The hut circles, St Justinian’s and Ramsey
Images
A rough plan of the six roundhouses.
Panorama of the older, outer walls and the reinforced inner IA wall. The entrance is on the far left.
Parallel walls built before the reinforcement of the camp in the iron Age.
The large stones in the foreground make up the kerb to the entrance and are part of older, pre-Iron Age walls.
The entrance/exit of the camp through the Iron Age bank.
One of the larger and more obvious hut circles.
From this elevated position we could make out 6, possibly 7, hut circles.
Large hut circle.
Looking across Whitesands Bay towards Ramsey Island.
There are some excellent hut circles inside the fort.
The massive stone-built rampart.
The entrance passage into the fort is faced with stone.
The massive stone-built rampart is behind a ditch and much lower outer line of defence.
Approaching the ramparts from the east.
St David’s Head seen from the south, near Point St John. The fort occupies the tip of the headland, Coetan Arthur is a little further inland and the Carn Llidi tombs are located on the western (lefthand) slopes of the unmistakable mini-mountain.
hut 4... quite a bit of the cliff has fallen into the sea, especially the large bank which tumbles down over the edge.
hut 3......
Hut 2...
Hut 1, all these circular stone bases for huts are of a similar size, though we only found 5 of the 6 mentioned.......
In the valley below St.David’s Camp are lines of stones presumed to be ‘celtic field’ systems, this is the most obvious one.
Exterior view of camp
Taken 13th April 2003: Looking south, down the defensive ‘ditch’ between the stone ramparts on the outside of the defenses (left) and the natural stone outcrop.
Taken 13th April 2003: From outside the fort looking in, here are the southern end of the defences with two random walkers and their dog for scale. The walkers are about to pass through the gap in the ramparts.
In the distance is the island of Carreg-Trai.
Taken 13th April 2003: The promontory, with the fort’s rampart cutting across the shot, left to right. On the left hand-side there’s a gap in the fortification, but I’ve no idea whether this is modern or part of the original layout.
Articles
Visited 30.6.10.
I parked at the Whitesands Beach car park (charge) and took a lovely 30 minute walk up to the hillfort. It was a beautiful summer’s morning and was ‘picture postcard’ perfect. The sun was warm, the sand white and the sea crystal clear – wonderful. Makes you feel good to be alive. Be careful when walking along the costal path as it is right next to the cliff edge at places with no fences and a deadly drop! There are stone ramparts remaining in places about 8ft high – collapsed walls to the front. It goes without saying there are great costal views.
This small camp must have been a fairly attractive place to live. Screened from the wind and facing inward towards the land amongst a jumble of rocks, it would have been difficult to find. Spent some time up here watching small birds feeding in the boggy wet ground, it has enormous presence this rocky outcrop, peaceful as well.
Not so peaceful (reason I am writing this) is the walk up the cliff path, 18 inches wide and a vertical drop to the sea, for those who suffer from vertigo take a different route. At the stream below turn right up the valley and then head back to the headland along the top.
Cunliffe -Iron Age communities in Britain; to quote;-
A complex rampart protected a small group of 6 conjoined
stone wall huts 5-20 ft in dia., excavated in 1900.
Sparse finds;- whetstones, spindle whorls, hammer stones and fragments of iron, plus a few glass beads.
Visited 13th April 2003: I made a very cursory visit to St Davids’s Head Camp as a diversion on our way to Coetan Arthur. William needed a rest from the wind, so Lou hid with him and Alfie behind a big boulder.
I nipped down and had a look at the ramparts of the fort, which are thankfully very easy to spot. They’re ruinous, but still relatively well defined. It’s difficult to judge the scale of them from a distance, but fortuitously a couple of walkers provided scale for my photos. I was tempted to go further down the promontory and explore, but the weather was appalling so in the end I didn’t stop for long.
An aerial view of St David’s Head Camp, the photographer skillfully omitting Coetan Arthur from the shot (was that you Toby?).
Sites within 20km of St David’s Head Camp
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Coetan Arthur
photo 40 description 6 link 2 -
Carn Llidi Bychan
description 1 -
Carn Llidi Tombs
photo 33 description 5 -
Clegyr Boia
photo 3 description 4 -
Castell Heinif
photo 8 -
Carnysgybor
photo 1 -
Lower Tregennis
description 1 -
St Nons
photo 12 description 4 -
Trecenny Stone
photo 7 description 4 -
Carnllundain
photo 3 -
Maen Dewi
photo 3 description 2 -
Caerfai Camp
photo 14 description 1 -
Castell Coch (St David’s)
photo 7 -
Caerau (St David’s)
photo 9 description 1 -
Porth-y-Rhaw
photo 8 link 1 -
Llecha Cromlech
photo 1 description 1 -
Gribin
photo 8 -
Solva
photo 3 -
St Elvis
photo 19 description 8 -
Dinas Fawr and Porth y Bwch
photo 7 description 1 -
Llanrhian
photo 1 forum 2 description 2 -
White House, Llanhowell Cromlech
photo 6 description 2 -
Tremaenhir
photo 1 description 1 -
Bickney Beacon
description 1 -
Dinas Fach
photo 8 -
Treffynnon
photo 5 description 2 -
Castell Coch (Llanrhian)
photo 7 -
Carreg Samson
photo 53 forum 2 description 14 -
Newgale submerged forest
photo 3 link 1 -
Tre Wallter Llwyd
photo 6 forum 2 description 1 -
Castell Coch (Mathry)
photo 6 -
Carreg Golchfa
photo 7 -
Howney Stone Rath
photo 7 -
Mill Haven Rath
photo 6 -
The Nab Head
description 1 link 1 -
Skomer
photo 6 forum 3 description 2 link 1 -
Harold Stone (Skomer)
photo 2 description 2 link 1 -
Tower Point
photo 15 -
Castle Head
photo 7 -
Black Point Rath
photo 5 -
Harold Stone (The Havens)
photo 7 description 4 link 1 -
Deer Park
photo 11 description 1 -
Upper Lodge Stones
photo 8 description 2 -
Ffyst Samson
photo 27 forum 1 description 7 -
Dinas Mawr
photo 11 -
Plumstone Mountain
description 1 link 1