Nant Esgeiriau

Also known as:
Nant Ysgeiriau
Nearest town:
Bala (13km W)
OS reference:
SJ044329
OS sheet:
125
Latitude:
52° 53' 4.74 N
Longitude:
3° 25' 15.28 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking north towards Cefn Penagored (the green ridge, right of centre) where there are further cairns.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.9.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2024
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The view down Cwm Pennant. Arenig Fawr is the mountain far left, with the conical summit of Cnicht just visible to the right of it, Carnedd Moel Siabod to the right of that, then distant Yr Wyddfa centre-left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.9.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2024
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Kerbstones on the edge of the cairn in the foreground. Looking NE towards Carnedd y Ci.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.9.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2024
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking east towards the summit of Cadair Berwyn (slightly right of centre skyline). The summit cairn is visible from this monument.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.9.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2024
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

With the cist capstone in the centre. Looking west towards Yr Aran ridge, where there are over a dozen cairns.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.9.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 21, 2024
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by GLADMAN

Speaking to the farmer it would appear the sheep enclosure has probably been here a couple of centuries or so. Incidentally, he and the lads gathering in the sheep thought I was from the ministry.... a government archaeologist!

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Nov 9, 2019
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by GLADMAN

Note sheep gathering top left.... to say these are impressive manoeuvres is a serious understatement and no mistake. Had a chat with the farmer and lads – suffice to say they understand this landscape. After 30 years now, I reckon I’ve now an inkling, too.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Nov 9, 2019
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by GLADMAN

The capstone. The trekking pole is for scale. I’m not that lazy.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Nov 9, 2019
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by GLADMAN

The rucksack highlights the capstone still in situ.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Nov 9, 2019
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by GLADMAN

Looking toward the summit of Cadair Berwyn. Without the attendant sheep enclosure, this would truly be a classic site.... as it is the location, the sense of upland vibe, is well worth the effort in itself. In my opinion. Enough to resist the magnetic draw upwards.

Image credit: Robert Gladstone
GLADMAN
GLADMAN Nov 9, 2019
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Despite the ravages it’s suffered, this is an excellent site.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.3.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 15, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

What looks like large retaining kerb stones on the edge of the cairn.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.3.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 15, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

Considering how much rearranging has occurred here it is little short of miraculous the cist has survived totally intact.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

Looking back at my other in cist photo of 7 years previous you can see a lump of stone has now gone, explain that if you can.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

The cist lid looks like it could have been shaped from here.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

The big cist lid can be seen fairly central

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

A bit of the cairn has suffered from some rearrangement. (A bit?)

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

Looking over the heavily modified cairn to Cadair Berwyn

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

The cist is marvelous, the cairn was once more than substantial, but i’m at a loss to explain the lengths of rearrangement here.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

A fantastic cairn in a great place, takes some getting to.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 25, 2018
Image of Nant Esgeiriau (Round Cairn) by postman

Cairn material (oh and a bird how did he get there)

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Jun 22, 2011

Articles

Nant Esgeiriau

postman
postman Jun 22, 2011

It was the Coflein discription alone that inspired this summer solstice outing, there was ample parking, there was no else but me, no stone climbing hooligans and no sunshine, by 5am i was waterproofed and wellied up, the sun which had technically already risen would not appear over the mountains for another forty minutes maybe.
I started the long walk in high spirits, but wading through bracken, ferns and every species of Welsh upland fauna soon took the wind out of my sails, it was with much rejoicing that I finally came across a path, it wasnt on my map.
By now it was clear that this was all going to take much longer than I had anticipated, my wellies are good for walking over a few fields but mile after mile of this and my toes were getting sore and I was only one fifth of the way to my first target.
I left the path and headed for the corner of the foerst that leads down to the Nant Crechwyl, on my way down I came across a sheep lying down I made a noise so as not to startle it, but it didnt move so I clapped loudly, then it heard me, and then a really distressing thing happened it couldnt get up and it was lying in its own excrement
the poor sheep was obviously suffering greatly, but there was only me around and there was nothing I could do, so i left hastily trying not to distress the creature trying to get away from me.
At the bottom of the hill I crossed the small river and slowly made my way up the other side, at the top of that hill it was down and another river to cross back up to the hill that is Esgeiriau and from there we can see our destination, it had taken so long and knackered me so completely that I wondered if some hapless walker would come across my still quivering body, or worse.
Sheep and death apart, after crossing the Nant y Waun it was sunshine on a rainy day, big stones litter the hillside all around here, and the cairn is badly abused but still a great place to hang out.
Approaching it from the westish area all that is evident is the walls of an old sheepfold,I thought I’d got it wrong but upon looking over a wall there was the rest of the cairn and its hidden jewel of a still covered cist.
After a good sit down and watching three little birds (sorry i’m no ornithologist, perhaps you can tell me what it is in the picture), I walked around it clockwise of course getting a feel for it, the feeling I felt was this is great.
It would have been a big cairn if not for the walling, which i’m sure could be easily restored, and in its centre is that cist, its even got an opening to peer into or on a wet day repeatedly inserting the camera will do. The capstone is a big flatish lumpen stone, the kind weve seen on so many dolmens,just a touch smaller.
From here Pennant cairn is highly visible across the small river and up the hill but not at its top.
On a sunnyier day in appropriate footwear this would be a dreamy dreamland.

Miscellaneous

Nant Esgeiriau
Round Cairn
postman
postman Apr 15, 2011

Coflein knows....

Remains of a cairn with a large centrally placed stone cist. This measures 2m x 0.7m and is covered by a substantial capstone resting on three stone uprights. The cairn perimeter is marked by a stony bank 12 m in diameter. It is likely that the entire sturcture was originally covered by a cairn of stones, many of which remain in situ, while others have been re-used in the construction of a sheep fold which partially covers the site.

Large cists? capstones? uprights? Yaaaaaay
Sheepfold ? Boooooo
Oh well you can’t have it all.

Sites within 20km of Nant Esgeiriau

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