From the A481, near Fedw stone cirlce, take the farm track southeast past Rhewey farm and keep going up the hill, the track happily takes us straight to the stone row.
But the stone row isnt mentioned on the map just the big barrow next to it, Coflein and Burl know of it though, so it is thanks to them that I do too.
It is probably best to walk up past the farm, not only to better appreciate your situation, but farm dogs will bark and chase the car and the farmer will get in his pickup and drive up to see what your up to. I told him I was just photographing the stones and barrow on this beautiful morning, he asked if I was from Cadw or something, I replied no, just an interested Joe Public, this seemed to satisfy him as he bid me good moring after pointing out this is a bridleway not meant for cars.
I continued photographing the stones, there are four of them, the biggest stone has fallen but you can see that if it were re-erected the four stones would line up with the left flank of the barrow, which is of a cosiderable enough size for a visit on it’s own.
The row is situated on a shoulder between two hills, on the north side of the hill goes down on into the valley of the A481, but the other side is a low wide glacial valley leading the eye further into the Welsh wild hills, one day I shall be more like Gladman and venture off into those hills, or some like it.
postman
There is room to park at the western end of the hill, from there proceed more or less directly to the top and this will take you through the entrance to the fort.
When we first arrived here the hill was invisible behind its secretive curtain of fog, but after our revisit to Gelli hill the fort was popping in and out of existence, floating mysteriously on thin veils of mist.
Eric took some coaxing up the hill but after a little bit of reverse psychology, and a few rest breaks to take in the scenery, which also popped in and out of our reality, we made it to the entrance, which if i’m honest hasn’t fared too well over the last two millenia. Nor are the banks and ditches that impressive, sometimes grassed over and in other places the tumbled walls have scattered themselves down the hill in a wide spread.
There are no earthworks on the steeper northern slope, and a small modern cairn marks the top of the hill, presumably for folk that can’t tell when there at the top.
So it isnt one of the best hillforts in Wales, but as ever it was a treat to be out in the Welsh wilds wlth my son and time to spend in the hills, the weather which had so hampered us earlier now made it all the better, a view would open up and morning glow would fill the void, then close and open up elsewhere, we were shown the view slowly peice by peice.
It is a bit cold though, time for some grub, and away we go.
After stepping through the fence next to the circle we walked rather blindly into the fog with no more than my memory to go on, it was adequate, we went straight to it, first it was my imagination , then it was a sheep, Eric said its a tractor, it wasn’t, it was the fallen stone. It looks like a big door wedge or block of cheese, with lots of smaller stones about it.
If it was standing it wouldnt be much more than a couple of feet tall, but from the circle it might have been edge on and a perfect horizon marker.
The journey here had been full of ideal photographic conditions, but once we had driven up the old track, the fog closed in and stayed there.
The first time I came I found the shouldnt be there circle first, which confused me greatly when I found the actual circle on the way back down, further musing and reading (with sweetcheats help) have proved that the less impressive of the two is the real macoy, whilst I was there the first time I could see the fallen stone from the circle and that should have said something to me but it didnt, the circle on top of the hill had thrown a big spanner in the works, dont know why it just did.
But this second time I knew where everything was, even in the fog. Up to the trig pointed barrow first, over the dilapidated fence to the confusion circle. Still dont know what to make of it, if it was farmer, I would say he has been to a few real carn circles, if it was missed by ordnance survey and CADW and Aubrey Burl then , well its just unthinkable.
The stone circle is right next to a fence, which should help with locating it, if you were a “hillwalker” you might walk right through it without noticing it. The stones are small, some flush with the ground, two or three a foot or so high, two bigger fallen stones there are, one inside the circle one outside In the next field there is a fallen menhir, perhaps marking a festivals sunrise, Burl said as much I think, memory not as good as it once was.
The weather had been perfect on the way here, blue skies and golden morning sunlight and fog covered the valley floor between the hills, but it was only just the way there, there was as foggy as you don’t want it to be. No sunrise and no view, it was just Eric, me and the the foggy ancient left behinds.
The barrow is much bigger than it looked from a distance through the fog, some exposed cairn material has a couple of big stones in it, and I liked to think of them as remnant cist stones.
Erics feet are starting to get wet now so were off to find the weird shouldn’t be there circle.
Ive not been to many places round the world but this one is up there with Samaria gorge, Mont Blanc and Australian old rainforest, its that good.
We arrived early, but after taking a couple of wrong turns, not early enough, two other cars had spewed its occupants across the carpark and another had pulled up a few isles down, we payed the money grabbing ticket monster and headed off into the autumnal woods in the direction of the smartie tube ?
We came here a few years ago but Eric was too young to remember, he was too young to clamber freely then, this place is a childs dream come true and an over protective parents worst nightmare, but with only one to care for at this time we roamed as freely as the wind. Eric was almost beside himself with excitement he wanted to climb them all but there are still some that we didnt dare try.
Along the edge of the rocks is a platform with a big rocking stone on it, the first time I sat on it, it gave me a scare when it moved as if it would continue rolling down the cliff with me still on it. I climbed atop and gave it the old Elvis the pelvis whilst Eric photographed my rock n rolling.
We tried to get up onto every rock stack because I knew there was another rocking stone on one somewhere, but in these later years rediculous vertigo has gotten me and I’m as scared as an eight year old boy, but in the end we did get upon top of one and from there I could see the neighbouring rock had what looked like three in a row, Tsk!
The autumn leaves and early morning glow may have added to the experience somewhat, but it was just magical, for about an hour or so, then the place started to fill up with people, some with more monkey powers than me, after a while every rock stack had its person point on top, like roving anarak wearing trig points.
