Sites in Tal-y-Fan

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Images

Image of Tal-y-Fan by thesweetcheat

The wonderful landscape of the northern Carneddau, seen from Creigiau Gleision to the south. Tal-y-Fan is the flat-topped mountain (it’s not really flat) just to the right of distant centre.

Image credit: A. Brookes (9.11.2014)
Image of Tal-y-Fan by GLADMAN

Ascending from the bwlch to the SW... it may be argued that Tal-y-Fan appears to be crowned by a natural cairn? Perhaps.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Image of Tal-y-Fan by postman

Tal Y Fan is a mountain, true, it’s not nearly as big as its neighbours, but from here at Cerrig Y Ddinas it sure looks like a mountain, demanding of respect, reverance and fear.

On a brighter note St Celynnins church is at the bottom, one of Conway’s best kept secrets in fact.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Tal-y-Fan by GLADMAN

Near the summit...(the OS trig pillar is just over the ladder stile)... looking toward the other significantly higher peaks of Y Carneddau, a number of which are crowned by Bronze Age cairns. Tal-y-Fan is not. Perhaps, for some reason, it didn’t require one?

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Image of Tal-y-Fan by postman

In the picture below the mountain are many sites that are invisible to the naked eye from on Pen y gadair, from left Cae Coch standing stone then many others to Rhiw burial chamber on the right.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Tal-y-Fan by postman

Maybe not a burial chamber, but maybe a proto temple, probably not that either but it could be a small part of what makes this particular little mountain so special to the ancients.

It’ll come to me one day.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Tal-y-Fan by ShropshireTraveller

Not one site – but an overview of many sites densely packed in on the south side of Tal y Fan, above Rowen. This is a composite of many photos taken from the megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6018 Pen-y-gaer hillfort to the south.

Key

Red Road Lines – Surfaced Roads

Green Road Lines – Unsurfaced Roads, unsuitable and inaccessible for most vehicles

Yellow Road Line – Particularly Steep road up from Rowen towards Youth Hostel; some vehicles will not make it up the hill!

Purple Lines – showing route of footpaths around the south side of the mountain

Image credit: ShropshireTraveller

Articles

Tal-y-Fan

We took an alternate route to the ones suggested in the books. We drove from Rowen to the Rhiw Youth Hostel. From here we walked to the Bwlch-y-Ddeufan stones taking in the other monuments on the way. Walking this way, and the same way back there is never more than 10 minutes between sites. Perfect.

Tal-y-Fan

I visited this site for the fist time in Jan 2002 and was completely blown away by it. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much during the drive there but the steep climb up the road to the car park (described in TMA) really sets the scene. There is plenty to see including one of the finest Dolmens you’ll see anywhere (the photo of said dolmen in TMA far from does it justice) which looks incredibly different depending on which side you look at it from. I can’t enthuse about this place enough, it’s got the lot. Menhirs, (several!) a stone circle and a brilliant dolmen plus breathtaking scenery, go if you can!

PS Dont let the pylons put you off!

Tal-y-Fan

Yes well powerlines ahoy! Like Roman Roads these things are. Funny that int it. Well this site is without a doubt a must see if you are anywhere near it at all. Don’t expect to get your car up the road though unless it has a big engine or thirty five wheels. The hill is of the lovely steep variety so common in N Clwyd. YHA accom at the top (Rowan) which I gather is mostly used by people visiting these stones (though when I visited it was being refurbished so I could only read about it). Nice floor growth later in the year. Beautiful views when chin is lifted.