GLADMAN

The north-western flank is heavily overgrown; however it would appear there’s still walling beneath.

Highlighting the coastal location, overlooking Conwy Bay....

Looking down to the hamlet of Abergwyngregyn...

South-western apex, looking toward The Aber Falls. Rhaeadr Fawr is to the left... of significantly less height than Rhaeadr Bach to its right. But there you are.

Moel Wnion is subsumed in all that cloud beyond.

South-eastern flank...

Even pushing the ISO up to 800 didn’t help the photography much in these conditions. Marvellous.

I also took this to be a portal stone. But surely not?

Substantial kerb stones demarcate this cairn. Excellent find by the preceding members...

In my opinion this is a very impressive monument indeed. Anywhere else and it’d have railings and a signpost. I’m glad it hasn’t.

Toward the main escarpment of Cadair Idris. Not that you can see it. Craig y Castells to the left and right...

Impressive, substantial cairn. A fabulous kerbed cairn lies beyond the near outcrop.

The excellent positioning is clear from (what I assumed was) the nascent Afon Dwynant to the west.

Eastern flank, looking south; it’s not difficult to surmise where the missing stone work ended up, is it?

From the north...

These are impressive, powerful defences for such a small enclosure... for what it’s worth I would agree with Coflein’s view that this was a temporary citadel as opposed to permanent residence.

Looking north toward Y Braich’s grassy ramp ascending to the southern Rhinogydd. It became clear that the cloudbase was not going to lift... so Plan B – afternoon at Bryn Castell – it was (I returned two days later to ascend to Dyffwys). Note the regular, structured footprint of the ‘northern feature’.

The northern ‘feature’... whatever it may be.

Guess I should note a healthy difference of opinion with Postman here since I reckon the wonderfully compact Bryn Castell presents quite possibly the perfect vibe.... I can not name a better comparable site. Here looking south towards the Mawwddach.

Approaching below to the east the northern ‘bastion’ betrays a placement – in my experience – very reminiscent of a Bronze Age upland cairn.

Looking across to the main ridge of Y Berwyn, each peak crowned with an ancient cairn. Now, considering the Coflein-cited cairns upon the saddle with Y Clogydd, would the summit of Glan Hafon have been left ‘unused’?

Glan Hafon summit cairn.

Glan Hafon summit cairn... at a fraction under the ‘magical’ 2,000ft mark (1,994ft (608m)) few walkers come here, to judge by the paucity of tracks. So I’ll leave others to suggest reasons why the embedded footprint underlying the precarious modern cairn shouldn’t be considered as having a possible ancient origin?

Glan Hafon’s summit cairn – note the footprint – looking across to the main ridge of Y Berwyn. Incidentally in less than an hour the weather window which drew me up here expired in fundamental fashion... with a massive cloud bank sweeping in to ensure I needed a compass bearing to get back down again. Please bear this in mind. It still scares the hell out of me after nearly 30 years doing this....

Glan Hafon summit cairn. Ironically, perhaps – since it’s not cited by either the OS nor Coflein (so I’ve not included as a separate site) – for me the most obvious ancient cairn upon Glan Hafon is this, at the 608m summit. In my opinion the foortprint, perched upon the rocky summit crags, is telling.

Craig Rhiwarth features its very own natural cloaking device.... software’s a bit unpredictable, apparently.

Ariel view from the summit ridge of Glan Hafon.

The hill fort seen from the approx. north-east ascending to the summit of Glan Hafon, Y Berwyn.

Beautiful views as the cloud base rises...

Not the most powerful defences... but can’t argue about the position.