Images

Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The central cairn (or eastern of the western pair), looking towards Tyrrau Mawr. Our descent route from Craig-y-llyn can just be seen on the far right, parallel and to the left of the drystone wall.

Image credit: A. Brookes (16.9.2022)
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking down on the two western cairns during the stupidly steep descent from Craig-y-llyn.

Image credit: A. Brookes (16.9.2022)
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

General view of the SW cairn, showing the large diameter of the surviving rim.

Image credit: A. Brookes (3.3.2012)
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by postman

A Gods eye view down on to the ring cairn

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by postman

The two nearby cairns to the southeast of the big ring cairn, all three are in a row

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by postman

From on top of the little hill next to Carreg y big

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by postman

Note the small standing stone of Hafotty-fach directly behind cairn beneath pointy hill.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by postman

From beyond boggy ground near small standing stone

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

A closer view... the highlighted cairns are those to the SE at SH66061326 and SH66141332. The eponymous cairn can be see – bottom right of image – to the right of the road.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

The cairns highlighted are those at SH66061326 and SH66141332. The main cairn can be seen just before the turnoff to Llynnau Cregennen, on the right.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by GLADMAN

Some landscape perspective from Craig Las, Tyrrau Mawr. The two cairns at SH66061326 and SH66141332 are highlighted. The ‘Hafotty-Fach’ cairn is to the right of the road just before the bend. Llyn Cyri can be seen top right of image.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by Kammer

Taken 15th December 2003: The southern edge of the cairn, viewed from the north west. The road is visible in the background.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by Kammer

Taken 15th December 2003: The northern edge of the cairn viewed from the west, with the valley behind it.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Image of Hafotty-Fach Cairns (Cairn(s)) by Kammer

Taken 15th December 2003: The cairn viewed from (approximately) the west, with the road visible behind it.

Image credit: Simon Marshall

Articles

Hafotty-Fach Cairns

As we drag ourselves away, time is pressing on rapidly. We decide to make a final stop off at the two western Hafotty-fach cairns as the sun starts to sink. The overcast gloom that has dogged most of the afternoon has largely lifted, except on the highest slopes, and the light transforms into that beautiful evening glow that illuminates the best of winter evenings.

The cairns are in a field next to the road, access land with a ladder stile providing easy access. The field is very wet and boggy near to the gate, but relatively dry where the cairns themselves are. We make for the southwestern cairn first, as it’s the more obvious of the two on the ground. It turns out to be huge, but denuded to little more than a low ring of rubble. It may have been a ring-cairn in the first place, but equally the surrounding drystone walls may tell a tale of robbing out. The sun sinks lower, brushing the hilltops to the west and painting everything with a soft glow.

The northeastern cairn is even more robbed out than its companion, so it’s not easy to see until you’re practically on top of it. Stones protrude from the grass, but you could easily be forgiven for walking past without a glance unless you knew what to look for.

But who cares? The surrounding hills, the soft evening light, the end of a brilliant day out, all make such quibbles sound petty. I would like to think that the builders of these cairns would appreciate their purposeful, infrequent visitors, providing a continuity of interaction stretching back into the long distant past. As someone once said, “all those people, all those lives, where are they now?”

Hafotty-Fach Cairns

There was just enough room to pull over at the side of the road, walk back down the road to the gate enter the field and walk over to the cairns.
Only one is immediately obvious, but when you know which one your at you know where the other one is, if that makes sense.
The western one is the better of the two, a big round cairn with just loads of cairn material being taken for nearby walls, shocking isn’t it.
The eastern cairn was no smaller than it’s neighbours, but much more has been taken from it, on it’s eastern edge it neatly and seemlessly merges with the ground, only at its northern edge is there even a curving bank of stones.
I had wanted to get over to Cerrig y Cledd for the last site of the day, but we inevitably tarry too long at places, and consequently the plan is open to changes, these cairns were that change, and a welcome one too, after all the top sites of the day, and in the last golden light of a weather changeable day, it was better than most things.

Hafotty-Fach Cairns

On route to this cairn we noticed there was loads of birds all around the road, it was all I could do to not hit any of them, when suddenly from behind the low wall a big brown buzzard took flight accompanied by crows and mappies, I know it’s only a buzzard but theyre really big and very impressive in full flap just metres away, then it dropped it’s prey, a wriggling snake, probably a grass snake after watching springwatch the other week.
As we approached down the road we spied the cairn over the wall, we audaciously parked in the fishermen only parking space (not on my watch aquatic abuse monkey) and walked back down to it, it was very boggy, but at least no trespassing this time.
It really does look like a ring cairn , even looking down from google earth, and Gladmans sensational gods eye view pictures though he hasnt pointed out the cairn but two seeminly unmapped cairns closer to the mountian.
It looks like a ring cairn because the interior has been completely excavated, half a dozen large stones seem to line the inside arc of the ring.
Just to the north east is Hafotty fach menhir, and a hundred metres north is Careeg y big next to a small hill perfect for surveying the area and looking down a bit on the cairn and stones.
And the area really needs a good survey because it’s totally gorgeous, I almost forgot the other sites nearby and stayed for ages on this little hill.

Hafotty-Fach Cairns

Visited 15th December 2003: This is quite a large cairn, at least in terms of its diameter. What’s left of it really looks like a ring cairn, with quite an obvious hollow in the middle. Access is straight-forward, as there are no fences or walls between the cairn and the road (to the north at least). Although it’s a short walk from the road to the cairn, you’ll have to get out of the car to see it.

Miscellaneous

Hafotty-Fach Cairns
Cairn(s)

This cairn is listed by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust at the grid reference SH66391355 as ‘cairn’ of a period ‘unknown’. It looks like a ring cairn, but according to Coflein it’s usually enterpretted as a damaged round cairn:

A round cairn, 22m in diameter & 1.0m high, defined by a stoy bank, thought to be a disturbed round cairn, rather than a ring cairn. Has been suggested to have been a cockpit.

The cairn isn’t marked on the Ordnance Survey Landranger map, but it is marked on the Explorer (number 23).

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