View towards Pen y fan(unsighted) from the cairn
Images
The view towards Pen y fan on a clear day
Noticed this while I was there this morning. In the mid distance is the stone row and it's recumbent, and between it and me a line can be drawn through the northern edge of the Eastern circle and the southern edge of the Western circle. A tangent.
The addition was sat on top of the real circle stone. Why do people do this?
An addition to the circle, now removed.
Light was fast fading by this time – and I had just stepped (or rather been sucked) waist deep into the nearby bog – however, for what it's worth, the position of Pen y Fan and Corn Du in the notch of the distant col can just about be discerned from the stone row here.
Aerial view from Foel Darw... the Nant Tarw flows by in the foreground.
The nearby stone row... to my mind much more than 'probable'.
A sunburst floods this brutal landscape with light... the central summits of Y Mynydd Du rear up on the near horizon... all crowned by Bronze Age cairns (L to R: Twr-y-Fan Foel; Fan Foel; Picws Du).
The south-eastern stone circle. Note that Pen y Fan and Corn Du are not visible from this 'circle.
South-eastern stone circle and Foel Darw
North-western circle
Note the large, prostrate outlier just outside the circumference to the right (north-western circle).
Looking approx south-east from the north-western monument... hadn't noticed on previous visits... but Pen y Fan is perfectly framed within the 'v' between Foel Darw (left) and Garn Las (right) from the centre. Incidentally – or possibly not at all incidentally – the nascent Nant Tarw flows betwixt the two.
Towering cloudscape above the main (north-western) stone circle, looking toward Mynydd Myddfai
Looking SE from the stone setting towards the be-cairned Garn Las.
The three stone setting, looking towards the circles and Foel Darw.
The western circle, looking east along the Nant Tarw valley with Foel Darw on the left.
The southern arc of the western circle.
The western circle. The large recumbent slab is on the right. The largest stone of the three-stone setting is visible as a dark spot on the far left of the picture.
The eastern circle from the west, looking towards Foel Darw and Twyn Perfedd.
The tallest stone in the eastern circle.
The western arc of the eastern circle, showing the SW recumbent (fallen?) stone. The Nant Tarw cairn lies away to the right.
The SE recumbents of the eastern circle.
The eastern circle, looking NW. There are two larger recumbent stones hidden in the reedy grass in the SE corner of the circle (foreground).
Two of my favourite things......... incidentally the skyline peaks of Y Mynydd Du bear Bronze Age funerary cairns and are (L to R) Twr-y-Fan Foel; Fan Foel and Picws Du (Bannau Sir Gaer).
Suspicious pile of stones beyond the eastern circle. Are these original orthostats removed or modern additions to the circle subsequently removed? – there are shallow stone holes upon the circle's circumference...
The western circle insignificant against the moorland sky...
Eastern circle and Foel Darw.
Western 'circle.....
Apologies to the circle if the eyes are drawn to the sensuous, feminine curves of Mynydd Du rising above...
The stone row.... and Y Mynydd Du, of course.
Eastern 'circle, towards Fan Foel...
Towards the western 'circle from its neighbour....
The large recumbent stone....
Western circle... and the large recumbent (erratic?)
Western 'circle, towards Foel Darw. Note the cairn, far left.
Close up of the row. Odd how, at this angle, the skyline beyond is mirrored somewhat by the row. No idea if it's intentional or not, but curious all the same.
Looking South, towards the Black mountain. The stone row sit's quite alone on it's own low stoney mound, surrounded on 3 sides by bogs.
The recumbent stone of the 3 stone row, about 100 meters west of the WNW circle. This view looking West.
South + west arc of east circle
west arc of east circle
Southern arc of west circle. fallen megalith of three stone row at the rear
Looking over the fallen menhir across the west circle
South east arc of western circle with fallen menhir and cairn in the background.
Western arc of west circle with Fan foel on the right in the background
The western circle with t'other further on
Stone setting like the Maen Mawr at Caerrig Duon
Two small stones and one big one. It must mean something !
The cairn above the Nant Tarw. The western circle stones can be seen, upper middle feft ?
This stone is just below the cairn and marks the Nant Tarw crossing place
E circle looking W.
August 2002
W circle looking E.
E circle just visible on patch of lighter grass, centre left.
