GLADMAN

Looking towards the heart of Y Mynydd Du... the incumbent bees having decided I wasn’t really worth the effort. Probably. Such was the vibe, I decided to carry on to Foel Fraith.

Feels good to replace some old stuff with new...

Even the most massive of Bronze Age cairns is dwarfed by a little blue sky thinking...

Southern inner bank looking toward ‘Parson’s Folly’... apparently erected by said muppet in the 18th century to attain that ‘magic’ 1,000ft mark for Bredon Hill. I’ve seen more attractive blockhouses, to be fair.

Inner eastern defences, looking north(ish)

Highlighting the ‘natural defences’ to the west, with The Malvern Hills rising beyond.

The powerful inner bank to the south...

Inner bank, eastern flank... with the outer defences visible left background.

Kemerton Camp is not strictly a hillfort but powerful bi-vallate promontory fort, no artificial defences apparently deemed necessary to north and west.

Staying overnight with family at Pershore I guess it’d been rude not to finally have a look at Bredon Hill..... looking towards The Malvern Hills from the powerful inner defences to the south.

Southern cairn, showing the approach from Glan-meddyg.

Southern cairn... into the sun.

Northern cairn

Southern cairn...

The denuded northern cairn showing the ‘stone’ upon the arc.. the southern can be seen rising beyond, background left.

Both cairns retain a large stone in situ which I do not believe is field clearance... although, naturally could be wrong. This is the top of the southern, the position suggestive of a cist/chamber, perhaps?

There are two cairns upon this rich upland pasture, both of significant circumference. Sadly, the northern of the pair is much denuded. Not so this, to the south-west.

The substantial footprint – as well as the sloping angle – of the southern cairn can hopefully be appreciated here. As I sat, some 5 or 6 moron trail bikers ‘roared’ up, one fool even riding across the cairn in an apparent attempt to intimidate me. It took a lot of control, but I somehow managed not to move or speak... just stare him out.... and this had the deserved effect.... the half-wits fleeing as fast as their little wheels would carry them. Never have I been so glad a cairn did not retain its internal arrangements.

Looking south from the northern cairn at SO0665055430... the very substantial southern cairn can be seen centre, the even larger monument crowning Carneddau Hill, background right.

Looking across the northern cairn to the summit of the Carneddau... Carneddau Hill, featuring a massive cairn, can be seen left background.

The northern of the pair at SO0665055430.... large footprint, but much less conspicuous owing to the almost total grassy mantle...

Looking approx south into the heart of the Carneddau; Carneddau Hill possesses another massive cairn (just out of shot top right) while, over the ridge to the left, sits a rather fine promontory fort overlooking Cwm Berwyn.

The very substantial southern of the pair...

Esgair Irfon rises centre top left. Looking approx south-east along the wondrous Abergwesyn (Irfon) Pass on evenings such as this.... it’s not too hard to fathom the inclination to put your deceased VIPs ‘up there’. Should you wish to check this out, a word or two of advice: use a map and compass and not GPS; a chap using the latter over on our sister site insists there is nothing there.....

I did wonder how I have managed to pass this way many times and not suss the presence of the cairns here. Well, unless I’m very much mistaken and my radar is off – how I hope so – now I know, the cairns virtually unrecognisable.

Sadly it would appear that yet another piece of the jigsaw of our prehistoric heritage is now virtually lost beyond repair. Out of sight, out of mind, eh?

Looking towards Carn-y-Bugail and Garn Felen crowning Cefn Yr Ystrad some 3/4 mile distant.

Fair to say this is the untrodden bit of The Brecon Beacons. Well, almost....

The cairn sits upon an outcrop of shattered limestone and appears in harmony with its surroundings. Indeed, the uninitiated might walk straight by unaware... should they happen to walk this way at all...

Looking across the massive ‘shake hole’ to the approx south west....