It became what I thought was a reasonable time to return to the car, then found out that four hours had flown by, we never did see the smartie tube or maybe we did but didnt know a smartie tube when we saw one. Off to Foutains Abbey now, never been before, is it any good?
From the northwest henge driving southish a track is on the other side of the road and map says it goes straight to the central henge, we plumped for the shortcut, because thats the way I am. I really should mend my ways, the track doesnt go all the way but degenerates into something like a footpath, it was really difficult reversing over rough ground encased in brambles. But when I did turn round I could see we’d got within a hundred yards of the henge so me Eric and maggie scampered over and climbed over the fence .
The henge is stunningly impressive, if it was on its own I would still have come here but three in a row is just stupifying. The henge is higher in places than others by the southeast entrance the bank has so eroded that a barrow like structure appears at the entrance. It had been a long day and the sun was low in the sky, it would be dark before we were half way home, we left the henge to the fearful sheep and monument destroying rabbits.
Untill now I’d only been to the other two henges which are both easy to see and get to as theres a carpark between them. This northern henge has no carpark though there is room for a couple of cars at the side of the road but a few no parking signs deter this, not me though.
This was a good vibe place for me though, a tarzy hung over the henge bank and occupied Eric for the whole time, Maggie the Jack Russell kept reacting to something only she could detect, and more than half my photos came out blurry, adding to the mystery of the place very muchly. As if the trees and age of the thing weren’t enough. The henge was bigger and better preserved than I’d thought they’d be, a perambulance will pass by both entrances and the henge will reveal itself to you in good time.
These stones are easy to find as long as you have an OS map and can read it whilst driving, I can, which is why Ive been here twice now, but unfortunately not to the Stripple stones henge located on the south flank of Hawks Tor, it looks a fair old yomp from the Trippet stones here past the farm and up the hill, i’ll definately be back, my day on Bodmin has been wild, strenuous, wet, enlightening and sometimes scary.
As I approached the stones I heard a noise behind me, upon turning I saw a big red pickup truck and farmer, the cynic in me groaned.
But it shouldn’t have for the red faced rotund agrarian was not only a comedic genius but a life lesson all in himself, we talked of the stones themselves, the government, new agers and of course the weather, after twice using my lighter to relight his gnarled roll up he coaxed the old truck back into life and bid me good day, I watched him drive away whilst removing my camera from it’s bag, I thought to myself something had just happened, something to remember. The stones as ever are widely spaced, grey, tall and shapely, the two nearby tors are Carbilly and Hawks and both need you to clamber over and explore every rock and crevice, but the star of the day was either King Arthur’s hall or the old farmer chappie.
I’d already been to King Arthurs hall and Leaze stone circle, and as this one was only a 10 minute drive I just had to come, even though I had no idea which one it was.
I was able to park the car really close, which is always nice, and as I approached it felt like Christmas, “Yeeesss”! I said “it’s Stannon.”
A large ring of many many low stones, how many I don’t know I got a quarter way round lost count and gave up....there’s lots.
Never saw another soul all the while I was here, unless ponies count, they might do in there spare time when no-ones watching.
Upon leaving the stones i went past the car and jumped the fence and stream and climbed up the china clay pit earthwork to look down upon the old stones, it was good place to sit, the moor stretches off into the mist and over my shoulder rugged and craggy Roughtor winks at me through the low clouds, and asks why don’t you climb me. No time thats why.
Coming at Leaze from King Arthurs hall I met no resistance from cattle or farmers, infact I felt relaxed enough to linger and tarry long enough for the fog to lift and fall and lift again.
I wasnt sure what to expect with this stone circle as my computer was busted and I did little research into where I was going. I was suprised and delighted to find it a good one, yes some stones are gone and a few have fallen and a long hump seperates east from west, but the stones are big enough and there’s enough of them to offset these drawbacks.
The rocky tor to the southeast is a good place to look over to the stones and is the shortest route back to the road, allthough it takes you perilously close to Leaze farm, perhaps youll be lucky like me and have some fog to hide behind.
After a long drive down I squeezed in a couple of hours of fitful snooze in the car , then I started the long uncertain trek into the fog.
I had a map and a compass but it didnt take long before the footpath petered out and I was left guessing when to turn, the fog got so thick that I had no visual reference to go on at all and I began to mutter to myself ” bloody sunrise, what AM i doing” and such. Later rather than sooner a thin tarmac surfaced road came to my rescue, I followed it east hoping that it lead to where I thought it would ( ie a farm) it did and I breathed a sigh of releif mixed with a long groan, I had gone too far north and not enough east, from the farm it should be easy, mercifully it was, a wall soon came out of the fog, I followed it to some cows, who to a moo completely ignored me, which was nice. After the cows I could see a slight uneveness to the horizon, as there was nothing else to aim for I staggered on untill King Arthurs hall had fully realised itself before me.
I had absolutely missed the equinox sunrise, infact the sun didnt show up for another hour or so and then high in the sky, but I did find my target in the end. Had it been clear the big orange globe would have risen in line with the southern short arm of the rectangle. It would have been cool I’m sure.
As to what this thing is, I have no clue, it is rectangular in shape but is a million miles from the one in Carnac Brittany, perhaps its best to see it as being the same as most stone circles and henges only rectangular, I feel sure thats cleared all that up.
With the fog holding back the outside world it was just me and the ghosts of Camelot and a s**t load of busy spiders, outside the hall it was barren dead countryside but it seemed that nature still hung on inside the henge if only in a very small way. A warm evening visit would be best suited to veiwing the equinox sunset and the henge in its sterile surroundings.