August 2004
Articles
29.1.2011. After the walk from Blaenau Uchaf along the "processional route" of the valley, passing wild ponies and frozen streams aplenty, I reach the easternmost of two circles at Nant Tarw. Wow! My heart sings with an overwhelming feeling of elation as I arrive. The walk from Crai Reservoir had sapped me, taking far longer than I expected – although partly restored by the lovely Blaenau Uchaf stone, it is only as I reach the first circle that I truly feel at one with the world again.
I must have just about the most perfect conditions for this visit. The sky is blue and the ground is frozen hard, meaning that what would normally be a wet and boggy crossing of open hillsides is actually very easy. The grass is also very low, making the diminuitive stones of the circles much easier to see.
Even though the stones are tiny, and many are missing, this place is a joy. I rush around taking pictures, which almost freezes my ungloved fingers off. But a cup of tea later and I'm raring to go. Both circles are beautiful, evocative rings, in a wild and remote spot that even most of the ardent Burl-enthusiasts may be unfamiliar with. Then I pop across thankfully frozen bog to the three stone setting. Suddenly, from out of the sun and an big bank of cloud, the enormous bulk of Y Mynydd Du appears. Good grief. The breath is almost knocked from me at the sight – I knew the mountains were visible from here, but because they had been hidden, the sudden appearance is a real shock.
I love it here. To quote Mr Tennant, I feel like taking all my clothes off and dancing to The Rite of Spring. But it's too cold and I might upset the ponies, so I content myself with sitting here in awe, literally chilling out. I have to come back here with more time, that's for certain. It seems criminal to have come to this spot, only to rush off again.
But a sobering look at the map tells me that I have 5 miles of trackless, open hillsides and plentiful streams and springs to cross if I'm going to get back to the road in time for a bus, let alone if I want to stop off at Maen Mawr and Cerrig Duon on the way. So I head south, at speed.
According to my map of the area, my only previous visit to these two obscure moorland stone circles was way back on 20/4/03... and it would appear I wasn't overly impressed. However a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then – an awful lot, if the proverbial bridge in question happens to be the Pont 'ar Wysg which stands some way north of the site. Time for a reappraisal, then. Perhaps my 'tastes', such as they are, have matured a little?
The aforementioned Pont 'ar Wysg is a good starting point, if only for the fine skyline profile Y Mynydd Du presents.... or would present if the cloud base wasn't so low today. There are two car parks to choose from... take your pick, then the path diagonally opposite the one currently not within forestry, that is north of the road, to the right if coming from Trecastle. Incidentally, one can only hope the Roman legionnaries who marched up and down this road [there are the remnants of a camp to the approx west] got continually soaked and hated every minute of their posting! Ha! I suggest you follow the path as best you can and head for the general area to the right of Foel Darw, the most prominent hill in the locality. The circles are fairly obvious once you orientate yourself correctly, the larger being the nearer to Foel Darw to the east.
According to Coflein [see misc post] both 'circles possess 15 stones, but since several barely break the turf, I could neither confirm nor deny this. Hey, I'd make a good politician, me. Not a good mathematician, though. Other orthostats are pretty substantial for your typical Welsh moorland 'circle and a lot larger than I recalled. A large recumbent lies between the two monuments, although whether this is an erratic or fallen monolith is a moot point. The latter would be nice, since there is another large recumbent to the north-west beside two much smaller orthostats... and thus – if it indeed once stood – begging comparison with a similar arrangement at the nearby Maen Mawr and Y Cerrig Duon. Add a pretty large cairn sited upon the banks of the Nant Tarw itself – not to mention several other 'are they or aren't they?' stones – and I do believe we have a Dartmoor-esque ritual complex upon these brutal northern slopes of Y Mynydd Du, the whole overlooked by the summit funerary cairns themselves.
As I sit and take in the vibe – and occasional shower – the cloud swirls around the high mountain summits to eventually reveal them in all their glory, Fan Foel particularly striking in unfamiliar, stark section. Family units of wild ponies wander to and fro across this landscape, seeming to give their unfortunate brethren with humans upon their backs a very wide berth. Just beyond the eastern circle I find a pile of stones, not to mention several shallow holes upon the circumferance itself. No need to worry, however, since it transpires that our very own Cerrig has been doing a bit of local restoration work. Which is good to know – if only in retrospect – since I leave Nant Tarw wondering how anyone could fail to be impressed by this place.
