GLADMAN

The western, northern cairn.... if that makes sense?

These aren’t the finest upland cairns in Wales – by a long shot – from an archaeological perspective... but one has to concede the positioning – the rocky outcrops of Carnedd Lwyd, upon the eastern shoulder of Tyrrau Mawr – looking towards Cyfrwy and Pen-y-Gadair, is magnificent. Looking from Tyrrau Mawr itself.

The round.... well, ‘roundish’... cairn at SH6145807631 leads the eye toward the enigmatic Craig-yr-Aderyn across Dyffryn Dysynni.

The cairn-that-isn’t-the-ring-cairn at SH6145807631, toward Tywyn.

SH615077 – the centre of the cairn has been hollowed out... as you would expect.... to reveal the possible remnants of a cist. Incidentally, the wondrous Craig-yr-Aderyn can be seen between the 2nd and 3rd fence posts from the right.

SH615077 – again, note that footprint.

SH615077 – very cold, very windy, very hostile. But glorious just the same.

SH615077 – maybe coincidence.... but that did appear to be a kerb stone, foreground.

SH6145807631 – I thought this cairn had one of the finest relatively low-level vistas I’ve seen for a long time, that of the beautiful valley of the Afon Dysynni.

SH612081.... The footprint proving this was indeed once a fine round cairn. It’s still fine, but now somewhat truncated.

SH612081.... looking to the coast.

SH615077 – the underlying footprint is pretty impressive. I took the linear walling to the right to be a later amendment, perhaps domestic?

Highlighting the twin cairns positioning upon the summit ridge...

Sunburst upon Pumlumon... whatever next? Note the significant footprint for what is now such an isolated cairn...

Eastern cairn rises beyond...

Panorama looking approx north-east. Quite a bit going on out there.

Pen Pumlumon-Fawr rises across the valley... as the name suggests, the sentinel peak.

Eastern cairn.... note the very substantial footprint beneath the modern walker’s cairn.

Eastern cairn from the western

Eastern cairn looking approx north-east.

Eastern cairn looking west. Quite a footprint. The western monument can be seen beyond.

The great capstone....

Western chamber orthostats beneath the mighty capstone.

If I recall correctly this is one of the images from Cope’s big day-glo tome. The entrance passageway – allowing for slippage etc – certainly does appear aligned upon the natural ‘Gorsedd’ beyond. Note the massive, wondrous capstone upon the western chamber.

The superb setting of the promontory is self-evident (or if not, centre-left) looking from Tal y Fan. Graig Lwyd is to the right...

Sunburst, looking from Tal y Fan....

Toward the Afon Conwy from Tal y Fan.... note the wondrous Pen-y-Gaer, top right.

Looking across Hengwm to Carn Fawr from Carn Gwilym. The left hand shadow is cast by one of the latter hill’s superb cairns. The right is from some muppet who happened, by chance, to be upon Pumlumon that day.

Carn Fawr.... hell, yeah!

Carn Gwilym/Hyddgen and Banc Lluestnewydd are visible to the left of the cairn, both hills featuring monuments of their own... further pieces of the wondrous Pumlumon jigsaw

Looking approx north-west across Hengwm, with the twin beehive cairns of Carn Gwilym visible top left of image.

Looking more-or-less north towards the Bugeilyn..

My rucksack proves this monument lives up to its prosaic name... substantial.

Having dodgy knees, I’m always loathe to lose height when out on the hills in the middle of a walk .... but for a monument of this class – and, more to the point, positioning – the choice really was a ‘no-brainer’. The prominent ridge beyond is Tarren Bwlch-gwyn, well worth a visit if you have time to spare in the area. Cadair Idris and friends (top right) welcome the gaze to Snowdonia. Incidentally, Tarrenhendre, surmounted by a cairn or two of its own, is far left skyline.

From the approx south-west..

Retrospective of the centrepiece of Pumlumon Cwmbiga’s cemetery... the pair of magnificent main cairns.