This place is the reason for this day out on a sunny Dartmoor morning, the main objective is the big cist circle and stone row, I knew there was more in the clearing over the fence, but wasn’t expecting wife to be up for a prolongued stone hunt, I was wrong.
The big cist is well impressive, and of the sort you can get into, mmmmmmy favourite.
The stone circle surrounding it is half missing and I only recognised it for what it was after some time (only five minutes i’m not that stupid) .
The stone row emanating from the circle is a low wriggely slightly curving kind of row, the early start from Glastonbury had been worth it, we had the place to ourselves for ages, everyone who passed by carried on up to the Tor, had we put them off ? or is the Dartmoor thing to do go up a tor or two, then maybe an old bridge? sounds like missing the point a bit to me.
Hayley now made my day for a second time and readily agreed to a minor stone hunt over the fence, we tied the dogs together and off they ran into the long grass, just seconds later the stone row is come upon, not a long one but a straight one.
The terminal stones are the largest, dont know if thats the norm, but it did look as though it were aligned on a peak on the horizon, since found out it is Haytor rocks. From the tallest stone in the row a view of Bellever tor can be seen, this is the only stone on the hill that can say that.
North towards the Tor half a minute walk and there is another perfectly round cairn circle, and in the middle an overgrown large flat stone flush with the gound suggesting a hidden cist. From this circle another is just twenty yards away, with a more exposed cist but not one that I could get into, maggie could though, the circle stone thats north of the cist is a small wonder the flat top is a perfect recepticle for sitting buttocks, seemingly too perfect for chance . Of all the cist circles up on this hill these two are the closest, hinting at a more special relationship with its builders, but then, can they tell which one was built first or were they all going up at the same time.
Walking back up to the stone row now on our way back to the carpark I spy yet another low cairn circle, no sign of a central cist but then the stones themselves are only centimeters above the grass so maybe its underground, in the northern(?) arc are two large slightly curving stones, I struggle to say why I mention it, but I do and they are thereand I remember them.
There are more megaliths hidden in the trees, two or three cists a circle and a row, but frankly I wasn’t expecting all this so I was more than happy with what we did get to.
Just maggie the black jack russell and me can rustle up excitement enough for the walk round Grimspound, and excited I was too, for we had plenty of time to rummage about in folks houses, to walk the long walk round the walls, to climb the Tor and look down upon ye mighty works of old.
We sat upon the Tor awhile and time just seemed to fly, maggie was looking wistfully down the valley sitting good next to me, but I can tell she wants more walking, the girls playing in the best house have gone now so we now have it and the entire pound to ourselves, but to no avail, we must leave it to the moors for sunset at Scorhill is our last port of calm.
The first time I came here was for an equinox sunrise, we stumbled our way to the circle in pitch black, the sunrise was obscured by the big hill we’d walked down to get to it and even then clouds gathered and it was a none event.
Armed and forewarned I kept this one till the last of the day, it was a perfect evening just the wife and me and our two dogs, even the clouds gathered to make the sunset more dramatic.
This is the stone circle that the camera flies over at the beginning of Country file, but I have no wings so must by neccessity walk amongst them.
Their roughness strangely contrasts with the uber mellow mood that descends upon us, and some of that feeling returns right now just by writing about it.
Stone circles are good but good stone circles are gooooood.
We parked by the gate, but didnt block it and quickly jumped it, here is a lost treasure if ever there was one.
The southern henge, once the entire curve has been noted it can be seen to be really huge, higher in some places and flattened in others, its entirety covered in ferns and brambles, what hides the henge from us hides us from the farmer/huntsmen. Swings and roundabouts.
Standing on the bank of the southern henge and looking into the next field the central faded henge can be seen but a fence climb seperates us from a walkaround of it and its other neighbour, but it can still be seen in the field through the trees.
The incomplete henge can be seen from the other north/south road, the arc can be seen by standing on the gate or possibly by going through it.
Rhiw is a tiny village on the southern side of the Lleyn near Hell’s mouth.
We parked next to the church and then walked (west) back to the first left turn, then left down a thin track, the seven foot tall monolith is embedded in a high bank.
It took some finding too as it wasn’t that clear where on the map it was then I spotted a tiny black dot next to a house and bingo.
The stone is squarish lower down but tapers to a point at the top, making it look as if a recent stone had been put in upside down.
From Aberdaron head west towards the coast, on the map the stone isnt marked but the place where the stone is “Trwyn Maen Melyn”
Plenty of parking was found by the footpath and information board, which pronounces for our convenience the presence of the Bronze age standing stone.
Its only a short bracing ten minute walk to the stone, which is visible as we approach, almost right on the cliff edge the stone has almost fallen leaning severely at about 60 degrees.
The stone is made of the same stuff as the rocks below where the waves relentlessly pound against, it is red and gnarled and covered in small grooves/scars and looks volcanic in nature, more than that I can not say.
As nice as the stone is, its the surroundings that heavily dominate the scene, we scrambled down to the seas edge in a hope to photograph the waves crashing in and both me and Dave got a soaking from unexpected freak waves, we fared better than his camera. Get well soon.
To me Stanton Drew is one of the best and one of the worst stone circles in Britain, on the one hand the stones are massive colourful giants gnarled with ages unguessed, and theres not just one circle but three, and not just three circles but a cove too, but...
On the other hand more than half the stones are pushed over perhaps into pits dug to recieve them, so now they barely poke through the grass,
and the Great circle is almost too big to take it in as a whole circle, the passage from the big field to the south west circle was muddy last time (the kind of mud that stinks and melts wellies), this time it was bovine rush hour . The south west circle is loads different in character to the other two, it occupies a small hillock and the stones are smaller.
