GLADMAN

Easily accessed from the nearby single-track road, I wasn’t sure what to make of this, to be honest. ‘Ring cairn’, heavily denuded round cairn... or even an ‘enclosure’ of some description? In my defence, Coflein would appear to be in a similar dilemma:

“A rough circular bank of stones, c.17.5m in diameter, having an OS triangulation pillar at its centre.” [RCAHMW AP965050/66. J. Wiles 30.09.03]

Whatever the truth, the 360-degree views are extensive, the skies massive. However, given the abundance of other sites in the locale, this is (arguably) not somewhere to linger for that long... but nevertheless worth checking out.

A little under a mile to the approx northeast of the wondrous Crugyn Amlwg, this equally impressive (and overgrown) round cairn is much easier to visit, being but a short distance from the road and serviced by a ‘parking area’. Hey, it’s even signposted from said facility – although that’s not to say we’re talking ‘honey pot’ site here... far, far from it.

High summer, naturally, is not the optimum time to come if one wishes to avoid industrial-strength bramble and other troublesome vegetation. However, given the sheer volume of obscure sites waiting to be seen within Mid Wales, such advice is no doubt superfluous. Take your opportunities when you can, I say...

Coflein reckons: “A centrally disturbed, circular mound, 12m in diameter & 1.5m high”. [RCAHMW AP965050/65 J.Wiles 01.10.03]

So, c5ft high? Seemed more to me, to be fair

Possibly the (quite literally) hidden jewel in the area’s crown, this large round cairn slumbers – out of sight, out of mind – within forestry now the location of a wind farm. Coflein, to be fair, doesn’t give much to go on:

“A circular mound, c.32m in diameter, showing traces of disturbance” RCAHMW AP965050/64 – [J.Wiles 01.10.03]

Indeed, for me, it is the height of this substantial monument that is the salient factor here. One is left imagining what the scene would’ve been like, sans the trees? No doubt sweeping views etc. As it is, however, the ‘forestry clearing’ vibe is pretty intense, the surrounding foliage obscuring the nearby wind turbines towering overhead.

I approached heading south from the minor road allowing access to Blaen Gwyddgny... good idea to bring along a 1:25k map since the forestry ride is pretty overgrown and obscure. But then it would be, wouldn’t it?

Out of range when gazing across from Carn Wen a couple of years back now, last year’s visit to the wondrous ‘circle upon Bryn y Gorlan made this a must-see this time around. Well, I ain’t getting any younger – and these Mid Walian sites really do take some attitude to reach for the not-so-young. Tell me about it.

OK, the initial ascent from the road head at Allt Ty-Llwyd to the south may be upon a firm-then-grassy track... but then the map depicts Cors y Crug between said track and Crug Siarls itself. Yeah, consider: when the OS see fit to name a bog it is usually with bloody good reason! As it is, a lack of recent rainfall, corresponding to perceived conditions underfoot, tempts me to cut the corner of my intended wide swing around to the north. Sure enough, the bog isn’t much in evidence... but the industrial strength Mid Walian ‘tufty’ grass very, very much is. Floundering in the heat compounded by extreme exertion, I’m cursing my poor judgement at being suckered in like a muppet tourist, when I suddenly strike a quad bike track doubling back to cross the hill’s south-western flank. That’ll do. My intention all along, naturally.

Ascending to the summit, I’m still none the wiser regarding the position of this elusive stone circle even when accorded the aerial viewpoint. Suffice to say, the ring sits upon the lower western flank alongside an associated small(ish) cairn. Look for a wooden post immediately to the left (south-ish) for your cue. Should you choose to come, of course.

Coflein reckons the monument is definitely a stone circle:

“A small stone circle, consisting of 14 stones, the largest of which is 0.50 metres square, and positioned on its southern side. All the stones are set upright into the ground. Much of the site is obscured by reed growth.” [R.P. Sambrook, Trysor, 20 March 2012]

The eastern arc is heavily overgrown with the aforementioned reeds, but, crucially, remains in situ. The orthostats are also pretty large for a Mid Walian ‘circle. Yeah, so here we have a relatively intact stone circle with a vibe so intense as to sink a thousand punters within its protective bog. Truly, a classic location. Just refrain from cutting any corners if it has been raining, you hear?

Now, The Citizen Cairn must declare upfront that this is not the sort of site I would normally seek out... set within the grounds of an idyllic hotel and considered a ‘romantic’ venue for wedding parties to pose for snaps after ‘the event’. Yeah, “Oh, this one’s me and Britney about to fall to our deaths... doesn’t she, like, look, like lush, innit?” Yeah, OK, one has to pay an entrance fee and enter through a locked gate as – to judge by the not-so-modern graffiti carved into the sandstone – have many, many before me.... but I have to say this is actually a rather fabulous place.

Consider: not only are the sandstone crags (the ‘High Rocks’) impressive in stature; they are also the site of a number of later Mesolithic shelters which one can explore, albeit a bit boggy underfoot in places. Furthermore, the crags, themselves, form the northwestern flank of a multi-phase Iron Age hillfort perched above. As it was, I couldn’t make out a great deal of the ‘landward’ defences of the promontory, but nevertheless, this is a thought-provoking, aesthetically appealing place.

The sandstone crags are interconnected by a high-level ‘aerial walkway’, a rather unique feature... although if you’re bringing children along ensure you enforce the same restrictions as for hill walks: needless to say, a slip could have potentially fatal consequences. Just like for our Gaz and Britney.

Well, I was a bit at a loss as to what ‘designation’ to apply to this one – isn’t it curious how we humans always have the need to define things? – seeing as that shameful qualifier ‘Destroyed’ seems most inappropriate here.

To attempt to clarify/explain: it would seem – or at least appear highly likely to me – that once upon a time, the natural feature that is Barrow Hill was crowned by an earthen barrow covering a cist. Kent’s HER informs us that: “As the result of denudation of a burial mound of marsh turf, the outline of a  collapsed oblong cist of Kentish ragstone was visible on Higham Marshes. It was excavated in 1880 by Mr E.L.Arnold and found to contain a crouched skeleton (very crushed) accompanied by 79 beads which lay as if they had originally been around the neck. the beads were Porosphaera globularis (a fossil sponge common in the Upper Chalk and taking a globular form), ranging from 7 to 26 mm. in diameter and naturally perforated. The mound stood on a gravelly hillock which probably stood out of the water when all the surrounding district was swamp”.

Now, although there appears to be no conclusive proof that Barrow Hill was the location of said cist, the fact that: 1) Barrow Hill is the only such feature (as described) in the locality; 2) The locals saw fit to name the place ‘Barrow Hill’... suggests it is a pretty good bet.

So, should one focus upon the destroyed round barrow that once was... or the natural feature that simply HAD to be the site for it back then? Sacred Hill seems fair enough, don’t you think?

The HER record is here:
heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=416875&resourceID=19191