thesweetcheat

Into the dark. You’ll need a torch for this one.

Immediately inside the arched entrance, there is a fairly spacious area, leading into the narrower passage at the rear.

It took a bit of finding, tucked away into the cliff face.

Looking SE.

Overlooking the town of Crickhowell.

From the north the stone presents a smooth, flat slab aspect.

Whatever the failings of this messed-up cairn, it remains impressively substantial. My friend provides helpful scale to demonstrate.

If this cairn were Montgomery Clift, I’m guessing this wouldn’t be the right profile.

Looking across the disturbed stonework towards the main massif of Y Mynydd Du.

The weird reconstruction.

From the east, the cairn looks deceptively intact.

There is a serious amount of stone in this cairn.

From the SSW.

The mutilated cairn from Foel Fawr to the northwest.

Yet more enormo-cairns on the western hills of Y Mynydd Du. Seen from Garreg Lwyd to the east.

Long zoom from Garreg Lwyd to the east. This must be one of the biggest cairns on the South Wales uplands.

Trichrug (centre) seen from Garreg Las, across Cwm Sawdde Fechan.

What looks very like a hut circle (or an extremely denuded cairn) on the slopes to the NW of the summit cairns.

Northern and southern cairns.

Southern and northern cairns, with Garreg Las on the skyline between.

The scooped top of the northern cairn, looking NNE.

The northern cairn from the southern.

The southern cairn, looking SW. Garreg Lwyd, with even bigger cairn, can be seen on the right skyline.

The scooped top of the southern cairn.

Large slab at the base of the southern cairn.

The southern cairn, from the south.

The long approach across the shattered limestone pavement of Esgair Hir to the south of the summit. As desolate and remote a landscape as you can find in South Wales.

Long zoom from Godre’r Garreg Las to the ENE.

Carn Pen Rhiw-ddu cairn (centre), prominent enough to see from Godre’r Garreg Las to the east. The cairn on Foel Fawr (left of picture) appears to be a modern walker’s effort.

The broken limestone landscape of Carn Fadog (centre), seen from the Beacons Way on the slopes of Godre’r Garreg Las to the north.

The SE cairn with slab, looking northwest. The hill in the distance is Trichrug, with its own cairns.

The SE cairn with slab.

Southeastern cairn with large slab, looking east. The enormous Carnau’r Garreg Las cairns are on the ridge to the far right, but not visible from this cairn group.

SW cairn, looking north.

Smaller cairn at the SW of the group.

The NW cairn, looking east towards Carreg yr Ogof. Carn y Gigfran is located at the northern (left-hand) end of that ridge. My friend is standing next to the possible ring cairn.

Smaller cairn to the NW of the possible ring cairn.

The possible ring cairn has some piles of smaller material on its perimeter.

The eastern arc of the possible ring cairn, looking south towards Cefn y Cylchau.

The possible ring cairn at the NE of the group. The rounded hump of Cefn y Truman can be seen to the southwest.

Long zoom from Neuadd Fach to the west.

Showing the position of the cairn (centre of image, on the skyline) at the northern end of the Garreg Las ridge. Seen from Neuadd Fach to the west.

The hilltop barrow seen from Portskewett to the SW.

The piled slabs to the NW of the barrow. Could these have been part of the chamber?

Large holed slab in the corner of the field NW of the barrow.

One of the holey stones.

Looking NW “into” the chamber.

Looking SE on a glorious spring day.

The eastern end of the fort, from the shore below.

Looking along the river shore to the western end of the fort, perched above crumbling limestone cliffs.