Dylan was right. The time's they indeed are 'a changing.
There is a parking place to the north of the circles and I presume this is where Elderford parked, but his route seemed a tad torturous so I drove through the forest to the east (Mynydd Wysg on the map) and parked by the two small rectangles on the map on the ground they are animal pens.
A short but uphill walk round the north side of the hill Foel Darw following the obvious path takes you up and over and down to "the bull brook" (Nant Tarw) Before going down to the river look across and you can see all the stones but most obvious is the big grey cairn head for that. When we reached the river I was a bit stunned to find a standing stone that isnt on any record,I don't know if its really genuine but after seeing everything else on the moor it's just got to be.
Above the stone is the cairn, it's a spread of stones like any other cairn move on to the ESE circle. 300ft west of this circle is a fallen menhir ten feet long but I didnt bring Burl with me so couldnt find it. Some of the stones are gone and some are just sticking their noses above the surface of this grassy sea, but some are more than a metre tall. From here theres only one place to go...yep,uphill to the western circle.
Before reaching the circle is a fallen menhir about 8ft long and would have dwarfed the circle stones just a few feet away, the stones are on average larger than the other circles stones but still small enough to keep the other anoraks away.
Most intriguing of the whole place is the three stone row just 28feet away from the west circle,
the tallest stone is sadly fallen though thankfully not on the two smaller stones, it would be an almost carbon copy of the Maen Mawr at Cerrig Duon four miles south east and very similar to Pant Meddygon three miles north, it must mean something. Perhaps the big stone is the Astronomer priest and the other two his acolites
or maybe the circles builder and his mates,or is that just stupid.
On the way back we were sitting across the river appreciating the whole moor when Eric cried "Crow" it was actually a Red Kite just a few metres above us, Iv'e never been that close to a free bird of prey, it was so close I thought it was going to attack us....... Amazing Place marvelous mega minilithic paradise
OS map required
This really is in the middle of nowhere on open moorland. Crossing several streams and it’s boggy.
Head out to the Usk Reservoir and use the car park just before the bridge Pont’ar Wsyg.
Follow the track beside river Usk in a southerly direction away from the reservoir.
After 200m or so of this the river forks. Cross the river and follow the right fork.
After 400m or so the river forks again. To your right is the Usk, on your left is the Nant Tarw. Cross the Nant Tarw.
Hopefully you are now between both rivers and ahead of you is rising land. Walk in a southerly direction keeping closer to the stream on your left (Nant Tarw) rather than the Usk on your right.
400m ahead you will hopefully reach a ruined (robbed) circular stone cairn. It is a good landmark and the stone is bare of grass and some 16m by 11m (0.3m in height).
The stone circles are over to the east of the cairn on a plateau.
Behind the hill you are walking along are two mountains (with dramatic scarps: Picws Du and Fan Brycheiniog). If you reach a point where the hill you are on is obscuring these two peaks: you have gone too far and missed the stone circles.
If you reach a point where you are having to cross several streams running down from the hill to the river Nant Tarw: you have gone too far and missed the stone circles.
At the top of the hill is a fence, so it is unlikely you will wander off and die of exposure on the Black Mountain (although there is supposedly a stone circle up there SN 823232 around 600m up Fan Brycheiniog).
It is worth considering when at the circles that if you stand facing north: in the wooded hill north of the Usk Reservoir are two standing stones; another two at the eastern end; another two stone circles (Mynydd Bach) on the hill beyond that just below Y Pigwn. To your right less than 2km away is the standing stone Blaenau Uchaf. Behind you 3km or so away is another stone circle (as previously mentioned, but I cannot find any information on it). Infront of you is a ruined stone cairn (antiquarian accounts indicate 5 or 6 erect stones once defined its circumference).
Nant Tarw consists of a pair of small Bronze Age stone circles 110m apart and intervisible with each other.
The western circle is the higher of the two, slight ellipse of 15 stones with a diameter of 19m. Stones vary in height from nothing to 1m. A guide states that there are entrance gaps at west and east, but because the stones are small and some missing it’s not that obvious. It is comprised of glacial boulders and Old Red Sandstone slabs.
Between the two circles is a large fallen stone 2.6m long by 1.5m wide.
