Prehistoric Shadowlands upon the fringes of surburbia.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
You know, sometimes one can’t see the hillfort for the trees?
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Walking the surviving arc of bank is no easy matter... but some things have to be attempted regardless, right?
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The surviving arc of the bank to the SouthWest is pretty substantial in places.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
This is a fine, upstanding round barrow indeed.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
To tell you the truth, I was taken aback by the great state of preservation. This is Essex, after all......
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Pastscape mentions an infilled surrounding ditch...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
An out of season visit is recommended since the monument lies within an arable field...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The great round barrow viewed from the public footpath heading west from Church Road
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
A nice arc of footprint. The Black Mountains crown the distant skyline.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Two dodgy ‘marker cairns’ have been erected from the cairn material – plus a rather odd shelter – but, hey, there you are. Vandals.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
This is a substantial cairn in terms of footprint
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking approx east across the massive cairn towards Garth...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
This is the main cairn... and deceptively substantial it is, too
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
There is – according to the map – a ‘burnt mound’ here, too... the Garth cairns are at the end of the ridge, straight ahead.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The quartet of cairns said to feature here are not particularly upstanding – compared with the monsters upon the plateau beyond – but nonetheless worth noting as an hors d’oeuvres.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Although robbed – as you would expect lying here for millennia – this remains a substantial monument.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The Black Mountains crown the horizon...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Wandering up to take a look at the cairns in the ‘vicinity of Garth’... as you do... one isn’t quite prepared for the substantial nature of some of the supporting cast to Carn Wen..
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Although not featured upon OS mapping, the standing stone is obvious when you know where it is... aren’t they all? Looking from the car, the monolith is far centre-right of image. Following the bridleway a little to the left (SN93256957) one will pass a possible ‘chambered tomb’... although CPAT is adamant it is an ‘animal shelter’. The track ascends Banc Trehesglog to a stone row and cist below Crugyn Ci. So much going on here...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Great place to end the day.... a little over a mile south(ish) of Llanwrthwl, for me, this is one of the locale’s lowland gems.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