Although there may be two hands, a visit to Stanton drew is always worth the long drive (unless you live in Bristol) and one I will continue to make, news of the cove being part of a longbarrow and a lost henge surrounding the stones, just makes the place all the more interesting.
Its about ten years since I first came to Stanton Drew , that first visit I didnt come here, cant quite remember why, perhaps the size and breadth of the stone circles shone too brightly, the second time I made sure of a visit but I was decidedly not alone, this third time proved the charm, untill a German couple came through the gate, I sat at a table and fiddled with my camera for a few minutes then they left.
So is this not a cove then? moss’ longbarrow news makes a lot of sense, the only other coves that come to mind is at Arbor Low and Avebury and they are decidedly inside the circle, but here at Stanton drew theres a big enough gap between circle and cove they could fit a church in, also at Avebury there is a big long barrow nearby,so are they stones from the chamber and always have been or were they reused as a cove?
With late afternoon sunshine dappleing the stones through the leaves of the trees, and swallows pelting by every twenty eight point 3 seconds (approx) it was my best cove moment so far, just then I heard a shout from the carpark they had cleaned the dog sick out of the boot and were ready to go.
Why has a Henge gone unvisited for seven years?
Jimits almost fieldnotes then nothing, It was time to set things right.
Situated on the northern slopes of the Mendips near the intriguingly named velvet bottom, Gorsey bigbury henge lies beween two farms by what looks like a very minor road on the map, its very overgrown, no car has passed this way for years but it is now a very pleasureable walk.
We appraoched first from the east and attempted a parking at Lower farm, strictly private no parking sent us scurrying back to the road, we then tried the western farm, the way was clear so I knocked at the door and took a half hearted look around the farm but couldnt find anyone, I turned back but then spotted a women changing out of her caving gear, I asked her if the owners were around she said they were in the house so I knocked again but still no answer, hmmmm what to do? I ethically parked the car next to the cavers van hoping permission would rub off and onto me, issued instructions to wife and daughter on what to do if confronted by farmer whilst me and Eric were off hengeing.
The overgrown old farm track leads almost directly to the henge, cows watched us pass them by, unconcerned by us they continued chewing the cud, despite some slight nettleing we made it down the fenced off nature trail to the point where we had to jump the fence to gain acess to the henge field, Eric shimmied under the barbed wire, and I expertly vaulted over it.
We could see the earthwork from a distance allaying my fears that the place was too flattened out to be able to appreciate it properly, the Hawthorn trees (one now dead) also marked its position.
Some small stones are visible on its northern side I dont think they’re part of anything original probably dumped there by farmers past, the place seemed lost and unknown, a few standing stones and thered be a visitor centre over the road or a regular ferry service, as it is I couldnt think of a more pleasant place, the sunshine was only interupted by fluffy white clouds, the cows left us in peace, complete lack of other people, no all obscuring vegatation and Eric had much to say as usuall and not all about the henge either.
The walk back to the car was once again nettleing but otherwise uneventful, I’m off to Stanton Drew now and there is nothing and I mean nothing that I would rather do.
After a long visit to Bristol zoo (my favorite creature was a tiny bright green wasp) and a nice picnic on Durdham down in the centre of Bristol, I unveiled my megalithic plans for the rest of the day, they were less than enthusiastic it has to be said so I agreed to go easy on them, our first visit is to a dolmen that is no further from the road than someones house.......no really.
Along with Hamish’s directions and the splendour that is Google Earth (streetview allows you to take a real look at what your looking for) it was a piece of cake to find the place even in the most hateful place on Earth... the city.
Parking was easy, the house is number 59 and there is a name plaque next to the front door saying Cromlech, just in case there was any doubt.
I gave the doorbell a push and the lady of the house soon came, wearing my most pleasant of faces I asked politely if she had a burial chamber in her back yard, and could we please have a quick look, I gave my camera bag a tap as if it would explian everything, she looked a bit perplexed for a second and I thought I’d got the wrong house, then realisation dawned upon her face and she said its over there behind you, “Really”? said I, “oh yeah, can we have a quick look”?
“Sure you can” she replied, I dont think she gets many visitors, which is a shame, because how many dolmens survive in these urban settings, more than you think but still not many.
The capstone is bigger and longer than I expected and looks as though only one upright is left kind of supporting the capstone, since the last TMAer visit five years ago the garden has come on really well from a gardening perspective
and I do really like gardens but not when it obscures me stones, take solace knowing that the stones are safe and might outlast the roads and houses it is surrounded by, as we walked back to the car, down the road is the only hint at what kind of view it would have enjoyed all those years ago, looking down into the wooded Avon valley, it then reminded of Gwal Y Filiast in Wales, and what does Avon mean? its Welsh of course for river.
We parked to the west of the cairns on a long farm track close to the Pylons, from there you can see where to go easy enough.
My walking boots gave up trying to repel water months ago, so even though at this point it isnt raining my feet are soaked by the time we get to the top.
The cairns full name is as daft as any Iv’e ever heard, its “Cairn on ridge outcrop known as Cras”
I shortened it to just Cras, so its named after the outcropping which runs WSW-NNE. A small saddle between two such outcrops hides the cairn, the only place it might be visible from is on the hill above Aber falls.
Hill walker, is a name sometimes given to me by people who dont really understand that I’m not just walking but actively looking for something, something that has meaning, for me and for anyone who can look past this all too brief sojourne we call life. Imagine some “hill walkers” at the bottom of the hill the weather is a bit crap and one says to another “looks like rain and the winds getting up”, does the other say “the map says there’s a cairn we can partially demolish to hide from the wind and rain if it comes”.
