Taken 10th December 2002: Looking down into the depression inside the circle. This was probably made by treasure hunters.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Taken 10th December 2002: The circle looking west, across the Rheidol Gorge. The mountain on the horizon is Disgwlfa Fawr, which has a large Bronze Age cairn on it’s summit.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: This is the circle viewed from the north east, with Afon Rheidol running across the background, and Dinas in the distance.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
A friend of mine emailed me this picture a long time ago, but I’m not sure where they got it from. I think we can safely assume it’s copyright free though (I’m guessing that the picture predates the stone’s destruction in 1814).
Taken 10th December 2002: This is a view of Dinas from the south west, across the delightfully named Bog Pond (a 19th Century mining reservoir). The fort itself is difficult to see from most angles, and even more difficult to photograph once you’re right up next to it. In this photo you can just make out some of the defences (a slight step to the left of the summit).
In the far distance in Pumlumon Fawr, Ceredigion’s tallest mountain (752 metres). It’s capped with three Bronze Age cairns and the Rheidol Gorge between it and Dinas is littered with burial sites. The Iron Age builders of Dinas would have been aware of this, and it may have been a factor in their choice of the location for their fort.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 17th December 2002: This is the view I had to endure during this afternoon’s coffee break. Pendinas is on the left hand side of the shot, with the Wellington Monument sticking up out of the south fort (looking like a chimney).
Image credit: Simon Marshall
According to the BBC Web site (and who’s going to argue with that) Bronze Age miners at the Great Orm could retrieve 50% copper ore with basic tools, while moden copper miners extract only 1% per bulk of rock. It’s also claimed that the Great Orme is the oldest industrial complex in Wales.
“The earliest mining at the surface dates to 1600 BC, whereas the bulk of underground workings took place in the Middle Bronze Age ... Finds at the site underline a society in transition. At the start the mine produced mainly tools, but by the end, the focus was on weapons. It was becoming an increasingly competitive warlike world, with people starting to fight for land and food.”
I’m not sure how dumbed down this analysis is, coming from Auntie Beeb.
Kammer x
The circle is just over 22 metres in diameter, and the site is made up of 16 stones in total. The two outlying stones align to the Solstice, and apparently one of them is known locally as the Dreaming Stone.
The name Gorse Fawr translated from the Welsh means big bog.
Taken 24th November 2002: Looking south east across the tail of the circle. The quartz stone looks like an obvious contender for an outlier, but what are the other three stones there for?
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: The stones looking south west towards the road. Louise is posing for scale and looking very cheerful after the pleasant walk to the stones, despite having a bad cold (what a stalwart).
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the circle viewed from the north, with the little farm Pant-y-Llan in the background. The mountain in the distance is Braich Ddu.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the view east across the field from the nearby cairn (in the foreground) towards the Arthog Standing Stones. The little red arrow indicates where the stones are, sat in the corner of the field. The peak in the distance is Craig Las, part of Cadair Idris.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Visited 24th November 2002: This is a really enigmatic site, in a beautiful location. There are ten stones remaining, and an identifiable hole where an eleventh once stood. Even though this site is now thought to be the remains of a ring cairn, it doesn’t neatly fit the bill. Six of the stones form a semi circle (this is the bit that looks like a ring cairn), and three more stand in a row (like a tail to the ring) to the east. Slightly to the north of this tail is a big quartz boulder. All in all it ends up looking like a question mark in plan, which is very appropriate!
Apparently the farmer who owns the field has reported two or more fallen stones coming to light nearby in ploughing. Also worth looking out for (difficult to miss really) are the remains of a large cairn about 20 meters to the west of the Arthog stones.
I don’t get the impression that many people visit the Arthog Standing Stones, which is a shame because they’re rather splendid. I’d certainly recommend a detour if you’re in the area.
