The first time I came here I parked in a house that was in mid renovation, but is now fully being lived in, so I couldn't park there. In stead I went down hill from the long driveway leading to Tan y Muriau, not far, only about twenty meters or so and left the car under a holly tree at the side of the road, still leaving plenty of room for other road users to get past.
But like on my first visit, there was no one in at the house to ask permission from, so we just walked over to the chambers which are about fifty yards away in the next field. There were no animals to harangue us, but a high growth of bracken and some sort of yellow flowering plant were definitely going to make us pay for this visit. Seeing as no one was in at the house we started cutting back and trampling down the almost overpowering vegetation. In the end it really opened the place out, before it was head high in places and only the tops of the capstones could be seen, but this was much better. It was early spring on my first trip here, there was no bracken and no flowering plants of any colour, I think on balance I prefer summer but hope it will indulge me with a ten minute clear up.
This is another fantastic must see gem of the lleyn peninsula, two chambers for the price of one. On the map it's down as a simple long cairn so should be just like this one http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/14330/cwmbiga.html .....except that ones not on the map at all, there is so much difference between the two it's just not funny. Long cairn indeed.
You can get in and have a good sit down in the big chamber, it's dry and slug free, but watch your head on the upside down whale fin on the underneath of the capstone. Now i've had another look at the smaller chamber i'm not so convinced it has slipped off, rather it could be an earthfast chamber like at Garnwnda, I don't know, i'm open to either.
The capstone is a big beautiful death gods hat, I mean neolithic axe, no, I mean underworld pointer. Could just be a stone, but it looks more like the Delta flyer from Voyager to me, either way it's a good stone for a burial chamber.
We parked up the lane from the property with the chambers, at an empty house that was being renovated, then a short walk down the lane and up the drive of Tan-y-Muriau house we knocked (no choice really) but no one was in, we did see the donkey and the dog that had harrassed poor old sam last month but they were locked up.
Iv'e got to say if it wasn't for sams photos I wouldn't have known what a small wonder this place is so hats off.
The big dolmen is a good one and one can just about sit comfortably inside but the other chamber has slipped and collapsed, so glad I came without the bracken.
Amusingly, the farmer has placed a "Watch out, Cairn about" sign on his gate (referring to his dog and not the chambers). Ask the farmer and he will direct you to a stile leading into a field of bracken.
This page contains a section on Tan-y-Muriau (aka Rhiw Burial Chambers) including photos, a description and directions (which I could have done with when I tried to find the site in back in 2000).
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