GLADMAN

Approaching from the little Bronze Age cairn cemetery overlooking Tan-yr-Esgair to the south.... this large ‘White Cairn’ offers no hint of what lies within: a well-preserved stone coffin, or ‘cist’. What is far more obvious is that there are expansive views to be had here, the locale celebrated for producing a number of poets in its time – to judge by a nearby monument to the same. Hey, spend some time here and The Citizen Cairn wouldn’t be surprised if you managed to compose a few lines of verse yourself?

There is another larger, yet ‘grassed over’ cairn some way to the north which might also possess the scant remains of a cist? Plus another above Ffynnon Drewi (SN61906741) below to the approx south-east. Suffice to say, there’s a lot going on here.

Gurnos, a southern spur of Gorllwyn – second highest point of the Cwmdeuddwr Hills – stands sentinel overlooking Cwm Dulas. As such, it is a fine viewpoint, not least looking towards the Old Red Sandstone Escarpment of South Wales ranged upon the horizon.... although it has to be said the view down into the cwm itself is pretty special, too.
The high plateau possesses more than just topographical splendour, however: a Bronze Age ring cairn located at SN9229057867 is well worth seeking out by those Citizens Cairn revelling in the off-the-beaten track.

I approached from the approx east – initially along a bridleway leaving the minor road near Ty Nant farm – heading between Wennallt and Lan Fawr, prior to veering westward and fording the wondrous Nant Cyfyng. Sounds simple enough, right? Except the monument wasn’t where I assumed it would be (it does not appear upon OS mapping), having instead been erected by its Bronze Age architects to command a different aspect and thus completely ignore said fabulous views of Cwm Dulas. Serves me right for making assumptions. Suffice to say, I got there in the end.

Hey, if your map reading truly is as bad as mine and you wish to take the direct route, look out for a ‘hump’ above to your right while fording the tumbling Nant Cyfyng. The cairn is located to the right of this, not upon the plateau beyond as I had assumed. Although to be fair, any lover of the Welsh landscape will want to go walkabout and take in the fabulous views, regardless.

Should you not have already had the pleasure of visiting Gorllwyn’s great summit cairns looming above to the north, a continuation from here would be one way of doing it. Just be sure you have enough energy in the tank, so to speak. And keep an eye on the cloud base since this is not somewhere to take chances in hill fog. Best return another day, if in doubt.

A pretty significant Bronze Age cairn located within the ramparts of Darren Camp Hillfort... so either can be viewed as a bonus site, depending upon your point of view. Yeah, I quite literally had no idea this was here prior to noticing it within the interior of the enclosure. In fact, the archaeologists reckon there may possibly be another here, something only excavation would confirm, I guess?

As per the hillfort, the cairn boasts fabulous panoramic views for relatively limited effort expended – although I was wearing waterproofs owing to the threat of thunderstorms, this making the going a little harder.

Interestingly, perhaps, Coflein notes that the cairn is the site of a relatively recent cremation burial (according to a local villager). Still relevant after millennia, then?

Bwlch Corog is a 1,266ft outlier of Pumlumon (despite the somewhat misleading name suggesting ‘mountain pass’) which, together with its more imposing neighbour, Pen Carreg Gop, overlooks the north-eastern aspect of Cwm Einion... Ceredigion’s celebrated ‘Artists Valley’. Hey, for once the moniker checks out, too, the locale having received formative visits from one JMW Turner and, much more recently, being home to a certain Mr Plant who (apparently) was inspired to write ‘Stairway to Heaven’ here with some other bloke amongst the ancient tilio-acerion native woodland. Just so you know.

The cwm is indeed aesthetically pleasing, the cascading Afon Einion engaging in all manner of gymnastics within the dense foliage. This was The Citizen Cairn’s first venture into this artistic realm, having viewed it from the heights of Foel Goch and Esgair Foel-ddu to the southwest previously, both crowned by prehistoric cairns. I park beside Badge Lodge and head along a forestry track to the isolated farm of Pemprys to the northeast, this name-checking the river flowing through the isolated cwm.

Heading east now, exchanging waves with the cheery, turban-wearing occupant, I cross a tributary before beginning what in the end proves a very tiring ascent to the summit. Yeah, this is Mid Wales, blanket bog and purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea) ensuring the going is very, very difficult indeed and making a mockery of the ‘limited height gain’. Not before time, I arrive at the small Bronze Age round cairn not quite at the summit.

Occasional thundery showers rake me with their aqueous content... but this is nonetheless a good place to be. To the west rises the aforementioned Pen Carreg Gop, perhaps surmounted by another such monument not marked on my map? I hadn’t intended to visit; however, somehow the undertaking now becomes an imperative...

This linear group of (four?) Bronze Age cairns gracing the slopes of Mynydd Bach, to the east of Llyn Eiddwen Nature Reserve, acts as a fine Hors d’oeuvre to the excellent Garn Wen located some distance to the north.

Despite only standing at a little over 1,000ft, there is a good upland vibe to be had here, this accentuated by the clear lack of visitors and sweeping views across Ceredigion.