GLADMAN

Much smaller than the twin summit cairns, but nonetheless still more than substantial enough to warrant the walk.

Looking approx west toward the high summits of The Brecon Beacons.....

The Irfon Valley from ‘The Devil’s Staircase’.... Esgair Irfon forms the rocky left hand flank, the cist situated approx midway. Incidentally the valley of the Nant-y-Fedw, Llanerch-yrfa (centre left, beyond the near treeline) is arguably the best starting point for those who may wish to visit Drygarn Fawr

The north-eastern cairn possesses a fine view indeed.

South-western cairn

Quartzite cherries on top.... well worth Mam Cymru (the metaphysical one, that is) reminding me who’s boss in no uncertain terms.

Some more detail of the substantial footprint of the summit cairn beneath the beehive...

The grassy cairn is not very upstanding... but has a pretty substantial footprint. To be honest I thought there might have been two co-joined?

Toward the empty heartlands of Cwmdeuddwr...

Amongst Mid Wales’ hidden gems is the diminutive complex at Pen-y-raglan-wynt... subsumed within forestry, it couldn’t really be more obscure, as illustrated by this view a little to the north-west of Cefn Cnwcheithinog

The cairns sit incognito to the right of the tree-line. Although the Nant Ffos-casaf helps to drain this brutal landscape to some extent.... the going is really arduous, it has to be said. If you should come... don’t forget the excellent kerbed cairn of Maen Hir, Glan Fedwen

The exquisite Irfon Valley... aka Abergwesyn Pass. Esgair Irfon forms the craggy right hand flank. Travellers seeking the cist within its little cairn will finding parking in a layby beside a NT information ‘boulder’; head very steeply uphill and trend north at the crest of the ridge... the monument is set back from the escarpment edge.

Looking across Cwm Ceulan to Moel y Llyn.

Drygarn Fawr sits perfectly upon the centre horizon.

Looking toward Cefn Cnwcheithinog and Pen-y-Rhaglen (subsumed within the forestry, right)

Looked a relatively simple enough ask... but Mid Wales doesn’t do simple. Serious bog.

The cairn across the track from the standing stone.....

The cairn across the track from the standing stone.....

To be honest the cairn beside the standing stone appeared (to me) to incorporate several small cairns? This is one.

I did wonder what – if any? – impact the construction of the land rover track had upon the archaeology?

Pen-y-Gurnos can be seen across the Doethie valley (to left of tree line)

The associated, diminutive cairn cemetery can be seen beyond...

The little standing stone/cairn grouping is located where the land rover track disappears from view. Hey, if I wasn’t walking in the footsteps of prehistoric travellers I’d eat my hat. The Great Escarpment of South Wales rears up top right.

Looking approx north toward Cadair Idris and The Arans.

Some sense of scale...

Bit windy, then? The quartzite is truly an exquisite touch.

Looking toward the Llechwedd Melyn... Llyn Penrhaeadr, source of the fabulous – utterly fabulous – Pistyll y Llyn, can be seen top left. Whether this was significant to placement is perhaps a moot point?

Apologies for the quality of this image... however increasingly violent weather fronts began to move in rendering photography almost redundant.

I was unsure how much of the ‘cairn’ was deposited by human agency and how much was natural knoll... needless to say the exquisite little quartzite ‘topping’ speaks volumes... this is no walker’s cairn.. but that erected by people with an inherent desire to appreciate the best this planet has to offer.

The cairn is utterly at odds with what one – well, this traveller anyway – would expect to find upon Pumlumon and its outlying summits... small, with hardly any bare stone. I couldn’t help thinking association with the – quite frankly awe inspiring – waterfall Pistyll y Llyn demanded this be so.

Lens flare marks the spot... the cairn a’top its knoll.

The cairn surmounts the high ground (just out of shot behind the trees, far top left) guarded by the cliff line of Llechwedd Melyn (Yellow Hillside); I’ve included this shot because not only does it highlight a potential ascent/descent route (cutting diagonally across the cliff face) .... but also the prime focus (sorry cairn) of any walk here... the fabulous Pistyll y Llyn, for my money the finest cascade in Mid Wales (with the possible exception of that gracing Y Maesglasau north of the Dyfi) and far superior to the feted – but nonetheless excellent – example at not too distant Devil’s Bridge.

Some landscape perspective showing how the monument surmounting Pen-y-Gurnos (top right, to the immediate left of the trees)... and the large cairns at Carn Saith-Wraig overlook the course of the Afon Doethie. Viewpoint is some way to the south-east of the little prehistoric complex at Cnwch Eithioiog, looking approx north. The latter stands astride what was surely a prehistoric route across these hills? Incidentally, this is a viewpoint I’ve wanted to reach for years, to my mind one of the wildest, aesthetically pleasing around.

Drosgol... early morning across the Nant-y-Moch

Looking from the great cairn upon Llethr Brith

The cairn is desecrated by some embedded fencing residue – way to go, land owner – but is clealy still hanging in there. Yeah, way to go, Welsh heritage... despite wanton mismanagement!

Lookin approx north across the disturbed – yet very substantial – footprint toward distant Pumlumon... so, so much more going on there.