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Gwern Einion

Burial Chamber

<b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by kingroloImage © kingrolo
Nearest Town:Porthmadog (11km NNW)
OS Ref (GB):   SH587286 / Sheet: 124
Latitude:52° 50' 9.44" N
Longitude:   4° 5' 52.35" W


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<b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by thesweetcheat <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by postman <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by maddog <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by Kammer <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by Kammer <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by Kammer <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by Kammer <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by kingrolo <b>Gwern Einion</b>Posted by kingrolo

Fieldnotes

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Thesweatcheat asked me how long it had been since I last came here, I wasn't confident I knew precisely so I guessed, five years maybe, ha! I was miles out, the answer surprised me, it was just over one year, September last year ? What could this mean, anything? am I not paying attention and just wandering willy nilly and not taking any of it in? Am I seeing stones so much that it all melds into one long stoning day? Or do I always live in the now, the impact of my last trip here is undeniable, is it important when I was here? Nah.

What I like most about this Dolmen is that it's amid old and ruined farm buildings, it would not be good at all if the buildings were in use, you'd have to don the meek face and ask permission, pah, not into that.
The dolmen is old, the buildings are not, but they are, if you get me. I like seeing it peeking over the old walls, I like seeing it through the old roof space of the big building, of course you have to climb onto the wall to see it like this, there's so many ways to see this dolmen. I've seen a few dolmens in different surroundings, some in woods, some on hill sides, some in field banks, but mostly just sitting in an empty farmers field, but Gwern Einion is in a pretty singular situation, and I like that. How boring would it be if they were all in a grassy field, well, not boring, but variety is the spice of life , is it not?
postman Posted by postman
4th December 2016ce

The first time I came here I got in some right bother with the farmer, we parked in the wrong place, didnt use the footpath, climbed over a gate and to cap it all I'm just another crap townie from England, this time I vowed would be different, it was too.

Firstly I didn't take any wrong turns, I pinpointed the exact place I parked last time then reversed back till we saw the green rusty gate that leads onto the footpath. I parked as contientously as possible well off the road. The footpath is almost hidden from the farm, three minutes from car to stones.

The dolmen looks completely different now the wall has been peeled away, you can actually tell what type it is, it's a portal dolmen, and in extremely good nick too. To be honest it's been so long since my first visit I couldnt really remember what it looked like as all my photos of back then are none digital, but I was hoping that more of the walling was gone, and was a bit dissapointed to see it still joined at the behind.

But the longer I stayed the more I appreciated the place, like the big stone still trapped in the wall, like the small stone with a big smooth bowl like cupmark on it, and the fact that the capstone is resting not just on the chambers uprights but also on the stones of the wall, if they were removed it might slip straight off, the capstone is as precariously angled as Trethevy quoit in Cornwall though not as big. The three front stones are identical to those at Cist Cerrig a couple of weeks ago, and Howth near Dublin a couple of months ago, but thats a portal dolmen for you.

We made it back to the car unhindered and chalked up a win for the stupid townie, How would you like it if I turned up on your property and wandered about at will, why I'd be gald of the company of course, but theres nowt much of interest in my pokey little back yard.
postman Posted by postman
4th January 2011ce
Edited 14th February 2013ce

Visited on Friday 27th October. I was surprised when I looked at the photos on the website because they didn't look like the one I'd taken! I quickly realised that a lot of the stones and wall in which the Cromlech was embedded have now been removed. It now looks more impressive. Posted by maddog
8th November 2006ce
Edited 10th November 2006ce

Visited 7th December 2003: This was the last site of the day, and it certainly had the biggest impact on us. Driving up towards the chamber we over-shot the obvious parking spot and ended up plonking the car down near the farm with the huge concrete silage silos (not recommended). The sun was setting, and I was panicking a bit, thinking it might be dark by the time we reached the chamber. After walking in circles for a bit we remembered the GPS, and got back on track.

The chamber is really enchanting (and I don't use words like that very often). Tucked behind a ruined farmstead, and embedded in a tall dry stone wall, the chamber hides itself. At first it's unassuming, but then the size of the thing hits you. Camouflaged by the wall, and in the fading light, this process took a few seconds. The sky was rose red and orange by the time we arrived, just missing the chance to photograph the sun set. Behind us the moon rose, and it got decidedly chilly. Magical though.

On the way back to the car I realised we should have parked further to the south, where there's a footpath sign next to the road (green metal arrows pointing in two directions, but with the little image of the walking man peeled off). The entrance to the field where Gwern Einion and the farmstead stand is marked by a small rusty iron pedestrian gate. Once you get through this just head for the farmstead (on the horizon with the skeleton roof) and you'll find the tomb behind it. GPS totally unnecessary, so long as you don't get into a flap like I did.
Kammer Posted by Kammer
23rd June 2004ce
Edited 23rd June 2004ce

Miscellaneous

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Frances Lynch's CADW guidebook for Gwynedd notes that permission needs to be sought from the property Brwyn Llynau tel. 01766 780 625. ShropshireTraveller Posted by ShropshireTraveller
17th August 2005ce

'Gwern' means marsh, and Einion is a man's name. This site is a rectangular burial chamber, which has been built into a drystone wall. Five stones hold up a steeply sloping capstone 2.7m long. Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
8th May 2002ce

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George Eastman House Archive


An old photograph of the site, taken by Alvin Langdon Coburg.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
8th May 2002ce