Dolgamfa Circle

Also known as:
Bwlch Gwyn, Dol-y-Gamfa, Dolgamia and Temple Cairn
Nearest town:
Aberystwyth (17km W)
OS reference:
SN747792
OS sheets:
135, 147
Latitude:
52° 23' 45.76 N
Longitude:
3° 50' 30.26 W
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Images

Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by thesweetcheat

This is a great little cairn circle. Unfortunately the residents didn’t seem keen to invite a long stay.

Image credit: A. Brookes (18.5.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 7, 2024
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by thesweetcheat

Landscape contxt, approaching from the west. The cairn circle is just to the left of the cattle.

Image credit: A. Brookes (18.5.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 7, 2024
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 21st June 2005: The Summer Solstice sun tries to break through the cloud.

The hill on the horizon to the left of the frame is Pumlumon.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Jun 21, 2005
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 15th February 2003: On our way back from a shopping trip in Lampeter I insisted on pulling over and taking this photo. The winter sunlight was brilliant, and for the first time I positively identified Dolgamfa from the road (the A4120).

The photo is taken from the south east, so not far south of Ysbytty Cynfyn. I’ve effectively zoomed in (by cutting a small chunk out of a big photo). It didn’t look this obvious through the view finder!

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Feb 19, 2003
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 10th November 2002: The smallest stones in the circle are opposite the ‘big’ stone (approximately on the eastern side). The indentation in the grass marks where someone had added a stone (not very convincingly). Map provided for scale.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 11, 2002
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 10th November 2002: This is the largest stone in the circle, and it sits (approximately) on the east side. This ‘big’ stone doesn’t seem to line up with Ysbytty Cynfyn because it’s slightly too far to the south. Map provided for scale.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 11, 2002
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 10th November 2002: Looking north, with William doing a reasonable gnome impression. You can just make out the indentation in the centre of the circle.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 11, 2002
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 10th November 2002: Looking east towards the pass, with Dolgamfa in the foreground. The dots on the horizon are two walkers, which was surprising, as I’ve never seen anyone up here before.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 11, 2002
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

Taken 10th November 2002: This photo is taken from just below the pass between Ystumtuen and Dolgamfa looking west. From here you can see Dolgamfa and the bell tower of the church at Ysbytty Cynfyn. Between the two sites runs the Rheidol Gorge, surrounded by an ancient oak forest.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Nov 11, 2002
Image of Dolgamfa Circle (Cairn circle) by Kammer

This photo was taken on 16th June 2002, looking in the direction of Ysbytty Cynfyn. The site is called Dolgamfa (pronounced doll-gam-va) and it’s about half a mile to the west of Ysbytty Cynfyn on the other side of the Rheidol gorge. You can get to it from Ysbytty Cynfyn by crossing over Parson’s Bridge. Dolgamfa is usually described as a kerb cairn, but it works well as a small stone circle.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Jul 28, 2002

Articles

Dolgamfa Circle

postman
postman Dec 9, 2008

We parked the car by the church at Ysbyty Cynfyn, an interesting place on its own with up to four standing stones in its wall, but today Eric and me all but ignored them as we took the path up and over the hill behind it. The path then descends into a steeeep sided gorge thickly
covered in moss covered trees, the gorge is crossed by a not to sturdy bridge high above the dark swirling river. Once crossed, it’s up the
hill, head for the stiles in the fences and not only will you be in the comfort zone of “Right of way” but youll be just fifty feet from the circle
which admittedly is outside said comfort zone, but hey, sue me (no don’t).
Funny how they sneak up on you isn’t it ? I almost blundered on past the stones thinking they were more on top of the hill, untill they came
into view off to the right. I think I counted twelve stones all together from the two tallest stones of about three feet to the smallest one which
struggled to get above the grass, at about an inch,though the smaller stones just make the others look bigger.
There are a number of this type of circle with in just a few miles of each other, this one is marked on the map as cairn so I wonder how many
more there are hiding under the catch-all name.
The stones are lovely, with lichen and weathering giving them a hoary look of antiquity, and all around the rolling hills occasionally gather
themselves up to a lofty point, it was a quiet and beautiful morning made all the better for having the boy come with me, even if he does need
a small bribe or two.

Dolgamfa Circle

Kammer
Kammer Aug 6, 2002

Dolgamfa (pronounced doll-gam-va) is a small site about half a mile to the west of Ysbytty Cynfyn on the other side of the Rheidol Gorge.

The site is usually described (by the learn-ed) as a kerb or ring cairn, and is similar to the Hirnant just up the road.

At Dolgamfa the grading of the stones is very marked. The taller stones may be aligned with another site or celestial object, but if this is the case I can’t identify it. I wonder whether the stones in the circle were intended to be visible rather than buried under the cairn?

You can get to the circle from Ysbytty Cynfyn by crossing over Parson’s Bridge. You can also walk in from the village of Ystumtuen. Both routes are relatively short as the crow flies, but from Ysbytty Cynfyn you have to walk down into the gorge then back up again, which is a bit of a climb.

The footpath is well marked coming from both directions, but the Dolgamfa Circle itself isn’t marked on the footpath signs where they meet the road, so you may find a map re-assuring. Parking is not a problem whichever route you choose, and it might even be possible to get the bus from Aberystwyth if you’re cunning.

Miscellaneous

Dolgamfa Circle
Cairn circle
Kammer
Kammer Nov 20, 2002

In some sources the name of this site is written as ‘Dol-y-Gamfa’. Presumably this has been abbreviated to Dolgamfa over the years.

The name ‘Dol-y-Gamfa’ means something like ‘place of the crooked meadow’, and if you look at the plateau that the circle sits on, this is very appropriate. I’m pretty certain that the farmstead to the south of the circle shares the same name.

Sites within 20km of Dolgamfa Circle

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