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I liked it here.
Someone was playing an electric guitar somewhere and the music filled the air. I couldn't tell where it was coming from and wondered as I looked for the burial chamber if I would find some crazy old rock star sitting on it being all rock star-y.
There is an easier route and with places to park. If you follow the Brnsiencyn road signposted for the sea zoo. Take the first proper right hand lane. It's quite windy and you will see a public footpath on the right. This leads to the chamber but there is no where to park here.
Follow the road along and take the next right hand turn. There is a sharp right hand bend with a driveway opposite. Not far passed this is a big white house on the right. Then a small residential area.
Park up here, there is plenty of room. Next to the big white house, on the right hand side of it, is the other end of the public footpath, although it is unmarked at this end. Walk down passed the white house then through a kissing gate.
Continue a really short distance through this field to a gate on the left.
Then diagonally over this really small field to another kissing gate next to a white farm house.
The chamber is in the field next to the side of the house.
It is really hard to imagine what this would have been like. Maybe it was always very low to the ground?
But it is still charming.
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Follow the B4417 Nefyn to Pengroeslon Road. Just before Penllech there is a sharp left hand bend in the road. Just on the bend is a left hand turn. Take this road. The lane passes through a wooded area. As soon as the woods end there is a a yard on the right hand side with a metal shed/garage. The chamber is in the field just beyond this yard. There is a kissing gate leading into the field.
I parked here as there was no one around but as we were leaving the owners of the garage turned up. They were fine with us being there once we explained why we were parked up there.
It looks like the fencing has recently been replaced so I didn't manage to get in. The capstone is huge. The setting is lovely.
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Taking the A497 Pwllheli to Nefyn road take the left hand turn onto the B4415 road (signed towards Botwnnog)
At Bodgadle the road forks off to the right. Take this windy little lane. Take the first right hand turn which will lead you through some woodland.
The road winds to the left passed some farm houses on the right.
The stone is in a field on the right. There is a gate on both sides of the road so easy to pull in.
When I visited the farmer had not long planted crop and new shoots had just come through, so I decided not to go into the field. But took pics from the gate.
What disappointed me more was that the farmer was using the stone for a scarecrow. He has tied the scarecrow to the stone.
I wasn't impressed!
Following along this track will bring you out onto the same road you turned off.
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I'd seen the pottery and grave goods from this site at Bangor Museum and read all about it. The jet necklace was absolutely beautiful.
And so despite it having disappointed stubob I decided I wanted to visit because it was clearly a site of some importance.
Frances Lynch says that
"the arrangement of burials and personal belongings chosen to accompany the dead have some interesting social implications. Unlike contemporary burial monuments in some other parts of Britain, no one individual is afforded a position of primacy with in the cemetary. The burials were placed in apparent equality around the stone ring, even though their personal belongings suggest variation in wealth.
she goes on to say
the separate burial of infant earbones, an unexplained ritual practice found several times in North Wales, is especially evident here.
The walk down the track is easy. It is concrete and flat. And some what un-inspiring. We followed our map and Frances Lynch's directions.
The farmer passed us in his tractor giving us a wave. We went into the field and climbed the mound. I began reading from Frances Lynch's book to my kids, blahing on about everthing that had been found and talking about the central stone etc... While my son, Rowan, frowned and looked confused.
Next thing there is a shout from the previously friendly farmer who had stopped his tractor and is waving his arms about shouting something at us.
We thought we should go over to him and he had come to the side of the field still waving and shouting.....
"it's not there, it's over there...in the next field."
Hmmmmmmm!
We thanked him and trudged off to the next field where Rowan told me that nothing I had been saying whilst in the other field was making any sense, and now we know why.
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Travelling from caernarfon towards the LLeyn on the A499 you take the left turn at Aberdesach. Opposite the left hand turn is a stone built bus stop and a phone box.
The chamber is clearly seen from the road, it is opposite the entrance to Penarth farm caravan park.
I agree it would be great to see this restored. It is a lovely chamber and the setting is great.
I spoke to a chap who was sat on the top of his caravan and he said that the farmer is happy for folk to visit at anytime.
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Do you think that the nearest place to this is Capel Curig rather than Llanrwst?
The main A5 road from Bethesda to Capel Curig cuts through this valley.