“Fine, lets go hide from the very thing weve come to experience”
Thats how difficult it is to understand why or how it happens, do they come up in dry weather and do it then for next time, or do they do it in the rain, which would probably take much longer than simply going back down.
Hill walker I am not, but my travels frequently take me up hills and mountains, despite my tirade the walkers did do us one favour, they exposed a chamber within the cairn, could be cist but im unsure weather its technically underground level.
The cist is an elongated polyganol structure, (crap description see pic) definitley an original feature as coflein says so.
The view even in low clouds is almost breathtaking from on top of the outcrop to the east, especially down to Aber falls beyond I could see Carnedd y Saeson and the big enclosure and Maes y gaer hillfort all of which I was at last month, but with much more amenable weather.
Walking up from the west this is the cairn that you see first, we ignored it and went on to the Cras cairn first then went to this one on the way up Moel Wnion.
Some cairns are totally gone, only detectable through digging, destroyed by human progress or natural erosion, this is ok, I can understand how things dont last forever, but this cairn has had to endure an architectural living hell. It no longer looks like a cairn at all as walkers have built it into at least four seperate foul weather hides, it now looks more like an old sheep pen or something, with walls almost five feet tall, why why why would you need four shelters built into it, is it one for locals one for tourists and two for miscellaneous others, my mind deeply boggled we carry on up the mountain and into the clouds.
We walked up from the two ill named cairns to the north, and as we ascended the clouds closed in and our compassless selves guessed the way up, as the cairn occupies the highest point on Moel Wnion you cant really go that wrong.
The views should have been tremendous but visibility was down to twenty yards or so, despite the clouds we found the cairn with ease.
This cairn’s slow destruction was a product of walkers hiding from the elements (why would anyone do that) and belligerent ordnance surveyors who plonked there part time trig point right in the middle of it, who ruined first I don’t know but ruined it is, at least there’s fantastic views all round Anglesey and the mountains mmmmmm ? oh right there’s just clouds.
Park on the A543, only good map reading and an ability to place yourself can tell you where, a footpath leads directly from the road to the stones but it isnt signposted, so ......
Go up the hill untill the ground cover changes from ferns and heather to just grass follow that line untill the path presents itself. Or head for the bridge across the narrow northerly end of Alwen reservoir. The stones are big, on the whole and easily spotted.
As Arthur and me approached the stones a small bird suddenly darted out of the grass, I took a closer look at where it came from and found a tiny little nest full of wide yellow mouths demanding food, as far as cool things to see go it almost overshadowed the stones .
I think there was seven stones, quite large boulders in an oval shape, this is no stone circle, and it was only in adding it as a site that ring cairn was applied as a name, it isnt one of them either. Coflein wont commit to any more than “prehistoric stone setting”.
After an exhaustive inspection of the stones and a sit and ponder moment my springwatchian nature took over and I came over all Simon Kingy lieing down on my stomach to have a closer look at the still parentless tiny nest, theres nowt cuter than baby birds, if there is I dont want to know.
Not wanting to go home just yet I decided to pick a cairn from off the map more or less at random and go find it.
Having just come from the other side of the Brenig reservoir I headed into the Clocleinog forest, parked up and started into the forest with Arthur the 6mnth old Jack Russell.
The cairn is in a clearing on top of a hill, the map also said there is a monument up here too, so they shouldnt be hard to find.
Well the monument does stick out but the cairn is as hard to find as inner peace, only with prolonged map pondering could the site be ascertained. Covered in heather, ferns and 12inches of spongey moss the cairn still occupies the highest point in the clearing, though if you didnt know it was there you wouldnt know it was there...... I know its there.
The monument sqauts in an enclosure of an undifined date, and commemorates the planting of the surrounding forest, strange thing to commemorate. The views west to the Clwydian mountains and myriad hillforts is a good one.
From the A55 turn south as if heading for Aber falls, drive straight through the carpark and over the bridge, keep going till you run out of road, this is an official free carpark, fits a dozen or so.
Follow the wall and path up the hill, looking for sticky out stones in the wall for climbing easily over the wall. It is here that the ruined stone circle??? or hut circle or what ever it is, is hiding.
Keep climbing the hill following the wall and path untill you can see the stone walls of a large tumbled enclosure above you up the hill some more. Looking down on the enclosure you can also see the cairn stones of Carnedd y Saeson to the left, approach with caution and set your faces to stunned.
What a fantastic place, the monument is in appearance two concentric stone circles with cairn material here and there with a large capstone in the middle of it all. The only detractor is the abundant gorse all over this hillside, it impedes progress at the least and is doing its best to smother the stones at worst.
The cairn is itself very interesting, but the surroundings are what really stuns you, the wooded gorge and awesome mountains and hopefully like me deep blue skies, dont get too comfortable or you could spend a week up here,
just letting the place wash through you and soak you up.
Also, you so have to go to Aber falls if your here its one of the local wonders.
A really good cliff top walk takes you from Carnedd y Saeson to the hillfort Maes Y Gaer, totally stunning views down the valley that has Aber falls falling into it.
Winter would best serve as a visiting time as ferns obscured much, some wide tumbled walls are all thats left on its south side, no sign of an entrance at all.
At the western extremity of the fort are the best views outside of snowdonia yet still in north wales. Anglesey and the Straits, or down to the wooded valley or along the wooded valley to the sometimes thundering Aber falls (its all gorge-ous)today its just a thin ribbon of white water due to insufficient rains, you cant have everything, don’t know why though.
I stumbled upon this poor mans Grimspound by chance whilst hunting down Carnedd y saeson, it was a good place for a breather as it was getting hotter and my drink had been drunk some time ago.
The low tumbled wall describes an egg shaped enclosure with a large upright stone suggesting a possible north facing entrance.
