....

He had some ace pictures of down the Orme mine before you had to pay to go in.
Crazy guy whose breath smelt of windolene.......

Llety’r Filiast

IronMan
IronMan Jun 5, 2002

The large mound of this ruined Cromlech can be seen quite clearly from the Great Orme Mine. The field is private so there is no direct access from the mine, the only way to get here is to go into the village and find ‘Cromlech Road’, which leads to a stile and the Cromlech itself, which is clearly marked open to the public. The chamber is ruined, but enough stones are still standing to make this an impressive monument.

BEWARE On leaving the site we were chased by a huge angry dog, belonging to the people living in the house nearest to the cromlech. They made no effort to contain the beast, so it’s safe to assume that they don’t like visitors!

Folklore

Llety’r Filiast
Burial Chamber
IronMan
IronMan Jul 3, 2002

This is one of a few tombs in North Wales to have a name from folklore. ‘Llety’r Filiast’ means ‘Lair of the Greyhound Bitch’, a name shared with several other tombs in Wales. There is no surviving story to explain it.

Miscellaneous

Llety’r Filiast
Burial Chamber
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Mar 16, 2025

Great Orme Cromlech.
“Bartering the rights of the public.”
At a meeting of the Llandudno Urban District Council on Wednesday, attention was called by Councillor William Thomas to the fact that it was intended to make a charge of twopence for access to the Cromlech on the Great Orme, one penny of which was to be paid to the attendant for showing visitors the stone, while for the other penny each visitor was to receive a pictorial postcard of the Cromlech with information bearing on the subject as a momento.

Mr Thomas said he would move that, having regard to the fact that it could not be regarded as a satisfactory solution, the matter should be referred back to the Works Committee for further consideration. Mr McMaster stated that he had great pleasure in seconding, because since 1857 he had had unrestricted right to the field where the Cromlech was without charge or difficulty at all. In his opinion the arrangement was a very insidious and a crafty one. There was to be no charge as such for seeing the Cromlech, but one penny was to be charged for access to it and for the services of the person who would show it to the visitors, while the other penny would be charged for the postcard. In 20 years, perhaps, it would be said that the right of access and of restricting it had been acknowledged by the Council. He favoured further and fuller inquiry being made into the rights of the public to the field in question.

(...) Eventually it was decided by nine votes to two that the Council disapprove of the arrangement arrived at, and referred the matter back to committee for reconsideration.

In the Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald, 21st August 1908.

Topics

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whatisthat
whatisthat
Oct 2006

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