Nicely located below and to the west of Castell Rhyfel, I was unfortunately only able to spend a short time at this denuded round cairn. Nevertheless it was well worth the diversion whilst returning to the car from Y Garn, despite the traveller being much wetter than he would have liked, courtesy of a previously undetected flaw in the over trouser department. Indeed, I reckon a fine low level walk could be enjoyed if a sojourn was scheduled here in conjunction with visits to other cairns (depicted upon the 1:25K map) along the course of the Groes Fawr. It certainly is a beautiful cwm.
As mentioned, the cairn appears quite badly robbed and hard to define, although a grassy mantle might well have made it appear worse than it really is to the by now very sodden amateur antiquarian. However as I approach it becomes apparent that the monument possesses a 'golden centre' in the form of a well preserved cist, albeit one disguised by a superimposed dry stone shelter... presumably for sheep. According to Coflein what we have here is:
"A round cairn, 6.0m in diameter, showing a cist, 1.5m by 1.0m, roofed to form a shelter, apparently attached to a further cairn, c.10m by 6.0m; there are remains of sheepfold to SW (second cairn?).... [J.Wiles 22.07.04]"
As I stand and take in the landscape context I notice the cloud base sweeping across and engulfing Castell Rhyfel. Hmm. Time to go. Reckon Mother Wales wants to put her landscape to bed.
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Posted by GLADMAN
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