The Gwynedd Archeological Trust call this the Afon Bedol Standing stone but recognise that it was probably part of a stone circle surrounding the Cairn.
http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/gat/english/gat_interface.html
(type afon bedol in the search for box, one click on the results box, below the map, will indicate it's position. 2 clicks will bring up notes)
I have found a much less soggy and strenuous walk and still with the outstanding views Postman speaks of.
If you are driving along the main A5 from Bethesda you will see a farm campsite on the opposite side of the road about 5 1/2 miles from Bethesda,
Just before you come to the Public FP marked on both sides of the road there is track with a gate and stile on the left hand side of the road. at approx SH 68806030.
This belongs to Welsh Water. If you park carefully close to the wall you will not be blocking the entrance.
Climb over the Stile and follow the tarmaced track up to the leat. At the leat there is a farm gate. Don't go through this but instead climb the stile on the right and follow the track around the edge of the leat.
You will have to cross over several very small stiles but the leat will lead you right round to the valley in which the stone sits.
Once you go around an obvious bend follow the leat to the weir/dam with the little hut beside it.
There is an obvious track leading down from here to the bottom of the dry stone wall. Here you'll find the stone and Cairn.
In Postmans 3rd picture he points out the dry stone wall but you can also see the line of the leat leading round the side of the hill.
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I would suggest that if you are coming down the A499 from the Caernarfon direction you will see the huge gates for the Glynllifon park on your left. Just after this is are the metal gates of the Park Newydd house. The next left is the road to Pen y Groes.
Take this turning. Immediately on your left are the metal gates of a gatehouse. Park by the roadside here.
You can see the stone in the field from these gates. I asked the owner of this house and she was happy to let me go into the field to look at the stone.
I loved this Stone. Lovely textures and colours. A huge Stone with real presence. It felt majestic.
A layer of calcined bone mixed with charred wood and fragments of a burial urn (early Bronze Age) was found 1m east of the stone.
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In Llanfechell look for the tall white 12 century church. It can be seen from all around. It has a distinctive old beehive shaped tower which has been white washed and has a metal cross on the top.
In front of the church is a war memorial with a small clock tower. The church yard is a walled and seems almost circular. The road that the church is on is called Brynddu Road.
Making sure the church and wall of the church yard are on your right follow this road up the hill take the second road on the left.
There is a rather large modern house on the left. In front of this house is a small layby type parking area.
The footpath is on the opposite side of the road just past the 3rd house. It is clearly marked from here. The 3 stones can be seen from here, and are about 10 mins walk.
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This is what Coflien have on the stone.
RAF aerial view centred on standing stone near Pontrug area taken in 1948.
NPRN
59973
Map Reference
SH56SW
Grid Reference
SH51866217
Unitary (Local) Authority
Gwynedd
Old County
Caernarfonshire
Community
Llanrug
Type of Site
STANDING STONE
Broad Class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Period
Prehistoric
The aeriel veiw is not really centred on any stone I could find. But I did find 3 others very near by.
From caernarfon take the A4086 Llanberis road. Just after the Pont rug Bridge turn right signposted for Beddgellert. Take the first left almost straight away.
Follow this single track road to a farm on the left called Cilgwythwch. There is a place to park a few yards along the road on the right.
The first stone is in a field next to the farm house.
It does have telephone poles near by which is a bit off putting.
We tried to access the public footpath that runs next to the farm but there were several farm dogs running loose so we didn't risk it. I didn't get a very good look at this stone nor did I get to touch it.
I think that this is more likely the stone mentioned in Coflien. Although all 3 are marked on the 1891 map.
You can see the 2nd stone on a hill in the distance.
It is possible to do a circular walk. And it is a rather nice easy walk.
Follow the road up to the cross roads and turn left. After a short distance the road forks to the right where there is a gate house calles Plas Arfon. Park near here if you've driven. The next stone is up on a hill opposite this house.
We walked up through the field next to a dry stone wall, up to a gate on the right. This opened right next to the stone which is in the adjacent field.
This stone commands wonderful views.
Back down onto the road. Follow the road you were on. There is a public footpath on the left that leads through a church yard past the wonderful St Michaels church. Check out the beams in the church porch.
Turn left past the church and follow this footpath past the caravan park. After passing through some rhodedendrun and over a little stream you will see a field on the left. There is a gate that leads into the field.
