GLADMAN

South-eastern barrow......

The mighty north-western barrow... heavily overgrown – and so spared the ravages of passing half-wit broom broom bikers...

Summit of the south-eastern monument... still hanging in there despite the criminal activities of biker morons.

The south-eastern barrow...

At nearly 12ft high, the northern monument is arguably Kent’s finest round barrow.

At nearly 12ft high (85ft across), the north-western barrow is the unexpected pièce de résistance of the trio. Not that this is apparent from a distance...

The centre barrow...

The ‘middle barrow’ is apparently some 3ft in height (45ft across), although it appeared to have a lesser profile to me? Was this always thus?

South-eastern barrow, with moron biker damage evident. A curse be on them all.

The south-eastern barrow beside the track. Needless to say, a lesser monument would’ve succumbed to the erosion of moron bikers long ago...

At approx 6ft tall (c69ft across) this, the south-eastern of the ‘Three Barrows’, remains a substantial monument despite the all-too-obvious attentions of moronic trail bikers.

Llyn Cyri – the referenced lake of ‘Craig-y-Llyn’. As it happens, the great cairn was sited so as to not overlook it. Incidentally, this is the reverse view of the framing of Twll yr Ogof between the ‘portal stones’ of Cerrig Arthur stone circle located some 5 miles across the Mawddach to the northwest

Looking approx west to the sea. There is (apparently) a cairn upon the unnamed hilltop seen below (to the left of the forestry)... although I wasn’t able to positively identify it.

Looking approx northeast along Cadair Idris’s great northern escarpment towards the summit of Craig-y-Llyn. Pen-y-Gadair, the mountain’s 2,930ft apogee, can be seen top right.

Despite the inevitable central damage – note the apparent ‘excavation’ by an old woman as well as Wynne-Foulkes back in the day – this remains a substantial cairn.

Looking approx NE across the – much more impressive than I recalled – monument towards the central summits of Cadair Idris.

Eastern flank.......

Upon the northern end..

From the (very) approx south-east

From the south....

Advancing from the north...

From the approx west. Despite apparently losing a good chunk to quarrying towards the left of image, this fine long barrow is still a whopping 144ft – OK, not up to Jackets Field’s immense standards... but then, what is?

Zooming in on the descent of Esgair Nant-y-Moch – the cairn is approx centre, to the left of the ‘sheep enclosure’, or whatever it is.

Towards Esgair Gorlan..

Deteriorating conditions, toward Esgair Nant-y-Moch

Looking more-or-less due north from Esgair Nant-y-Moch. The Nant Geifaes cairn can be seen, centre right, to the immediate left of the enclosure. No prizes for guessing where the stone for THAT came from....

Looking approx north to the enigmatic ‘Watching Place’, Disgwylfa Fawr, its summit wreathed in mist. The hillfort Dinas rises far right..

This looked pretty convincing to me, to be fair. The eastern summit of Esgair Golan, bearing a larger monument, lies beyond (the western summit across the byway also features a cairn, or so I understand)

For obvious reasons, this was the only image I took of what I was pretty convinced was the ‘saucer barrow’ said to reside here.... the industrial strength brambles making any further investigation completely out of the question. Needless to say if I am in error, I would be more than happy to be corrected in due course.

The great cairn is clearly seen (approx centre left) from the northern of Moel Faban’s trio of monuments. Drosgl lords it, top right.

Moel Wnion, Gyrn and Drosgl form the skyline (left to right)

Northern cairn, looking across to a cloud-wreathed Carnedd Dafydd...

Middle cairn......

The central cairn of the recognised trio

The southernmost cairn, apparently of modern origin.... although not obviously so, when compared to some I’ve seen. However, judging by the copious local traffic Moel Faban received during the hours I was here (dog walkers, poorly dressed old men etc) the likelihood for a new cairn to have been erected in historic times is clearly pretty high. Carnedd Dafydd rises beyond.

Looking toward Anglesey and The Menai Strait

Looking across Bwlch ym Mhwll-le from the great northern cairn. Note the great cairn overlooking the other flank of the pass, centre right, with yet another monster crowning Moel Wnion, centre background. The pyramidical Gyrn (top right) curiously looks much taller than the Moel Wnion from here...

Anglesey and The Menai Strait lie beyond...