thesweetcheat

The southern side of the fort from the northeast.

The apparent entrance through the northeastern rampart. Coflein shows that the next “summit” beyond the rampart was enclosed in an annexe to the fort.

The narrow passage between rocky walls at the eastern end of the fort interior.

Looking towards the neighbouring hill of Bryn Brith from the steep slopes defending the fort.

The steeply sloping southern flanks of the hill, looking down on Llynau Cregennen.

Looking across the exposed western interior towards the Cadair Idris massif, hidden by rain.

Another of the smaller cairns.

There are a number of small (probably clearance) cairns here. Looking towards Y Garn (right of picture).

Looking NW across the cairn.

The scooped out centre of the cairn.

Clearance cairn near the cairn on a woodland saddle.

Looking from the “woodland saddle”. The hill behind the cairn hides the hillfort of Craig-y-Waun.

The cairn is embedded in the surrounding vegetation, but remains an impressive monument.

Looking down on the cairn. The stupendous backdrop is the Cadair Idris massif, but the intervening ridge blocks the view of it from the cairn itself.

The kerb stones in the northern arc are buried in moss and grass.

Kerb on the south of the cairn after a bit of a tidy up.

Impressive kerb stones on the west side of the cairn.

Looking SW, the prominent mountain cairns of Tyrrau Mawr can just be seen on the skyline, extreme left of shot.

Postie provides scale, Pared y Cefn hir provides backdrop.

Craig-y-Waun (centre) in its landscape. From the south.

The prominent rocky ridge of Pared y Cefn hir, seen from the ENE near to Craig y Castell hillfort.

The fort from the northeast.

The southern entrance from below.

The southern entrance.

Looking across the rocky interior.

The western rampart.

Looking down from the northern side of the fort, the ground drops near-vertically. Looking towards Craig y Waun/Craig y Castell North, with various cairns on the saddle below.

Rubble-filled hole at the western end of the interior.

The rubble bank at the southwest of the fort. Looking towards the dark ridge of Pared y Cefn hir.

Ysgyryd Fawr from Credenhill Park Woods in Herefordshire.

Looking northwest along the rampart.

View of the eastern side of the interior from the northeast corner.

The eastern inner ditch (currently quite choked with cut branches) and bank. Clearance here is ongoing, so it’s the messiest part of the site.

Detail of the inturned banks flanking the eastern entrance. The proximity of this entrance to the other “original” entrance at the southeast is unusual.

The western rampart.

Inside the rampart at the northeast of the fort.

On the northern bank. The cleared northern half of the fort interior, now returning to grass, can be seen on the left.

Towards the western end of the northern ditch.

In the northern ditch, looking west. The northern bank (on the left) is truly formidable.

The southeastern entrance, flanked by massive inturned banks.

In the lovely woods that surround the fort.

The southeast ‘entrance’.

Southern ramparts.

The top of the well or “ritual shaft” in the fort interior.

Looking out from the inner bank at the northeast of the fort.

The third, second and inner banks at the east of the fort, looking south.

Inner bank at the northeastern corner of the fort. The banks are successively lower and the ditches shallower as they go out from the fort interior, but there are five lines of defence here.

The north side of the fort, where wooded slopes fall steeply to the Hindwell Brook below.