GLADMAN

Defences to the north(east) approx....

Despite being by far the largest fort in the extended locality – and with powerful defences still very much in evidence – Dinas has clearly a PR issue with passing punters. To put it mildly.

Again, that’s Y Gamriw. Well worth a visit, too, assuming superb views and exquisitely placed upland cairns are your thing.

The footprints of a couple are very substantial indeed... classic Cwmdeuddwr.

Such is the sheer volume and quality of prehistoric archaeology to be encountered among the green hills of Cwmdeuddwr that I happened across these wondrous cairns once again while returning to the car from the Hafen stones. To be fair, they are impossible to miss. Y Gamriw looms above crowned by numerous cairns of its own.

Pumlumon crowns the northern horizon. Incidentally, the wind farm wasn’t here last time I ventured to this ‘airy’ spot. But then that was 21 years ago.

Highlighting the very significant footprint of this upland cairn. The smile says it all, I think. A sun hat above Cwm Ystwyth. You what?

Aside from the parasitical ‘shelter’ – albeit one erected with sheep in mind, methinks – the cairn features an OS trig pillar with solar-powered transmitter – apparently assisting the local community during these troubled times.

Pumlumon crests the horizon...

I return 21 years after my previous visit: the cairn is badly robbed, but the footprint very substantial indeed.

Wonder how much the house is? He says..........

Exquisite position for a cairn.... there were others nearby; however, I reckoned the vibe was too strong to turn this is into a ‘tick-list’ exercise and I would spend the available time here. OK, might have had something to do with not wanting to lose even more height I’d have needed to regain... getting old.

Looking across to Gorllwyn...

A sunburst retrospective of the wondrous landscape context beginning the return to the similarly unmarked (on either current 1:50k or 1:25k OS map) Hafen stone ‘pair’ towards Gorllwyn.

My thanks to Cerrig for providing the ‘nudge’ to finally come here.

The ‘terminal’ cairn feature so familiar to visitors to Dartmoor’s great upland stone rows..... speaking of which, the high ground beyond forms the heart of Elenydd. Dartmoor on steroids, not a place to take lightly, no matter what the map might suggest.

Fantastic aura here........

Additional ‘stones’ uphill (NE) from the pair. Note, however, that there does not appear to be a coherent correlation to the ‘pair’ obscured by the reeds beyond. There are numerous others barely breaking the surface: whether these are naturally incurring or placed by human agency is a matter for the experts – however, one such example was a very suspiciously placed lump of quartzite... just saying.

The companion stone is concealed by the tall reed beyond

What an exquisitely sited stone setting – not depicted upon either 1:50 or 1:25k OS map. There certainly appeared to be more stones in situ than just the pair, although I could not see how these could’ve been incorporated into a single ‘row’ as such.

As Greywether notes the far stone is very substantial for a chambered cairn... more-or-less my height.

Classic position, looking toward Cnoc a’Bhreacaich and Strath Sgitheach.

The original passageway? Possibly.......

The collapsed structure is upon a massive scale.

Upon arrival, I assumed this was a long cairn.... but the massive grassy, circular footprint determined otherwise. Here we look laterally across a section of the chamber(s?), what I took to be a passage entering to the right.

If ever there was a slumbering giant, ‘tis this.

Note the substantial grassy footprint.

For scale note that the near stone is 6’ 6” tall.........

Looking north toward Cadair Bronwen, itself featuring another such monument....

Looking across the cairn toward Cwm Maen Gwynedd...