The blunt end of the egg to the east is made up of large boulders, whilst the rest is constructed out of large yet managable rocks/pebbles.
For good views across the site go up the hill behind the enclosure, this will also make clear the exact whereabouts of Carnedd y saeson, you can hide but you can’t run.
From the Druids circle head west to monument 280 then head up the hill to your south, not the one with crap walkers cairn, the bigger one to the right, that is Moelfre (435m)
It isnt a big hill but the view from the top is a big hill kind of view, to the south are the tall mountains, west is Anglesey and the Straits, east is the north wales coast and north is The Great Orme and open Irish sea.
The cairn isnt well presreved, reduced to a broken donut shape, but further along the hill top you can look down on Cors y Carneddau and other sites, the walk up is worth it just for the views it affords.
Another aptly named stone circle, this one is a ring cairn, composed of pebbles more or less fist sized, the entrance faces east and directly opposite the entry on the other side is a large fat boulder much bigger than anything else in the ring cairn.
Possibly the best hidden monument up here, you cant see it from the druids circle or monument 280, you have to look for it, to do that you must know its there first, only a low long hillock sperates it from 280.
If you do come up here,every effort must be made to find all the major sites or your not really getting your petrol moneys worth.
From the druids circle head towards Tal y Fan veering slightly to the left, there is no path and is squelchy in the extreme at all times.
Its not quite half way to the mountain, soon an old and knackered sheep pen? is visible go there the cairn is just 50 metres eastish.
Coflein, the scoundrels, led me to beleive that this cairn was four metres tall, which means it would be visible from the Druids circle, it is not.
The cairn barely rises above the surrounding heathland and is at best one metre tall, but the cist is just as described. The cairns position is open to the east and north and has splendid views of the north coast and Tal y fan, the local sacred mountain. The cist is aligned on either the summit of said mountain or a V shaped notch on its ridge.
Follow directions for the nearby summit cairns and trig point, we walked straight to the ring cairn without knowing exactly where it was.
This was the hero of the day and our last hill walk, all tired out the three of us just collapsed in a heap inside the circle, lying on our backs gazing up at the clouds Arthur the young Jack Russell felt relaxed enough to sit on my face, for a second I thought aaah nice doggy then I thought for a second then it was noooooo.
High on a hill below summit cairns and above a barrow cemetary the ring cairn is in good condition I think, slightly mysterious are lines of stones within the ring making almost spokes of a wheel but meeting at the side and not the centre, coflein describes them simply as modern, but not what they are, they also say there are no signs of a cist but I found something that looks cist like but on the outside of the rubble bank, all four sides of a small stone box but the two end stones have fallen outwards.
This was definitlely the best place of the day.
On the A470 going north out of Merthyr Tydfil just before you get to Llwyn on village, there is a parking space for at least ten cars, park here and walk down the road towards a gate across the road from a farm, passing through the left hand gate go up hill keeping towards the left hand side of fields, this should take you straight to the ring cairn, from here you can see the mountain top cairns and the trig point to the south and lower down the hill to the north are a curving line of three cairns known as Coedcae’r Gwarthog.
There are two large cairns on this hilltop, the largest is just a few metres from the trig point(460m) and has had a shelter built out of the loose cairn material, twenty metres away is the other one, mercifully devoid of tamperings.
The view from here is pleasing to the eye, niegh, both eyes, far to the north hiding in the haze one can see Pen y fan and siblings, but just a few hundred metres away the ring cairn can’t be made out.
Eric decided to stay in the car with Arthur the young Jack Russell, despite the close proximity to rave music playing crusties who had taken over the far end of the carpark.
I crossed the road and made for the little gate next to the footpath, next to this was a memorial to a father and son who had met their maker here on this road, always a sad thing to see, specially for a father with a young son.
The rave music stayed with me all the time I was here, some people eh ?
the small purpose built path leads straight to the first settlement these are the ones I photographed, though coflein suggests there are three, but one maybe medieval.
The iron agies who picked this place did well, the view down the Rhondda is a good one, but that damn rave music doesn’t half grate against your nerves, and still thinking of fathers and sons it didnt take long to decide upon a short visit, all was well back at the car and we made it down the road safely.
It was more or less on our route from Neath to Merthyr Tydfil and only a five to ten minute walk from the road, plus the coflein description was very interesting....
A complex monument consisting of a central clayey mound, 20.5m in diameter and 0.9m with, having a level summit, 13.5m in diameter, upon which rests a cairn, c.10m in diameter and 0.9m high, said to have been enclosed by upright stones, this is centrally disturbed with a small recent cairn set upon it. The whole is encircled by a ditch, c.28.4m in diameter.
Excavation, in 1902, revealed a cist cut into the subsoil, containing, burnt bone, a bronze model dagger and possible curated bone.....
There are no stones encircling the upper cairn but the two cairns, upper and lower, are easy to distinguish, and the ditch is only evident on the western side as the track and farming have destroyed or filled in the rest of it.
An untidy place, right next to a plantation, with untidy sheep willing us to leave, despite the long views to the south and east I didnt stay very long.
The first time I came here the weather was really against us, the fog which was thick was only penatrated by the sideways rain, needless to say we didnt do much photography that day, so I took advantage of the recent and uncharacteristically good weather, borrowed the day voles lightweight ladders, and started the long drive down at 2am-ish.
Just over four hours later and Eric, Arthur and me with ladders were taking the short route to the ring (not like last time), bathed in early morning sunshine and captivated by the dawn chorus that surrounds us, up here above it all.
As Eric has taken possession of my old camera, instead of holding the dog whilst I shimmy up[ and down the ladders he insists on doing as I do and follows me meticulously, getting all the same shots as me.
