Pen-Plaenau

Also known as:
Swch-Cae-Rhiw
Nearest town:
Llangollen (11km ENE)
OS reference:
SJ12723610
OS sheet:
125
Latitude:
52° 54' 53.38 N
Longitude:
3° 17' 53.33 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Pen-Plaenau (Cairn(s)) by postman

Looking south west over the cairn and down the Ceiriog river valley, Cerrig Gwynion and it’s fine hill fort is the central hill with forestry growing upon it’s right lower side.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 24, 2014
Image of Pen-Plaenau (Cairn(s)) by postman

I’m not sure if this is the correct stone, it’s in the right direction from the cairn and its the right height, but Coflein doesn’t mention i’ts in two pieces, and there’s supposed to be another cairn between the two but I couldn’t find that one anywhere.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 24, 2014
Image of Pen-Plaenau (Cairn(s)) by postman

Nice bit of quartz in there, not like where I went to next where they had hundreds of tons of the stuff.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Mar 24, 2014

Articles

Pen-Plaenau

postman
postman Mar 24, 2014

I parked right at the end of the thinning road near the farm Swch-Cae-rhiw, there is room for maybe two cars. The footpath starts here, going north up hill through the farm. It was steep and tiring, I wondered whether anyone at the farm saw me struggling to get up, new boots, that’s my excuse.
The path follows the river on its western side, map says there are water falls but they are further up, and the path is taking us away from them, up and over the top of the first hill, it is here that Coflein says are two cairns and an associated standing stone.
The Berwyn mountains supply the high ground that takes up all the western horizon, south east looks down the Ceiriog valley, it’s high ground all round really except for the river valley, and in that direction I can see the hill with a fort Cerrig Gwynion. In fact the whole placement of the cairn, the position of the fort, it’s almost identical to Craig ty Glas and Craig Rhiwarth.
themodernantiquarian.com/site/14474/craig_tyglas.html
The cairn, Coflein says, is nine meters across, it is very easy to find. A small walkers cairn has grown upon it, whilst elsewhere large stones betray the vestiges of the cist, especially one long on edge stone.
But there are two cairns here, however, I don’t know which one i’m at, the northern one or the southern one, so in case it’s the former I have a look around down hill until the ground falls away too steeply to seriously expect a cairn to be there. Then back up hill scrubbing around in all the bunches of thick reedy grass, but nothing, no other cairn. I couldn’t fathom it, so I just kept on going until I found what must be the standing stone that Coflein says is associated with the TWO cairns.
It was in the right direction from the cairn, compass agreed, it was also the right size, 0.8 meters. But then they fail to mention the smaller stone next to it, this other stone is almost certainly part of the same, now, broken stone. They even neglect to mention the thick quartz whiter than white stripes running through it. Tsk.
The crosses on my map said that the still to find cairn should be smack on line in the middle of this stone and the other cairn, so off I stride confident that if it’s there I couldn’t but help to at least stumble across it.
Nope, nothing, its not there. 5 x 0.3 meters across and high. Couldn’t find it.
Great views though, nice place.
Windy.

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