GLADMAN

Looking down upon the Nant-y-Moch into the heart of Pumlumon. Drosgol is centre

The cairn is wonderfully sited; exquisitely, even....

Highlighting an interesting recumbent stone beside what looked to be one of several small satellite cairns... it appeared to me too large to be a local boundary marker. Note the apparent ‘orthostats’ to the left.

A lot more substantial than I reckoned, this. Note the rucksack and trekking poles for scale.....

A sea of bracken......

Remains of the great tower...

Has ever a hill fort occupied a more strategic position than Dinas Emrys?

I reckon even Emrys himself couldn’t conjure up anything as beautiful as that... note the outflow of Llyn Llagi, top right. Wondrous scenery, even the A498 and Afon Glaslyn (incidentally sourced immediately beneath Yr Wyddfa) in perfect symmetry.

Bit breezy, Emrys?

SW toward Beddgelert, another enigmatic hillfort site (Dinas) visible upper centre right. Top view, even in dodgy autumnal conditions.

Toward Llyn Dinas from a hostile Dinas Emrys

Substantial kerb stones at the northern monument.

Carn Fflur from across the Afon Fflur. Ma mamma told me; they’d be days like this.

Certainly not one of Wales’ largest summit cairns; but pretty substantial, nonetheless. And now minus forestry. Catch the views while you can.

Toward Carn Gron from the summit cairn... the former bearing a trio of summit cairns of its own.

The map shows the summit cairn to be within forestry. Luckily it wasn’t when I visited a couple of years back.... hence the fine view toward Pontrhydfendigaid.

Summit cairn – the central cairn can be seen below (approx centre right) with the western to its right.

Summit cairn...

Summit cairn

The central cairn reveals ‘possible cist elements’.... according to Coflein; suffice to say I reckoned that to be a capstone.

Northern cairn from approx south.

From the east(ish)... the central cairn is truly a big bugger. Bryngwyn Bach, with further – if smaller – monuments lies beyond to the left.

Toward the summit... crowned by another excellent cairn... from the central cairn. The rucksack emphasises the sheer scale of this massive monument.

Carn Gron viewed from the truly massive central cairn...

The northern cairn – SN74206245.

The northern cairn – SN74206245. With kerb.

The northern cairn of Carn Fflur’s cemetery at SN74206245. Note the kerb stones...

The massive central cairn from the south(ish) – SN74276228

Looking eastward to the summit of Carn Fflur from the western ring cairn.

Approaching the mountain from an unidentified ‘stone feature’ just east of Castell Rhyfel – must admit it looked like a fallen menhir to me... Under an hour later I would be on the wrong end of a ferocious kicking from the inclemental Mid Walian weather.

Y Garn seen from what I took to be a ‘field’ boundary upon Banc Mawr

??? approx SN735599. Must admit it really didn’t look like an erratic to me...

Upon reflection I reckon this – what I initially thought was a cross bank approx NE-SW across Banc Mawr – is a later boundary.... note how all the stonework strangely remains upon the inner flank. Then again? Any farmers that may be able to clarify?

Looking across the cwm to Y Garn.... the massive cairn of the latter can be reached from here via Carn Gron

Looking toward the significantly be-cairned Carn Gron from the site....

A fine upland cairn seen under appalling conditions.

The massive Bronze Age cairn upon Y Garn....

Not the sharpest of images... but, hand held in lashing rain... it was the best I could do in the circumstances.

I reckoned the western cairn incorporated the remains of a cist... it seems Coflein agree.

The western summit cairn engulfed in cloud...

Looking approx west toward the, er, western summit cairn. That one is smaller.... but perfectly formed.

Looking approx SW toward Y Garn – to the right of the (apparently un-named?) upland lake. For me Y Garn possesses the most overwhelming cairn to be visited upon Carn Gron’s slopes.... hence the name duly allocated by the locals of yore, perhaps?