Garn Wen

Also known as:
Carn Wen
Nearest town:
Fishguard (2km ESE)
OS reference:
SM948390
OS sheet:
157
Latitude:
52° 0' 39.41 N
Longitude:
4° 59' 25.44 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Garn Wen (Burial Chamber) by CoralJackz

We visited in 2023. Sadly the ground was covered in broken glass so be careful with dogs.

Image credit: CoralJackz
CoralJackz
CoralJackz Apr 18, 2025
Image of Garn Wen (Burial Chamber) by Merrick

At the northen cromlech, looking south over all three.

Image credit: Merrick
Merrick
Merrick Sep 10, 2004
Image of Garn Wen (Burial Chamber) by Merrick

Oops, shutter went off too soon! A bit of hair in the way, and the possible ex-cromlech stone is half cut out on the right. Sorry about that. This is the southern cromlech.

Image credit: Merrick
Merrick
Merrick Sep 10, 2004

Articles

Fishguard's Ancient Landscape

Video covering the history and legends of the Garn Wen Chambers, as well as other nearby dolmens.

CoralJackz
CoralJackz Feb 27, 2024

Garn Wen

postman
postman Sep 14, 2008

On the northern outskirts of Goodwick/Udig, there is a carpark with signs pointing the way. From the carpark we come to the southern and biggest capstone known locally as Carrig Samson first it rests dislodged on just two or three suppoting stones . All three capstones have shifted somewhat, but are still high enough to crawl into, best to do it in dryer weather and evict the slugs and spiders first. The unobscured view would have been almost overwhelming, but the houses bring us down with a small bump, although serving to remind us that the living wouldn’t have been far from the ancestors. Above the chambers is the outcrop which protrudes above the bracken and brambles,it just has to be scrambled around on, and amongst them is a natural chamber which should it have a capstone it would be about the size of the three capstones we see below it. A nice rumour to spread maybe, nothing more.

Never saw any dogs or thier doings, come early.
And I mean early !

Garn Wen

Merrick
Merrick Sep 7, 2004

Despite being marked on the OS map as ‘Burial Chamber’, it is in fact three, in the ‘sub-megalithic’ design of a chamber half above and half below ground level. They stand in dogshit-ridden semi-municipal paths and gorse and heather with an astonishing view to the sea.

Although clearly sited to look across Bae Abergwaun/ Fishguard Bay to Mynydd Preseli, they are not bluestone. The view is obscured by a development of houses, and all three are only just over the fence from back gardens.

However, from the Penrhiw cromlech 600 metres away there’s a clear version of the view. The three outcrops over the bay on Mynydd Dinas constantly draw the eye, with the three peaks on Mynydd Preseli right behind. Could this somehow tally with the decision to build three cromlechs here?

The southernmost (yet another place known as Carreg Samson) is the largest and best-preserved of them. The capstone is a white quartzy rock, 10ftx6ft, with edges so sheer they’re surely tooled. It stands on three sidelong uprights, while two more lie beside and another serves as a gatepost. The back-of-the-houses vibe of the site is present here in force. We removed the binliner of domestic rubbish that was in the chamber of this cromlech.

About 50 metres north, the middle one is propped 2ft off the ground, again crumbled but not destroyed. The capstone is the same white stone, slightly smaller than the southern one.

The northern one lies only 6 metres from the middle one. This one’s the smallest, a 6ft x 8ft capstone (white stone again), all overgrown with ivy. These two stand at the very foot of a prominent rocky outcrop; all the cromlechs on the Pen Caer/Strumble Head peninsula seem to be – Calanais style – focussed on a rock outcrop that was perhaps the original temple predating the cromlech.

Rhiannon’s note that they were covered by a single mound is highly doubtful – they are spread over about 50 metres!

Children & Nash (1997) say they were individually covered by round mounds. They also suggest the remains of a fourth cromlech lies to the north, in line with the other three. The Pembrokeshire Archaeological survey (1897-1906) reported nine! There are many natural slabs that look like capstones, so their confusion is understandable.

The multiple-cromlech is not unique to this site. There are several double cromlechs around West Wales (such as St Elvis Farm), a possible triple one at Eithbed, and a quadruple at Morfa Bycham.

The nearby info board is not particularly good, giving a load of West-Kennet style ‘burial of VIPs’ guff.

visited 20 Aug 04

Sites within 20km of Garn Wen

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