GLADMAN
Looking approx north towards the southern Diffwys... incidentally very, very windy
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Western side of the bisecting wall, looking approx south...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Needless to say.... this is not somewhere to be caught in hill fog without a compass.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking towards Llyn Efyrnwy... rightly beloved of tourists. No tourists up here, however.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Dodgy conditions, so poor light – but nevertheless a pretty substantial monument, albeit well camouflaged upon the hillside.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Despite being featured upon current OS mapping I’m pretty confident that a visit to the obscure Bronze Age cairn located upon the south-eastern spur of Moel y Gadfa – the high moor ( at 1,669ft) overlooking the minor road linking the mountain pass Bwlch-y-Groes and Llyn Efyrnwy – will not grace many antiquarian-themed itineraries. Ha! Upon second thoughts, very confident...
To be fair, the terrain to be found here – to the east of the magnificent Arans – is probably an acquired taste and, as such, likely to appeal only to those with a penchant for avoiding the crowds and immersing themselves in the landscape – hopefully not TOO literally, one would hope. It is pretty hard going underfoot... but hey, nothing good comes without a little effort, right?
In the event I struggled to find the monument owing to fence lines on the ground not mirroring what was shown upon my map, this disorientating me more than a little as hill fog swept in to further confuse matters with reduced visibility... and driving rain. However, find it I did. Eventually.
Coflein notes:
“A much disturbed & spread round cairn, in the region of 7.5m in diameter & 1.0m high.” [RCAHMW AP94-CS 0027 J.Wiles 26.07.04]
A very obscure Bronze Age cairn between Bwlch-y-Groes and Llyn Efyrnwy, east of the mighty Arans.
The elevated ridges of Esgair Gorlan and Esgair Nant-y-Moch stand to the (approx) south of the enigmatic Pumlumon outlier Disgwylfa Fawr (the ‘Watching Place’) and, as such, are well worth a wander in their own right when events/weather/downright exhaustion conspire against a more challenging outing. Although nothing is indicated upon current OS mapping, prehistoric upland cairns are to be found here. Well, this is Pumlumon, after all. What else did you expect?
I parked up beside the ford overlooked by the cairn namechecking the Nant Geifaes, following the stony byway heading southwest into the hinterland.
Coflein reckons the following:
“Located on a summit on the eastern side of Esgair Gorlan is a robbed round cairn. It is a turf-covered stony mound measuring 9.5m in diameter and 0.5m high but higher on the south-west where spoil from a central hollow has been piled up. The hollow measures 4m long (NW-SE) by 1.5m across and 0.4m deep. It was presumably the site of a cist, or at least thought to be, though its stony base may point to a cist cut into the old land surface.” [D.K.Leighton, RCAHMW & R.S. Jones, Cambrian Archaeological Projects, 29 May 2015]
Note that there is – unbeknown to me at the time of my visit – another cairn surmounting the western summit of Esgair Gorlan at SN7241082620. Another time, perhaps?
So, definitely a cairn, then. Remnants of internal structure are also evident. Esgair Nant-y-Moch, featuring a possible further monument, rises beyond
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Anywhere else this was not ideal weather... but for Pumlumon, absolutely fine.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking across what was in fact a substantial monument. The enigmatic Disgwylfa Fawr – the ‘Watching Place’ – rises to the approx Northeast.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Come with me, into the trees… yeah, find ‘em if you can.
Looking across the south-eastern stones towards the southern of Y Rhinogydd’s two Diffwys... this example bearing its own Bronze Age monument (albeit an obscure one)
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Note two ‘circle stones in the foreground – and possibly related stones right?
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Bit distracted after an interesting chat with the farmer arriving on site, meaning this is not the exact angle I wanted to show... however, the ‘entrance portal’ to the Cerrig Arthur ring is (in my opinion beyond any reasonable doubt) aligned upon the great Twll yr Ogof cairn (Craig y Llyn) almost 5 miles to the south-east.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Fading light and very, very windy. What, no rain?
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The trio of stones upon the southeastern arc... for what it’s worth, second time around I took this arrangement to represent an entrance portal to what was clearly a ring. As Mr Lydon once said ‘I could be wrong; I could be right’.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Approaching direct from Mynydd Egryn to the approx northwest – Cadair Idris forms the dramatic backdrop across the Mawddach.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking down upon the hill fort from Mynydd Egryn, southern Rhinogydd.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Always a fan of aerial views of hill forts... here looking from the wondrously undervalued – and very, very windy – Clip, northern Rhinogydd. The equally wondrous Ffridd Fron kerbed cairn lies unseen (centre-ish), The Lleyn Peninsular rising above Tremadog Bay beyond.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Easily by-passed. I’d recommend that, given the opportunity, members tarry awhile...
Flattened or not, a wonderful viewpoint.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The heart of lower Mid Wales sits upon the skyline...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking from what I had mild suspicions could’ve been the remains of another monument to the approx west. However, after viewing the excavation report...
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
The cairn is somewhat more difficult to appreciate than in Kammer’s images almost two decades prior. I didn’t feel much vibe, although perhaps that was because I was en route to Caer Maurice.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Approx centre of the wondrous be-cairned ridge, looking from Caer Maurice. Esgair Fraith is to the right, with the massive Carn Fawr out of sight beyond the trees to the left..
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Carreg y Bwci can be seen (centre, middle far right) below and to the right of the obvious cairns surmounting Esgair Fraith, centre right. Viewed from the wondrous Caer Maurice
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Northern flank looking west – wouldn’t have wanted to assault this back in the day.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
Looking north – exquisite countryside, to be fair.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone