GLADMAN

Approx west into the sun... the great cairn surmounting Carneddau Hill can be seen looming top left.

Facing off to the superb Castle Bank across the cwm...

Looking down upon Cwm Berwyn... no need for defences here.

The great cross banks...

The inner defences... do me a favour?

Looking approx east...

Powerful defences for such an obscure enclosure.

Approaching from the great cairn upon Carneddau Hill. Note the massive, inner cross-bank.

Y Carneddau.... the Cwm Berwyn promontory fort is approx centre, with two further (unvisited) cairns to its left.

Looking southward toward the distant Great Escarpment of South Wales...

Looking towards the powerful promontory fort overlooking Cwm Berwyn (centre left). The extensive Castle Bank ‘cliff fort’ lies beyond again, to its right.

To be honest I wasn’t prepared for the sheer size of this cairn... filling the entire breadth of the viewfinder.

And another clear monument...

And if that’s not the displaced capstone, well....

Coflein lists a number of other cairns here... some obvious, some perhaps tenuous? Dunno. This, however, to the east(ish) of the main cairn, bears the remains of another cist.

Frankly... for those of you who endure aching bodies to experience something out of the ordinary... something to remember... would recommend a walk here. Extraordinary vibe.

Kerb stones..........

Perhaps the finest cist I’ve seen this side of a Scottish Heritage-maintained site. And this really is in the ‘middle of nowhere’. So an infinitely better vibe..

Not sure what this feature represents, to be honest. Ideas? The displaced cist capstone lies just beyond.

Excellent monument, this...

The cist, looking towards Pen-y-Bwlch. Was on there in July. Looked this up online and knew I had to come as soon as possible.

Note the pièce de résistance in the centre of the monument... the excellent cist, more-or-less intact.

The ethereal conditions were appropriate... if no bloody good for photography.

Note the remains of a significant kerb...

The magnificent main cairn approaching from the approx east... magnificent not so much because of its size, but internal detail.

A brief moment of clarity. Wonderful spot, this.

Dodgy conditions... but there you are. I liked it here. The Craig Goch Reservoir can just be seen looming through the rain.

As with nearby Banc Cynnydd, the cairn here upon the wild, windswept top of Esgair y Llwyn does not appear on the map...

Another small piece of the extensive Cwmdeuddwr jigsaw. Numerous other monuments upon the far ridge.

Note: travellers approaching Banc Trehesglog from the north will note what has been termed the ‘BRINDDEL FELEN TOMB’ to the immediate right of the track at SN93256957 (a little way beyond a large standing stone at SN93226964). Now although Coflein are undecided about prehistoric pedigree... “May be animal shelter..“, CPAT are adamant this is a ‘natural feature’. To these eyes, it certainly looked the real deal – but if so, why wasn’t it picked up by any earlier antiquarian?

Exquisite in its anonymity...

Lacking a cairn – did it ever have one? – it would be beyond easy to walk straight by this gem. The presumably associated 3 stone alignment can just be seen beyond, the summit crags of Crugyn Ci rising above.

A welcome sunburst, looking towards the summit of Crugyn Ci.

As far as I’m aware the little upland llyn doesn’t possess a name...

Rhayader can be seen in the distance, to the right of Craig Ddu.

The cist lies, unseen, a little beyond.