Directions
The walk to the Arthog Standing Stones is pleasant, but a bit convoluted. From the road (SH648138) head west through the white metal gate and along the track. Keep going to the point where a pretty little stone footbridge crosses the river. Cross here, and once over on the other side of the river keep heading east (diverging from the well trodden path to Pant-Phylip). Continue along the north bank of the river following a muddy rutted track. Where the track crosses back across the river at a ford, the footpath heads north through a gate (held shut with bailing twine). Go through this gate and follow the perimeter of the field north (this is pretty steep). The field perimeter curves around to the east (great views to the west), and if you keep going you’ll arrive at the stones which are in the far corner of the field.
The name Waun Oer translates from the Welsh into English as cold moor. The word oer is in common use in the modern language (you sometimes see it on Welsh language taps). It also crops up in loads of Welsh place names, especially in the area where I live (I don’t really need to explain why).
Visited November 24th 2002: After Bryn Seward we headed off to find Waun Oer. The stones are easy to miss as you approach them because of a tall dry stone wall running between them and the road. Luckily we spotted one of the stones through a gateway. Even better there was no gate in the gateway, so apart from the mud there was nothing stopping me from strolling in to the field to take a closer look.
This row is much more complete than Bryn Seward, with five stones remaining, two of which are fallen. I must admit that I’m a bit confused looking back over my photos, because I can only see four stones in them. Perhaps one of them had wondered off!
The most distinctive stone is a big fallen one, with unusual elongated markings on it. There’s a nearby boulder with similar markings, and this was cited in the Cadw records as evidence that both sets of markings are probably naturally formed. In the case of the stone in the row, the patterns may have been artificially enhanced. The fallen stone also has a cup mark on it near it’s pointed end, a little over an inch in diameter. Unfortunately I only discovered this after my visit.
Interestingly, the Cadw surveyor drew comparisons between Waun Oer and the West Kennett Avenue (in his notes he put ‘don’t laugh’ in brackets). In the same way that the Kennet stones are often identified as either male or female in shape, this chap reckoned that the Waun Oer stones also fall into two distinct types. I’ll have to go back and check this out, as well as searching out the cup mark.
Visited 24th November 2002: Bryn Seward was the penultimate site on our trip around the Llynau Cregennen area. We approached from the east, and I’ve never been on a more gated road in my life. With Alfie’s baby seat in the front, I had no choice but to open and close all the gates myself (there were loads of them!). I managed to cut my hand on one of them, so beware sharp edges on the gates if you visit Bryn Seward.
The light was fading, so we passed through the forestry, leaving Bedd y Brenin for another day. As the forestry opens up, there’s the first stone on the right hand side of the road (see photos 1 & 2). The views beyond towards the Mawddach Estuary and Abermaw (Barmouth) are amazing, with the Llyn Peninsular stretching off to the west. You can see why these stones and this sacred route run along this hillside.
The second stone is just before the gate after the forestry (you really can’t miss it). This was my favourite, because it’s really quite thin in cross section, but it’s face is very triangular. Standing next to the stock fence it looks really darned good. There’s a possible third ‘fallen’ stone just west of this on the other side of the fence, but I was so unimpressed by it that I didn’t photograph it (I’m not convinced it’s really part of the row).
Just beyond the thin triangular stone is the ambiguous half buried boulder. Since our visit I’ve read a Cadw description of the row, and apparently the stones used to be incorporated into a low dry stone wall. This wall has now collapsed and spread, which accounts for the debris along the side of the road, and the ambiguity of some of the stones.
After Bryn Seward it we headed off along more gated road, towards Waun Oer.
Taken 24th November 2002: This isn’t one of the stones in the row, but a boulder that lies (approximately) to the west of the row. This boulder has the same unusual markings on it as the big fallen stone, and I think it’s the same stone that the Cadw surveyor wrote about after visiting the site. He used it as evidence that the marks on the fallen slab are natural.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is one of the stones at the east end of the row, but I’m afraid I’m not sure which one. The photo is taken looking north west up the coast towards the Llyn.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This stone stands almost opposite the gateway into the field, so it’s probably the first one you’ll spot. The photo is taken from the south west (approximately).
