On our way again, we stop briefly in the “fishermen only” parking area, where I get ready to pretend I’ve just misplaced my rod, so that I can have a quick scoot up to Carreg y Big. What a lovely stone, what Burl might describe as a playing card. I always like stones that present different aspects from each side, this is one of those. Squat and chunky looking from the south, it becomes thin and pointy from the west, looking along the valley. The mist-wreathed Tyrrau Mawr provides the unbeatable backdrop to the south. The view of Pared-y-Cefn-hir to the north is entirely blocked off by a little hillock that the stone seems to shelter beside.
Visited 24th November 2002: We drove to Carreg y Big from Waen Bant, and spotted it from the gate (one of many that cross the roads around here). The stone is very close to the road, positioned at the bottom of a small elongated lump of hill on the south west shore of the southerly of the two lakes. The only nearby parking space has a sign next to it saying "Parking for Fishermen Only". We ignored this and parked.
Carreg y Big is just over two metres high (I'm basing this on the photo of Lou standing next to it), so definitely larger than Waen Bant. We both liked it more than Waun Bant, but not just because it's larger. The surrounding countryside is spectacular, and while we were there the sun made a last attempt at shining, so the whole scene was something special.
Next to Carreg y Big is a much smaller stone which I have yet to find any reference to. It reminded me of a little stone called Castell Coch near the Buwch a'r Llo standing stones in Ceredigion. I was tempted to name this little stone Carreg y Small, but that would be a horrible thing to do with the Welsh language. I'll have to come up with something better.