Foel Fenlli cairn

Nearest town:
Ruthin (5km WSW)
OS reference:
SJ1647560082
OS sheet:
116
Latitude:
53° 7' 51.65 N
Longitude:
3° 14' 54.68 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Foel Fenlli cairn (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking roughly west. The rugged shape of Cader Idris is just visible as a blue smudge to the left of the cairn.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.9.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 26, 2010
Image of Foel Fenlli cairn (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The mound of the original cairn, surmounted by a modern cairn.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.9.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 26, 2010
Image of Foel Fenlli cairn (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Looking north to the Clwydians from the summit cairn. Moel Famau (the highest Clwydian) dominates the centre.

Image credit: A. Brookes (12.9.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 26, 2010

Articles

Foel Fenlli cairn

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jun 5, 2012

At the very highest point of the hill (511m), protected by the encircling ramparts, is a burial cairn of an earlier date. With views to die for, this was a fabulous resting place for someone. I can’t help but feel that Moel Famau to the north might have been similarly crowned, before the Jubilee Tower swept away any archaeology. As with many similar cairns, the visible stonework piled in a cone is a modern reconfiguration/addition. The mound proper sits below, with its much wider diameter covered by short turf.

We carry on around the eastern end of the fort’s circumference, until the ground drops sharply once again on the southern slopes. Steps have been built to minimise erosion from the fort’s many visitors. Although Offa’s Dyke Path skirts the western end of the fort, I imagine a lot of people make the short detour to have a look at this magnificent show of Iron Age strength. As we drop back to the path, we meet a group of teenage lads, shouldering enormous rucksacks as they climb the steeply sloping hillside. They are friendly, cheerful and polite, clearly happy to be out in the hills. Perhaps some of the TMAers of the future are in that group? It’s certainly the kind of place to inspire an interest.

Miscellaneous

Foel Fenlli cairn
Cairn(s)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 14, 2010

Description from Coflein:

“Bronze Age cairn inside Foel Fenlli Hillfort (NPRN96522). Outer circle of compacted earth and stone, approx 12m diameter and 1m high, fairly flat with thin covering of grass. Probably truncated. The centre is surmounted by a modern cairn, a pile of stones 4m diameter and 1m high. Located at the highest point of Foel Fenlli, with panoramic views.”

coflein.gov.uk/en/site/501246/details/FOEL+FENLLI%2C+CAIRN/

Sites within 20km of Foel Fenlli cairn

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