The eastern circle is similar in size (slightly larger at 21m and also an ellipse) and has 18 visible stones. The stones vary in height from nothing to 1.25m, one of the fallen stones would have been higher than that. Again the guide I consulted suggests two entrance gaps, this time in the southeast and southwest sections. Similar stones used to the western circle
Many of the stones are very low. To give you a better idea, many of the guides state that the visiblity of stones is dependent on weather conditions on the ground and plant growth: we are not talking Avebury here by any means. It is a fair slog across open moorland and streams to reach the site.
That said on the day I visited the weather was fair, the scenery majestic and I had the mountains to myself all day. I did run out of water though, so be prepared to be self-sufficient when you're out there.
Coflein has the following to say regarding the complex at Nant Tarw:
'There are two stone circles with associated monoliths at Nant Tarw. Both circles are composed of 15 stones: the larger, to the east, is 21m in diameter and centred at SN81972578. It has stones reaching from the level of the turf to 0.8m high. The lesser, western circle, is 19.5m in diameter and centred at SN81872583. It has stones barely breaking the turf, with others up to 0.7m high. Between the two circles is what is thought to be a large in-situ glacial erratic with another 116m west-north-west of the western circle associated with two small standing stones... Two cairns are set close to these monuments and a further stone, on the banks of the stream to the north-east has been viewed as a possible monolith.'
And specific to the probable stone row at SN81762587:
'Located to the north-west of two stone circles at Nant Tarw, 115m from the western circle, lies an alignment of three stones. The largest is what appears to be a fallen, or broken, monolith. It measures some 3m long and 0.75m thick and its base is stone packed. Two further stones stand behind it, 0.43m and 0.28m high respectively. This kind of arrangement, an alignment of one large and two smaller stones, is similar to that found at Maen Mawr, Cerrig Duon'
Sites within 20km of Nant Tarw
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Foel Darw, Y Mynydd Du
photo 6 description 1 -
Garn Las (Llywel)
photo 12 description 3 -
Blaenau Uchaf
photo 9 description 3 -
Bannau Sir Gaer
photo 29 forum 1 description 3 -
Rhyd-wen Fach stone setting
photo 3 description 2 -
Pant Meddygon
photo 15 description 3 -
Gwern Wyddog
photo 9 forum 1 description 2 -
Fan Foel
photo 40 description 5 -
Cwm Henwen
photo 10 description 3 -
Twr y Fan Foel
photo 46 description 3 -
Cwm Henwen Cairn
photo 10 description 2 -
Pen Caenewydd, Mynydd Myddfai
photo 16 description 1 -
Picws Du, Y Mynydd Du
photo 29 forum 1 description 3 -
Tomen-y-Rhos
photo 10 description 2 -
Moel Feity
photo 12 -
Pant Madog
photo 8 description 3 -
Waun Leuci stone setting
photo 12 description 4 -
Tawe valley Triangle
photo 12 -
Y Pigwn
photo 35 description 6 link 1 -
Y Pigwn Cairns
photo 11 description 3 -
Afon Tawe
photo 3 description 1 -
Waun Leuci
photo 29 description 6 -
Waun Leuci cairn
photo 2 description 3 -
Carn-y-Gigfran
photo 12 description 2 -
Tyle Mawr
photo 9 description 2 -
Waunewydd
description 1 -
Cerrig Duon and The Maen Mawr
photo 61 description 11 -
Nant-y-Llyn, Y Mynydd Du
photo 20 description 1 -
Pant-y-Turnor
photo 11 description 2 -
Waun Leuci summit
photo 18 description 2 -
Carnau’r Garreg Las
photo 36 description 3 -
Blaen Clydach Fach
description 1 -
Varlen Cairn, Traianmawr
description 1 -