The ladders were a really good idea here as much of the rings perimeter is obscured by that nice thick grass that grows so well on Welsh hillsides, attaining a much better appreciation of the ring and it’s surroundings from ten feet up has lots going for it.
Maybe it was the sunshine or the joy of a long overdue outing but I really liked it here, theres not much reason to leave either as its not well visited especially at 7 in the morning, so we sat here unhindered for over two hours.
The map suggests that you could perhaps drive quite close to the stone, we couldnt find the right way though and ended up taking one of the prettiest of welsh walks up to the stone.
I thought I was near enough guessing my way up, but the path led directly to the hill top and the stone, through mixed woodland with occasional views down to Neath, at the top it gets really steep and steps made from earth and wood are cut into the hillside, we saw a Jay here.
The stone comes into view slowly as you approach the hill top, then when you get closer you realise just how big 4.3 metres is, its about two and a half of me.
The stone sits on a wide ridge and though used as a gatepost its hiding place is crap, if it was any more conspicuous it would be jumping up and down. The lofty summit of maen Bredwan is angled, like far off llech Idris and much further the stones of steness.
Why nobody has made it here before me I do not know, just the walk up with son, dog and football through the lush wooded slopes was a wonder in itself but to find such a big standing stone as well is a treat indeed.
From rock farm climb up the boulder strewn gorge, and when level ground has been achieved turn right/south, you should be able to see the barrow easily, its big and very prominent. but just in case find the fence and follow it back towards the cliffs of Creigiau Eglwyseg after which all the monuments up here are named after.
The barrow has had the obligatory tampering with on top and has a fence running right over it. but it still remains high and impressive with a view unrivaled with in the area.
Further along the clifftop path is a rocking stone and a fantastic vista over Dinas Bran.
This is on Coflein and the map only as “stone”, but it is clearly another standing stone all be it nearly horizontal. Packing stones can be seen at the end of the stone thats still in the ground, and its nearness to the ring and kerbs and cairns and barrows and the other standing stone only a hundred metres away or so all say that this is another part of this more and more impressive comlex.
I do have some good photos but I lost a deal with a local biddy and am now beholden to her not to show off the stone.
Follow directions for the standing stone.
Two kerb cairns only ten metres apart and fifty metres from the ring cairn, one of the kerbies only has a semi circle of five stones one is much bigger than the other four, the other kerby has eight stones forming slightly more than a semi circle again with one stone bigger than the others.
When I found these two little beauties I was over the moon, especially when I spied the ring cairn not far away, the view over towards Moel y Gamelin takes in some of the rocky cliffs that the area is renound for, it is indeed lovely, BUT!! it’s on extremely private property and a visit requires letters to be written to the landowner and the CCW (like DEFRA)
The first time I came up here was nearly five years ago, I carried my young son on my shoulders and maybe consequently missed the ring cairn and the two kerb cairns, though we passed within thirty metres.
Hence my return journey, The ring cairn is just brilliant, it is more or less a perfect stone cirlce, how I wish I’d seen it before, and two lovely little kerb cairns only fifty metres away up the hill.
It should be on anyones list of places to see but alas the stone circle is on extremely private property and is gaurded diligently by a local banshee, which banished me to the good boy side of the fence, making me promise not to publish any photos from the badboy side of the fence.
From the appropriately named Rock farm take the path up through the rocky gorge, when level ground is attained turn right/south untill the fence is reached, follow it left to the cairn and standing stone and follow it right to the big barrow with outstanding views.
Coflein states that at the N.E corner of the cairn cist elements can be seen but I’d go further and say they could possibly be the remains of a chamber.
The cairn is about fifty metres from the standing stone with a small rock outcrop between them, a fence turns a corner on top of the cairn, on one side of the fence is unnavigable heather covered moor, the other side neatly sheep trimmed grass and two kerbs and a cairn circle but this is extremely private property and fiercely gaurded by a local hill demon.
There are parking places next to the footpath entrance, and the barrow can be seen from here, walk down the road to the leaning boundary stone then thirty metres through heather and past old mining ruins and thar she blows. Rising above the surrounding featureless moors like a whale breaching the surface, instead of blowing spray it gives forth stone.
The three metre high barrow has what coflein describes as a boundary stone on it and indeed the map shows the boundary mark as going straight over the barrow.
Without direct sunlight these moors can be very dark and moody and just a little bit unerving.
The last place visited today and by the time I found it I was completly cream crackered. Nor was it easy to find, coming from across the moor from the other barrow Cefn y Gader the going was hard through the thigh high heather and as the barrow is covered in heather too its almost invisible from most directions.
Eventually stumbling across the well laid Offas dyke path which runs right next to the barrow, it passes by just inches from it.
Inside the summit scoop the wind is gone and a few stones poke through the grassy surface, I sit for a while reflecting on the mornings proceedings and am startled back to life by half a dozen walkers just a few metres away.
Take the B4391 out of llan Ffestiniog, at the first right turn, turn left up rough track through two gates and park at some kind of monitoring station amongst a dozen or so fir trees.
The first point of interest is just yards from the car, a copy of a 5th to 6th century grave stone bearing in latin the inscription:- Cantiorix lies here he was a citizen of Venedos cousin of Maglos the magistrate. see interesting, where is Venedos and who was Maglos.
From here follow the path between two hills, well, one hill and a mountain, for incredible views and a look down onto the fort climb the small mountain.