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This shot is taken looking approximately south east. The fallen stone in the foreground has unusual markings on it that are thought to be natural. It also has a cup mark on it , but I only discovered this after my visit.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the row viewed from the west. Apparently there are five stones in the row, but I can’t recall whether I saw four or five of them (it was late in the day). There are only in this photo as far as I can tell.
To the right of the shot is the dry stone wall that runs between the road and the stones, and you can just see the gateway on the right hand side.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: This is a close up of the stone from the east. The angle of the shot makes the stone look bigger than it really is.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: This is the view of the stone from the road, looking west across the Rheidol Gorge towards Dinas Hillfort. The telegraph pole is a useful landmark if you’re trying to identify the stone (it has the number 23 on it). There’s a cairn behind the stone, but I’m not sure which one it is.
As an aside (and nothing to do with prehistory) you can clearly make out an angular object to the right of the summit on Dinas. This is a ventilation shaft for the underground tunnel that feeds water from the Nant-y-Moch Reservoir to the Rheidol Power Station. This tunnel is just over 4km long which I find amazing!
Image credit: Simon Marshall
According to Cambria Archaeology records (sadly no longer online as far as can tell) the Blaen Llwernog stones are either the remains of a round barrow, or simply a small stone pair. In either case they probably date back to the Bronze Age.
Taken 10th December 2002: You can’t see the stones in this shot (let’s face it, they ain’t very large) but you can see the beautiful Mam hill next to them. This shot is taken from the north west, so a slightly different view of the hill to the one you would get as you approached from the direction of the A44.
Beyond the forestry, you can make out the peak of Plumlumon Fawr, lit by the sun with cloud behind it. The little Mam hill, and Plumlumon look very similar in shape, and before the forestry plantation blocked the view would have been very striking.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: This is the north stone, viewed from the south east, looking towards the forestry plantation on Pen y Graig Ddu.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: The south stone, viewed from the south east. I stuck my map and compass in for scale but they kept being blown away. You can just see the forestry plantation behind the stones (at the top of the photo).
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 10th December 2002: Here are the two stones, as viewed from the south west.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: The three stones on the south west side of the circle, viewed from the south west. The stone in the foreground had a pretty red lichen on it. You can also see the depressions around the stones caused by livestock.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: This is the big stone at the north end of the circle, viewed from the south, with Louise reluctantly posing for scale. This is the stone that everyone ended up sheltering behind because the wind was so cold.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: The south side of the circle again, this time looking north west. The hill in the distance may be Mynydd Cemais, but I’m not 100% certain. Visibility was very poor.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: These are the same three stones as shot in the group photo, but this time from the west. You can clearly see the stile that leads to Croen yr Ych. In the high resolution version of this photo you can just make out the stone circle itself behind the stile.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: Lou, Chris, William and Pete looking cold on the south west side of the circle.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: This is the strange wedge shaped stone on the south west side of the circle (nearest to Cerrig Caerau). In the middle distance you can see Chris approaching the stile (the figure on the left).
The black blob in the far distance (to the right of Chris) is Pete, Lou and William sheltering from the wind at Cerrig Caerau. This gives a good idea how close the two circles are.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: These stones lie on the nort west side of the circle.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 8th December 2002: This is a photo of me and Alfie (in the baby carrier) on the south east side of the circle. The stone I’m standing next to is pretty typical in terms of size for this site.
Image credit: Chris Bradley
Taken 8th December 2002: This is the circle viewed from the south west, as seen approaching from the direction of Cerrig Caerau. The person standing on the right of the circle is Chris.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Visited 10th December 2002: The weather was bitterly cold. I had a pleasant stroll up through the Nant yr Arian forestry before realising I wasn’t on the right footpath at all (thanks to my old OS map which didn’t have the upper lake marked on it). I had to cut across country to correct my mistake.