The next stone is in the middle of this field. Some one has placed a flat stone on the top of this which I am not tall enough to attempt to remove.
And as there are some doubts about these stones I am not sure if it was put there when the stone was placed.
Following the path onwards in the direction you were walking will bring you out next to the first farm house at Cilgwythwch.
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From the A5 take the B4366 towards Llanberis after approx 2.6 miles take the right hand turn signposted for Caerhun. There's a decent pub on the left called the Vaynol that does a nice meal.
Cross over a small stone bridge. Here the road will fork off to the right, don't follow this but turn left onto Pont Felin which is a single track road. (there was some mad classic car race taking place on these back roads on my last visit).
Approx half mile along this road there is a small stone bridge on the left leading to a field. Park your car (if you are in one) just after this bridge.
Cross over this bridge. The farm gate may be closed but isn't usually padlocked. The first standing stone can be seen directly infront of you.
The RCAHMW give this ref for this site NPRN
406343
The farm of Ty'n-Llwyn is surrounded by a rough circle or oval setting of 6 standing stones and two mounds. The setting encloses a considerable area of approximately 750m diameter. The discovery of an interrupted ditch enclosure or plough-levelled barrow (NPRN 403377) during RCAHMW aerial reconnaissance in 2005, with a (then unrecorded) standing stone on its summit, gave context to the stone; it seemed as likely to be a prehistoric ritual monument as a modern boundary stone.
A prehistoric date for the remaining stones in this 'setting' would be highly unusual given its size. However, their ascription to being modern boundary stones does not explain the occurrence of a mound and a complex barrow within the setting.
There is an aerial photo of this taken by RCAHMW at this web site:
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/403377/images/AP_2005_1627.jpg
.........................................................................
I have visited 2 more of the stones mentioned by Coflien. The next to go and see would be in the field to the right. Follow round the edge of the field next to the woodland. (be aware if you have dogs with you that this is a covert and is full of pheasants)
At the edge of the woodland continue following the field boundary. There will be a gate in the middle of the fence on your right. The next stone can be seen on a mound in the middle of this field.
If you look towards Tyn-llywyn farm you will be able to see another mound. There may be another stone on this mound.
Looking back towards the first stone you can clearly see the mound which that stands upon.
The CBA Wales gives this description of the first mound.
near Pentir, a plough-levelled barrow with a causewayed ditch and partial surrounding palisade was discovered (Figure 2; NPRNs 403376 & 403377). More problematic is the fact that the mound is surmounted by an undated standing stone, which forms part of a wider circle of stones and a levelled mound currently of unknown date, surrounding nearby Ty'n Llwyn farm. More work is needed to ascertain the true date and origins of these features.
And there is a diagram of the features at the following web address:
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbawales/Newsletters/newsletter30/newsletter30.html
Once you have made your way back to the road turn right after you have crossed over the bridge. After a few metres you will see a gate on the opposite side of the road. You will have to climb this one. Walk around the boundary of the field to the top. The next stone is at the top of the field on the right.
We did find another stone lower down the field but this was surrounded by farm machinary.
I then found that there was an arrow sharpening stone just down the same road at Rhos Fawr. PRN 33 SH56086833 but had no luck in finding it depite my best efforts and with the only outcome being a very sore back, scratches and insect bites.
We found where it should be, but the vegetation was just too dense to have any success.
Would be a great find. But may be one for winter.
G.A.T says of this
Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 33
Trust : Gwynedd
Site Type : ARROW SHARPENING STONE
Period : Unknown
Community : Pentir
NGR : SH56086833
Legal Protection :
Description :
A large boulder with as many as forty-five sharpening marks was discovered during fieldwork along the line of the Pentir Llanfairpwll gas pipeline in June 1976. The incisions were accompanied by an area impressed with small punch marks and patches of deliberate smoothing. The boulder was moved to the side of the pipeline track to avoid further disturbance. A total of 45 V-sectioned incisions were observed.
:................................................................
There is so much going on in this area. Still so much more to find.
Don't be put off by the blooming great electricity station.
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Previous 20 | Showing 21-30 of 30 fieldnotes. Most recent first |
Lucky to live at the base of Moel Faban in the lovely Gwynedd countryside.
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