The fort has been partially reconstructed around the north facing entrance which is next to a snail shell hut, once a round house but then turned into an iron smelting furnace. Fifty metres north outside the fort another iron smelting hut is consolidated and preserved it’s even got slag still in situ, as it were. The fort isnt a big one, maybe 30m x 25m but the reconstructed part really makes up for any size issues (size isnt everything, it depends where you put it and how good it looks)
Inside the fort there are weird little standing stones which threw me a little bit untill I realised they were markers for buildings maybe, one of them looks like a small four poster right in the middle of the fort. There are also two more round huts to be seen in the fort but they’re walls aren’t high.
As with most ancient places in Snowdonia they take a back seat to the scenery, Manod Mawr (661m) is the domineering influence here, from the south it looks like a single hugely gigantic lump of rock ( I mean sacred hill)
But we can also see down to Cricceth and the sea, and the bigger mountains to the north west, the forts position guards the entrance to the hidden valley, it’s invisible from the road, and a good source of iron ore.
A weirdly wonderful and magical place marred only by big ugly quarries, which were easily ignored.
I apologise only mildly for the plethora of pictures as its a really photogenic place with lots of features, and seeing as its just me doing Snowdonia in detail, it might be some time till someone comes here.
Follow directions for Bryn y Castell, Then follow the path north east, a bridge over the little river Gamallt and then up up and away in to the mountains, incidentally this is the roman road Sarn Helen, which runs just 50 yards north of the big enclosure.
Climb up on to the rocky outcrop for an astounding view across the enclosure to the mountains, then carry on follow the peaks deeper into the highlands, on the east side of the lastish small peak is two or three hut circles, one of which may be two joined together.
Back down to the enclosure, follow the escarpment that forms the east edge of the enclosure untill you can see an old ruined building, next to it is a small hut circle and near that one a long hut.
So Gamallt settlement consists of two hutcircles and an enclosure with two more hut circles 200metres firther north.
Absolutely a staggeringly beautiful place.
I didnt have an OS map for the place so I extrapolated from the Coflein map and marked an x marks the spot on my road map, then I google street viewed as close as I could. It was enough to get me there easily, infact it made me smile to see places for myself that I’d just seen on the computer 12 hours before. Applause due to Coflein, google and the internet in general.
I parked fifty yards from a house called Pant yr onn and walked with Maggie the Jack Russell up the stoney path. Whilst listening to a cuckoo and watching newly arrived swallows the view to the east began to open out, mountain peaks began to appear over the hilltops and suddenly we were there.
This is one of the strangest placed stone circles Ive ever seen, it looks almost deliberatley hidden amongst the rocks, if it was meant to be seen there are better places, though to be seen from where?
Just over the ridge on the next wide shelf is a cairn, not even a foot high but still discernible coflein gives it the same name as the stone circle.
Nine stones remain in the ring, one stone is just two feet away from a ten foot drop, and as Coflein is at pains to tell us (so much so that there are two entries for this place one a stone circle and the other a cairn circle) the northern stone is not broken there are two stones, the flat top one is a circle stone the other one a wandering boulder.
On the way back down we saw a Jay and a Heron carrying nesting material, and on the way from Mynnydd Pentre two cormorants at Tal y llyn.
Of my trio of stoney places today this is the second place to recieve me, the one in the middle, though not a piggy, but a real gem.
Inbetween Abergynolwyn and the steam railway station less than a mile down the B4405 is a small road leading up into the hills, if the road goes over the railway track your going in the right direction. You can either park here where the sign with a crossed out car is or you can save an hour and a tedious walk through the forest by driving to within a hundred yards of this enigmatic stone. Following the track through the forest is definatly the long way but easily the quickest. The track finally ends with a small place to park two or three cars and a footpath heads west from the forest onto the hills.
To begin with Maggie and me walked within ten yards of it, the views were so immediate we went right past it and off up the hill.
By the time I decided we must have gone too far we were up on the rocky outcroppy bit, where the best views are to be had and where Maggie couldnt stop trying to drag me over to the sheep, she only wants to play, not understanding what sheep think of all dogs, so to try and dampen her spirits we go over to a couple of dead sheep in varying states of decomposition, after a quick smell and a good look she was all mine.
We sat and waited for inspiration on some rocks looking out at the mountains, as my eyes wandered this way and that, they settled on some white things below us, I’d seen them earlier but avoided them as part of maggies sheep ignoring training, then the inspiration came, whilst looking further into Mynydd Pentre on Coflein I remembered that a cairn in the vicinity was almost entirly made of quartz, this was at least a better place to start than way up here. We ran down to the white things, which soon turned into quartz boulders, and there just ten yards away was a large flat stone could this be the one, no it wasnt it didnt have any grooves or rockart of any kind so back to the quartz. The quartz boulders seem to have dragged themselves away from the cairn, which is on a knoll and mostly undercover of that nasty thick grass.
From this definate cairn it was apparently just yards to the rock art dolmen capstone, but the longer grass really hampered the stone hunt.
But after perservering for almost an hour and copiuos perspiration our wanderings paid off and I let out a loud “whoop !!” Maggie wasn’t impressed.
There are more than twenty grooves cut into the stone,( which if picked up by a giant would make a good skimming stone), and at the edge of the upper surface of the stone is a worn smooth long dish shape. I dont think it is art ( and Damien Hirst isnt an artist, so what do I know) it is much more likely to be tool polishing/sharpening, what kind of tool I dont know stone or bronze, can bronze be sharpened on a rock ?
On firmer ground, the incised stone sits flatly on another stone which Coflein suggests could be a dolmen capstone, is the rest of it still there underneath it or has it been taken from a dolmen and brought here, I still dont know even after trying to reach my hand underneath it, Dolmens dont usually have two capstones,
very mysterious, wheres time team when you need them digging up some samian ware no doubt.