The footpath I should have been on starts at the Llwernog Trout Farm entrance east of the Nant yr Arian Forestry Cenre (SN72458130). It’s really a bridlepath, following a farmer’s track from the A44, past the Trout Farm buildings, and across the earthen dam that forms the lower of the two lakes. The track briefly heads northwest before hooking to the northeast and up onto Blaen Llwernog (the hill that the stones get their name from).
The footpath was easy to follow while there were faint ruts along it, but when it passed to the west of Blaen Llwernog’s summit the ruts petered out. I guessed my way from there, heading northwest. A forestry plantation came into sight, then I spotted an elegant little Mam hill outlined against the trees. I had a feeling this was the direction to head in, and sure enough I ended up at a gate in the corner of the field. Here the footpath crosses the boundary fence. On the other side of the gate, before the forestry plantation, are the stones. They sit to the right of the footpath on slightly elevated piece of ground.
Perhaps I should have started this essay by saying, these two stones are not very big. It’s a long walk to see stones as tiny as these, so if you want something megalithic rather than minilithic, don’t come here. Fortunately I already knew this before I started out, and I was really pleased to find the site. The walk up was cold and windy, but exceptionally beautiful, and the surrounding hills looked fantastic. At the stones the forestry spoils the views towards Pumlumon Fawr, which I suspect were an important element to whoever erected them. On the bright side, the trees formed an excellent windbreak, so I stopped to have lunch leaning against a stock fence before heading back to the car.
There are eight recumbent stones in the Cerrig Caerau circle, unevenly spaced (1 to 2 meter gaps). There are some hollows where the gaps between the stones are larger, indicating where lost stones may have once stood.
The longest remaining stone (on the west side of the circle) is approximately two metres in its recumbent state. On the northern side of the circle, lies the largest stone (the one that William sheltered behind on our visit) which is a bit less than two metres long, but much broader. Centrally, within the circle, is a distinct oval shaped hollow.
There are five stones in the circle at Lled Croen yr Ych (I’m not sure where Mr Barber got his information from), and two small outlying stones to the north west. According to Cadw the circle has a maximum diameter of 26 metres. Despite looking rather squat and boulder-like the stones are upright, each with a small hollow around it, probably created by livestock.
Apparently the area around the circle was ploughed and re-sown, probably in the early ‘80s. Although the stones themselves weren’t damaged, there’s the possibility that this improvement might have done damage to as yet undiscovered finds. The area around Cerrig Caerau seems to have escaped ploughing in recent times.
Kammer x
Visited 8th December 2002: For the full harrowing tale of our visit, take a look at my field notes for Cerrig Caerau, which stands only a few hundred yards away from Lled Croen yr Ych.
Chris and I made a very hasty visit to Lled Croen yr Ych, with Alfie strapped to me (thankfully oblivious to the extreme cold because he was under my coat). The others stayed at Cerrig Caerau sheltering behind the largest stone. There’s a fence running between the two circles, with a conveniently placed stile (only slightly broken) so that you can get between the sites.
This circle is a smaller than it’s neighbour, with small squat stones (each less than a cubic metre in size). Some of the stones are unusual shapes, with one small wedge like stone on the side of the circle nearest to Cerrig Caerau. None of the stones are standing, but in contrast to Cerrig Caerau, I’m not convinced that they ever were standing. They’re more like little boulders than standing stones.
If I had to guess, I’d say that Cerrig Caerau is the older of the two circles because it has the look of a pale imitation. In comparison, to it’s neighbour Lled Croen yr Ych is slightly drab and feels less well thought out. A latecomer perhaps, but an enigmatic one, given it’s close proximity to Cerrig Caerau.
Having derided it, I have to admit that Lled Croen yr Ych isn’t without a charm of its own, and if it weren’t right next door to a more eminent circle (on local standards) then I guess I’d look at it in a different light. I would really like to visit both these circles again in the summer.
