GLADMAN

Looking approx west along a quite substantial arc of the surviving ring cairn.

First impressions upon arriving at the c1,620ft summit can probably be summarised as ‘but there’s hardly anything here!’ However, take a peek over the fence and allow the eyes to adjust... this has a deceptively substantial footprint.

Esgair-y-graig can be seen beyond... the final leg of the horseshoe walk.

Not that upstanding, but of reasonable diameter... and occupying a first-rate location.

Esgair Clochfan is located ‘around the corner’ near the distant forestry line – with a soggy interlude en route.

Looking roughly south toward Blaen Clawdd Du. There is just so much going on upon these deceptively benign Cwmdeuddwr Hills. The footprint is hopefully self-explanatory.

The overcast, misty conditions thankfully didn’t persist.... or else I would’ve seriously considered aborting the continuation to Esgair Clochfan. These are not hills to take lightly.

Quite a decent monument, more so than I was expecting.

A large modern marker cairn surmounts what is, to be fair, a pretty obvious prehistoric footprint, given the context.

Looking from near the very recently re-discovered round barrow/cairn upon Pen y Garfan...

An exquisite location...

Cefn Cnwcheithinog lies beyond.

If this isn’t a round barrow/very grassed-over cairn... I’ll eat my hat, so I will.

Looking approximately south. The forestry – top right – conceals the lovely little prehistoric complex of Pen-raglan-y-wynt... while straight ahead is Cefn Cnwcheithinog.

Pretty amazing that an airborne laser can identify this?

Sunshine in Powys? What sorcery is this?

Good vibe. I’d suggest an initial visit to not-too-distant Ffos Gau before coming here to chill out in the eveneing. Carnedd Fach can be left in peace, to be honest.

Despite being ‘hollowed out’ and with an OS trig pillar placed within... this is still a pretty substantial monument in much better condition than the devastated Carnedd Fach to the approx NE.

Extreme light contrast, but hopefully you get the idea...

A decent cairn located within a forestry ride...

Sunburst, looking across the superbly camouflaged monument to the forestry-clad Carn Bwlch-y-Cloddiau, centre skyline.

As far as I could tell, no more stones remain here than can be seen. But it was more than enough. Exquisite site.

The remains of the presumed kerb... after quite a bit of ‘exposing’. Apparently, there are others completing the circumference now buried under the turf? I did have a look, but the site is seriously overgrown.

Hidden in plain sight. This one’s been on the list for years now... somewhat obscure, to be fair. The glorious view is towards the ‘jaws’ of upper Cwm Ystwyth, with the cairn cemetery of Craig y Lluest approx background centre left.

Looking towards Esgair-y-graig – apparently carrying a section of the ‘Wye Valley Walk’ – from Esgair Clochfan. The cairn I identified is located extreme left of the ‘green section’ of the ridge.

Although very poorly treated – an immovable loop of barbed wire is embedded within the surface of the cairn – this remains a reasonably preserved monument. However, the surface of the ridge is very badly drained and, furthermore, churned up to buggery by bovines. As a result, I was not able to identify the posited second cairn to the south (SN8957076781).

The Esgair Clochfan cairn is located before the treeline, left skyline. I had visited as part of a ‘horseshoe walk’ commencing with Carn y Groes...

Looking towards the Wye Valley across the cairn.

Exquisite location... looking from Tal-y-Fan.

Upon the western defences, looking very approx south(ish) to the high summits of Y Carneddau.

Towards the eastern flank of Tal-y-Fan...

Western flank, looking very approx north

Towards Dyffryn Conwy... the river nearing the end of its short, sinuous journey from inception upon The Migneint.

The wondrous Pen y Gaer is just in frame, extreme right.

The defences don’t appear that substantial from altitude... but are actually not bad at all, to be fair. Pen Llithrig-y-Wrach can be seen upon the skyline.

It’s taken me some 30 years to finally get around to doing the full west-east traverse of Tal-y-Fan and so get here... but worth the wait. The hillfort is just to the left of the drystone wall.

Good wall, that.