thesweetcheat

If you find the stone face, you’re in the right area for the circle – it’s northwest of here.

Approx. landscape context for the cairn, from Blaen Clydach on the opposite side of the Rhondda Fawr.

What a difference some shears and hard work has made.

Looking southeast to Moel Eilio (the Carneddau one, not to be confused with the mountain in the Snowdon range).

Looking approx. SSW. Could the slabs in the foreground be remnants of kerbing? I’m not sure what the pointy mountains on the centre skyline are either, anyone help?

What a fabulous site this is. The peak behind is – I think – Pen y Castell, one of the minor summits of the western Carneddau.

Looking northeast across the cairn to the hillfort of Pen-y-Gaer.

Foel Grach basks in the soft light of a late summer’s afternoon. Seen from the road above the lovely Hafodygors-wen cairn circle.

Moel Eilio (far right) peaks above the saddle between Glyder Fawr and Y Garn. The viewpoint is the south peak of Tryfan.

Back down safely, Tryfan showing its imposing bulk from the Ogwen Valley. Were we really just up there?

The shattered mass of rock that is Tryfan’s summit, from Cwm Bochlwyd to the southwest.

Eve (top left) from the south, looking towards the Carneddau peaks of Pen yr Helgi Du and be-cairned Pen Llithrig y Wrach.

The vertigo-inducing drop at the foot of Adam and Eve, looking down into Cwm Tryfan. Moel Siabod is the mountain in shadow in the background.

The view from the other side, Eve and Adam.

Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve, natural monoliths on the summit of Tryfan.

Postie surveys the Carneddau from Tryfan’s rocky summit.

Tryfan summit from the South Peak, note plenty of people waiting their turn to climb onto Eve to make the leap across to Adam.

Serious views of southern Snowdonia and its many high-level funerary monuments, all the way to distant Pumlumon, can be had from Tryfan on a clear day.

The proto-temple of Castell y Gwynt hides behind the bulk of Glyder Fach, left of centre. But the Bristly Ridge route up to the site can be seen, rather terrifyingly, to the left of the shot. There are other ways up...

Some further landscape context. The mountain is slightly left of centre, the cairn under fleeting shadow, the viewpoint is Tryfan.

Dragon’s shadow passing over the settlement site.

Further landscape context and a fair-weather companion to Gladman’s image. The Ogwen Valley curves away NW towards Ynys Mon, with the western Glyderau (Y Garn, Elidir Fawr, Foel Goch, Mynydd Perfedd and Carnedd y Filiast) flanking the valley’s side.

The rocky flank of Pen yr Ole Wen towers above the site, the approx position of which is indicated.

More large blocks.

Coflein mentions possible cist elements.

There is some quite substantial stonework in the mound, but structure is difficult to ascertain through the vegetation.

Rather overgrown, this one.

The ruined centre of Cairn I.

Cairn I, looking towards Tarren Maerdy.

Cairn I, looking towards the summit of Mynydd Ty’n-tyle.

Cairn I, the southernmost of the group, looking across Rhondda Fawr.

The top of Cairn II, showing small exposed slab (see misc. post).

The western side of Cairn II, showing the bedrock “kerb”.

Cairn II, looking towards Cairn I.

Cairn II (the central cairn of the group of three). Looking SE.

Visible cairn material of Cairn III. Looking NW towards Tarren Maerdy, with its own pair of cairns.

Cairn III, looking towards Cairns I and II. Across the Rhondda Fawr valley, on the hillside far right, is the Mynydd y Gelli complex.

Cairn III, the most northerly of the group. Looking SE towards the strangely cairn-less summit of Mynydd Ty’n-tyle.

Stonework on top of Cairn I.

The better Cairn I (SW). Looking SSW across Rhondda Fawr, on the hillside opposite is the Mynydd y Gelli complex.

The rather nondescript Cairn II (NE), looking down to a sun-bleached Llwnypia in the Rhondda Fawr.

Cairn II is situated just below the rise, Cairn I is on top of it, but not visible from here.

Cairn II.

Stonework in Cairn II. The leaning slab in the centre is the one referred to in the Coflein record as possibly a cist side-slab.

Unlike the more elevated Cairn I, Cairn II has a view down to the floor of Rhondda Fach. The town is Ferndale.

Tarren Maerdy Cairn II (SE), looking SE towards Mynydd Ty’n-tyle, which has further cairns.