Cylchau
photo 10 description 1 -
Cilgwyn
photo 2 -
Pen y Waun Dwr
photo 4 -
Fan Gyhirych
photo 33 description 2 -
Pen y Waun Dwr Stone
photo 5 description 1 -
Carn Fadog and Nant-y-Llyn
photo 1 description 1 -
Bone Cave
link 1 -
Pwll Byfre
photo 11 -
Y Gaer (Defynnog)
photo 1 description 1 -
Craig y Rhiwarth
photo 1 -
Saith Maen
photo 26 forum 1 description 5 -
Pwll-yr-Wydden Fach
photo 10 description 1 -
Defynnog Church
description 1 -
Garreg Lwyd
photo 28 description 2 link 1 -
Llorfa
photo 18 description 1 link 1 -
Llorfa
photo 18 description 1 -
Carn Pen Rhiw-ddu
photo 17 description 2 -
Cribarth
photo 33 description 3 -
Fan Nedd (Northern summit)
photo 34 description 2 -
Clawdd Brythonig
description 1 -
Tyle Bychan
photo 4 description 2 -
Llorfa menhir
photo 6 link 1 -
Fan Nedd (north east)
photo 11 description 2 -
Trichrug
photo 11 description 1 -
Cwm Fforch-wen
photo 8 description 1 -
Cefn Pal Hillfort, Cynghordy
photo 8 description 1 link 1 -
Garn Wen
description 1 -
Maen Llia
photo 99 forum 7 description 22 link 1 -
Dorwen
photo 6 description 2 -
Llech Lia
photo 12 description 1 -
Carn Pen-y-Clogau
photo 14 description 3 -
Cwn Bran camp
description 1 -
Rhyd Uchaf
photo 13 description 3 -
Carn Goch Hill Fort
photo 34 description 5 link 1 -
Careg Fawr
photo 3 description 2 -
Cwm Garw
photo 1 description 1 -
Fan Llia
photo 34 description 3 -
Llwyn Du Hillfort
photo 2 description 1 -
Maen Madoc
photo 14 description 7 -
Blaen-Nedd Isaf
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Maen Gweddiau
description 1 -
Cwm Melyn Cairn
photo 5 -
Cwm Melyn
photo 4 -
Daudreath Illtyd
photo 4 description 4 -
Sythfaen Llwyn Ddu
photo 4 description 2 -
Fan Frynych
photo 31 description 2 -
Plas-y-gors
photo 5 link 1 -
Nant Mawr, Fforest Fawr
photo 32 description 1 -
Craig Cerrig-gleisiad
photo 9 description 1 -
Foel Deg ar Bedol
photo 7 -
Tair Carn Uchaf
photo 29 description 2 -
Garn Goch
photo 1 description 3 -
Sythfaen
photo 4 description 1 -
Gelli-Nedd
photo 10 description 2 link 1 -
Carnau Gwynion
photo 5 forum 1 description 1 link 1 -
Y Fan
description 1 -
Bedd Gwyl Illtyd
photo 6 description 3 -
Berrisbrook
photo 2 description 1 -
Ysgubor-Wen
photo 7 forum 1 description 1 link 1 -
Mynydd Illtyd
photo 3 description 4 -
Twyn-y-Gaer (Trallong)
description 2 -
Blaen Glyn
photo 23 description 1 -
Ynys Hir
photo 11 description 2 link 2 -
Tair Carn Isaf
photo 19 description 1 -
Cwm Nant
description 1 -
Carreg Cennen
photo 27 description 7 link 2 -
Cefn-yr-Henriw recumbent stone
photo 7 description 2 -
Garreg Fawr (Llanfihangel Nant Bran)
link 1 -
Mynydd Pen-y-Fal (Sugar Loaf)
photo 10 description 1 link 1 -
Twyn-y-Gaer (Mynydd Illtyd)
photo 10 description 2 -
Maen Richard
description 1 -
Llwyncelyn-Fawr
photo 1 description 1 -
Nant Gwyn (Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn)
photo 6 description 1 link 1 -
Carreg Garn Fawr
photo 18 forum 1 description 1 -
Carn-Yr-Arian
photo 7 description 6 -
Bryn Poeth Uchaf South
photo 18 description 2 link 1 -
Llwyn Bedw Settlement, Pen Milan
photo 1 description 1 -
Cerrig Cynant
photo 20 description 3 link 1 -
Bryn-Poeth-Uchaf North
photo 15 description 2 -
Twyn Garreg-Wen
photo 11 description 1 -
Battle
photo 6 description 2 -
Mynydd Allt-y-grug
photo 1 -
Blaen-Hepste hengiform earthwork
photo 1 -
Corn Du
photo 34 description 5 -
Carn Cornel
photo 10 description 1 -
Cefn Crew and Cwm Crew
photo 9 description 1 -
Carn Wen
photo 1 description 1 -
Pen y Fan
photo 52 description 9 link 1 -
Coed Fenni-fach
photo 1 description 2 -
Cefn Esgair Carnau
photo 21 description 2 -
Gelli-benuchel
photo 8 description 1