Visited 8th December 2002: This afternoon I dragged my immediate family, plus my brother Pete and his partner Chris, off to see Cerrig Caerau stone circle and it’s smaller neighbour Lled Croen yr Ych.
We parked to the south of Newydd Fynyddog at the end of the footpath, and had a picnic lunch in the car. It was bitterly cold when we got out of the car, and William started complaining almost immediately. The walk from the road to the circle isn’t all that long (about half a mile) but it’s quite a steep gradient. We practically dragged William up the hill, and he was crying most of the way. To be fair, it was really cold, and the wind made it worse. He was suffering quite a bit from the cold, but by the time we realised this we were practically at the circle. Rather than turn back we kept on going.
The stones aren’t very big, and none of them remain standing. The views must be impressive on a good day, but visibility was very poor this afternoon, and we couldn’t see much of the surrounding hills. William sheltered behind the biggest stone with Pete, and (depending on how cold and pissed off we were) the rest of us had a look at the stones. It wasn’t the most relaxed visit to a stone circle that we’ve ever made, because we were all worrying about poor old Will.
Chris, Alfie and I pegged it across the stile to take a quick look at Lled Croen yr Ych, then we all headed off back down the hill. Pete carried William most of the way back, and he fell asleep as we walked (which worried us a bit). He slept in the car under a pile of coats on the way back, then woke up when we got home as if nothing had happened.
I’d recommend a visit to these sites if you’re in the area, but perhaps not in weather like we had today. Sorry about that William!
Taken 24th November 2002: This stone lies just to the east of the eastern standing stone, but on the other side of the fence. I’m not sure whether it represents a fallen stone, but it struck me as the right kind of size and proportions. If anyone else has visited the site I’d be interested to know what they think.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the westerly of the two standing stones by the road-side. It’s very thin, and has a beautiful angle to it. This photo is taken looking north east across the estuary and the mountains (Diffwys and the Rhinogs I think).
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the eastern stone, looking eastwards towards the forestry.
The roads run right past these stones, and probably follows the same route that was used by the people who erected them. Now it’s a small tarmaced lane with lots and lots (and lots) of gates crossing it.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is the stone nearest the forestry, looking north towards Abermaw (Barmouth). You can just about see Cardigan Bay sweeping off to the west, and the beginnings of the Llyn Peninsular.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
Taken 24th November 2002: This is one of the two remaining megaliths nearest the forestry (it’s the one to the east). The photo is taken looking approximately north east, over the Mawddach Estuary. I think that the peaks you can see in the distance are Diffwys and the Rhinogs, but I’m not certain.
Image credit: Simon Marshall
According to Historic Scotland this stone represents the remains of a stone circle. The record gives Margaret and Ron Curtis as one of it’s sources:
Survey work has established that the single standing stone, stone stumps, prostrate stones, other broken stones and packing stones at this site (DES 1976, 58) should be regarded as the remains of a stone circle. They mark the positions where eight standing stones once stood in a circle of about 51m diameter. The circle may have consisted of at least 13 standing stones. These eight positions are not continuous but extend along 7% and 39% of the perimeter.
Local knowledge records that in the 19th century this stone circle was used as a source of lintels for the houses shown on the 1853 1st edition OS map, at NB 2158 3508. There is still a metal wedge embedded in a crack in the remaining standing stone.
The area around the remaining standing stone is scheduled, and known to contain the remains of two burial cairns and a group of later shieling huts. Margaret Curtis (previously Ponting) has a stone axe that she found at the site (NB22233569) in 1976. There’s an excellent plan of the ruined circle in the book The Stones Around Callanish by the Pontings (ISBN: 0 903960 67 2).
Taken July 1995: We were camping right next to Calanais, and decided to visit this site as it was easily within walking distance. The remains of the cairn aren’t especially spectacular in comparison with their neighbours, but I’d recommend the walk if only for the views and the chance to orientate yourself with the countryside.
This shot is taken looking inland (approximately north) towards the village of Breasclete.
Image credit: Simon Marshall