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Maen Llwyd (Cloceinog)Standing Stone / Menhir
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Visited 29.10.10 There is no longer any scrambling through trees or undergrowth as the approach to this site, and Bryn Beddau close by, have been made easy by a neat stone path through the trees without any loss of ambience (for me this was my first visit, alone and in a very quiet wood, except for the wind in the trees... with an occasional look over my shoulder!). With clearance of the scrub and trees around Maen Llwyd there are now three other smaller stones visible. How these are associated, or not, with the main stone is not recorded but they add to the general vista. Maen Llwyd is vast but as far as I know its total mass is not known so I cannot guess how far into the earth it extends. It's right-angled 'corner' rises from the ground and resembles a huge cheese wedge. Could it possibly be a waymarker stone, perhaps one of a series, showing the route to Bryn Beddau or the site that is now Llyn Brenig beyond? Other stones/cairns may have also been lost to forestry I suspect and may only be returned to us after felling, albeit damaged. As it appears to be the felling time for many FC plantations in this area now who knows? (a good example being the damaged cairn being more visible for the past few years on Nercwys Mtn OS:117-221581) |
Posted by JohnAko 29th October 2010ce |
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Located off the B5105 between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion.After passing south through Clawdd newydd look for a carpark to your right, if it has an information board your there, pay attention to the board it has directions for both stone and circle . Watch out for wild Przewalskis horses( I kid you not) Initially it was really difficult to find this one, I was going mainly on the goole earth image , which is slightly off, instead of looking on the north side of the path (where I thought the stone circle should be) I was looking on the south side and it just wasn't there. This is where the youngest trees are, the ground is uneven to say the least my whole leg dissappeared into a wet invisible ditch at one point. I decided that blundering around the thick vegatation was no good even climbing up a tree was no use wet and severely scratched I gave up, the stone was lost to us....for now. Back at the path I strode north through the not so thick undergrowth looking for the stone circle and eventually found the clearing that was so visible from the google earth images. In that clearing was a large rock, did the circle go round it? I probed the grassy tussocks with my trusty shears, but found only one stone, a bit dissappointed I took a photo and sat for a while with my chatty young stone hunting buddy. The stone, I found out later was indeed the Maen Llwyd I had been looking for, its almost horizontal only its bulky nature stopped it falling completly, It may have stood 6ft tall when upright and i half fancy it had a cupmark on it but thinking it was just a rock I didnt pay much attention, I doubt the stone would have been visible from the stone circle just a couple of hudred yards away. On returning to the carpark i saw the info board and realised my mistake it felt good knowing i'd found the stone but not good knowing i'd not found the circle,another time maybe. |
Posted by postman12th April 2009ce Edited 12th April 2009ce |
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Coflein is giving nothing away about this stone. But there is a story that relates to its vicinity:A tradition connected with [the slopes above the stone], and related to me by the present tenant of Waen-canol, runs thus, and must be taken for what it is worth: "A great battle was fought on this spot by two armies of Welshmen, commanded by two brothers. The fight had been in progress some time, and the slaughter had been great, when the two brothers met in mortal conflict, while the other combatants ceased fighting to watch the struggle. A terrible thunderstorm, however, sprang up, and so fearful were the flashes of lightning that they thought it was a sign from the heavens to make peace, and they did so."From 'Archaeological Notes and Queries' by A Stepney-Gulston, in Archaeologia Cambrensis 15:60, 1898. |
Posted by Rhiannon25th March 2009ce Edited 25th March 2009ce |
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