GLADMAN

Looking approx east uphill to the only reasonably feasible direction of attack, perhaps? The ridge to left leads off to Carn Gron etc.

Coflein cites natural cheveux de frise at the site. This certainly looks the part.... incidentally you may just be able to determine the Groes Fawr cairn upon the cwm floor in line of sight.

Looking approx north-west. No significant traces of rampart (that I could see).... but superb views.

A view the monument’s erectors would not have recognised.... looking approx south toward the Craig Goch Reservoir. Gorllwyn and Drygarn Fawr are the horizon highpoints, both featuring their own cairns.

Looking (very) approx NW toward another cairn, Carn Nant-y-Ffald, this one with preserved cist.

The monument is not that high – was it ever? – but substantial, reminding me a bit of a stone equivalent of a disc barrow.

Sunshine on a rainy day makes my soul, makes my soul .... trip, trip, trip away.

The left hand skyline of Trum Gelli and Tarrenhendre is heavily cairned.. Cadair Idris, to right, has a few, too.

Looking north to Snowdonia...

This barrow is deceptively large, utilising the northern slope of the ridge to maximise impact.

Looking approx north....

The placement of the monument – approx midway upon Foel Fadian’s shoulder – would appear idiosyncratic to modern sensibilities conditioned to view ‘the top’ of anything as an ultimate goal... . The viewpoint is the western of Bryn y Fedwen’s monuments.

I assumed the orthostat to be modern-ish... a boundary stone, perhaps?

A barrowful of mountain dew upon the western of the pair. The Dubliners would approve.

The monuments upon Bryn y Fedwen may well be somewhat mutilated... however they possess a fabulous view north toward Snowdonia... assuming it isn’t chucking it down with rain, of course.

Looking toward the main Pumlumon ridge (left)... a quite magnificent Bronze Age cemetery... the subsidary hills rising beyond Glaslyn (living up to its name) bear many more ancient cairns.

The western. Incidentally Foel Fadian’s monument can just be made out – right background – between second and third fence posts.

The western is a substantial monument.... if a little ragged ‘round the extremities. I felt at home here....

The eastern barrow is less upstanding than its neighbour..... but it still attracts a decent cloud.

The western barrow can be seen far left, Foel Fadian deep in shadow, centre left.

The much smaller Hen Dy-aderyn cairn, surmounted by OS trig pillar, as seen from the adjacent northern cairn. The Mam C is lost in a chocolatey world of contemplation

Toward Blorenge from the northern cairn, itself crowned by a massive monument. The south-eastern cairn can also be seen beyond.

Northern from the south-eastern

Toward the northern monument from the south-eastern.........

South-eastern monument.... as the Mam C highlights, pretty big, too.

Hen Dy-aderyn (left, topped by OS trig pillar) is actually rather larger than I gave it credit for at the time...

Mynydd Pen-y-Fal (aka the ‘Sugar Loaf) and Ysgyryd Fawr crown the skyline left to right.

Hen Dy-aderyn – surmounted by OS trig pillar – with adjacent northern cairn beyond

South-eastern cairn.... actually a finer monument in our opinion, more or less all stone...

Northern cairn...... echoing the cairns upon Pen Cerrig-calch across the way.

The Mam C reckons these cairns are a worthy addition to South Wales’ rich upland canon.... this is the northern of the main pair.

Twr Pen-cyrn.... the summit cairns are located toward the far left hand of the rocky ridge...

Looking approx north the Black Mountains lie in serried rank upon the skyline.... more of the ancestors, then.

Not an overly substantial cairn... the Mam C’s tall, but not very large. Mynydd Pen-y-fal – aka the ‘Sugar Loaf’ – resides upon the skyline