Gwal Y Filiast, Carmarthenshire

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The dolmem - or cromlech - of Gwal Y Filiast is quite well hidden away just outside of the small village of Llanglydwen in Carmarthenshire. To reach it you have to take a walk down a muddy track for about 10 minutes or so and take a turn into the woods.

It's very easy to get yourself lost whilst looking for this site. My father and I tried finding it one day during the Christmas holidays and ended up going too far and following the river and surrounding woodland for hours. We still managed to take a wrong turning today when we visited, although we knew the rough direction this time and soon got back on track.

Gwal Y Filiast - the name translates as Lair of the She-Wolf or Lair of the Grey Hound Bitch (not greyhound but grey hound - literally a hound that is grey - a wolf) - seems unusual for such a burial chamber being located in this setting beneath the trees.

The dolmen is at the epicentre of a ring a beech trees, while several other stones which may once have been part of the greater structure are scattered around the site. The dolmen itself consists of a huge capstone - easily 10 feet in length and 3 to 4 feet in thickness - balanced on four uprights, and there are a pair of smaller stones set in the ground at one end.

This is a really atmospheric site, which is in no doubt enhanced by its surroundings on the wooded slope above the river Taf. It is a little off the beaten track and is unlikely to be visited by casual tourists, who would be far more likely to head for somewhere better known in the general area such as Pentre Ifan. I think they are missing out! Remember to consult a map if you want to visit and wear walking boots or wellies!

Date visited: 31 May 2009.

See also: Gwal Y Filiast on The Megalithic Portal
Gwal Y Filiast on The Modern Antiquarian

Fishguard Fort, Pembrokeshire

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From the information sign outside the fort:

"The fort was built following a raid on Fishguard in 1779; the privateer vessel Black Prince demanded £1,000 to return a captured local ship and as a ransom for the town. When this was refused it bombarded Fishguard, damaging St. Mary's Church and some houses.


"As Fishguard was a prosperous port, protection was vital. The fort was completed in 1781; armed with eight 9-pounder guns manned by three invalid gunners from Woolwich, it became the headquarters of the Fishguard Fencibles.


"On 22nd February 1797, an invading French force appeared off the coast. Alarm guns were fired from the fort, but the Fencibles were withdrawn from the building which played no further part in the invasion.


"Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Fishguard Fort fell into disrepair. It is now owned and maintained by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority."


Below is a view of the fort as seen from the other side of the harbour.

Below is a view of what is now known as Lower Fishguard and the actual harbour that was being guarded. This is not to be confused with the much larger commercial harbour from which the ferries to Ireland depart.

Date visited: 10 April 2009.

The Church of St Brynach, Cym Yr Eglwys, Pembrokeshire

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When I was a small child, we used to holiday at a farm near Dinas Head in Pembrokeshire, and as a family we would trek almost daily from the farm to the nearest beach at Cwm Yr Eglwys. We spent many happy hours playing there. It was a fantastic beach for bathing in the sea and for its many rock pools waiting to be explored. Set in a secluded bay, Cwm Y Eglwys is said to have its own micro-climate and is supposedly a few degrees warmer than elsewhere on the Pembrokeshire coast.

One of the main distinguishing features at Cwm Yr Eglwys beach is the ruins of the 12th Century church of St Brynach. Most of the church was destroyed in the almighty storm of 1859, and much of the ground that it was built upon and graveyard was also swept away.

Above: The old parish church of Dinas, Pembrokeshire, prior to its destruction in the 1830s. Scan of a hand-coloured print dated 1830. Copyright expired: from "Wales Illustrated", Jones & Co, London, 1831. Painting by Henry Gastineau (1791-1876). Engraved by Edward Kennion.

By the entrance to the churchyard, we find this memorial - a model brig consructed in metal by James Eifion Thomas, Blacksmith, of Dinas Cross. The plaque reads:

The Cwm Trader

This is a scale model of a coastal trading brig, typical of those that plied the waters of Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire about the time when St Brynach's Church in Cwm-yr-Eglwys was destroyed in the Royal Charter storm of 1859. These vessels were of relatively shallow draft and largely flat bottomed, so allowing them to be sailed into bays at high water and then unloaded at low tide by horse and cart transport. Many of these vessels were lost in that fateful storm and this model is erected as a memorial to those sailors and their ships and to mark the occasion of The Millennium.

Date visited: 10 April 2009

The Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, Glamorganshire

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When I composed the by-line for this blog - "Ancient and not-so-ancient places of interest that I have visited in the UK" - I freely admit that I kept it deliberately vague, for although I have a bias for neolithic sites, standing stones, dolmens, stone cirles, etc, I also wanted to feature some more modern places (relatively speaking) too. For instance, there are a number of fascinating churches all over the country.

One of my very favourite churches - the white-painted wooden structure of the Norwegian Church in Cardiff - dates to the 19th Century which makes it very modern indeed when compared with the subjects I've featured thus far, but it is a building that I have a great fondness for. The Church is located by the waterside in Cardiff Bay, and is a near neighbour to the Welsh Assembly in an area of Cardiff that has featured in BBC Wales' science fiction show Torchwood as well as several episodes of Doctor Who. Look closely in some of the Torchwood episodes and you may even spot the Norwegian Church.

Today the Norwegian Church functions as an arts centre and has a very nice cafe downstairs - a great place to grab a coffee and a slice of cake. To give a little history, I'll quote from the church's website:

"The Port of Cardiff was one of the first to have a Norwegian Sailor’s Church established to provide religious and social care to thousands of Norwegian sailors that were employed in the Norwegian merchant fleet. The Church was founded by Herman Lunde of Oslo and built in 1868 between the East and West Docks on land that was donated by the Marquis of Bute. It was consecrated in the December of that year. In the years that followed, the Church was extended a number of times when the reading rooms were enlarged. In 1885 the most significant alterations took place when a gallery and a bell tower were added."

Read more at: www.norwegianchurchcardiff.co.uk

The author Roald Dahl, who was born in Cardiff to Norwegian parents, was christened at the Norwegian Church (as were his sisters). Shortly before his death in 1990 he became the president of the Norwegian Church Preservation Trust, an organisation that sought to restore the church after it had fallen into dereliction.

Curiously juxtaposed within a few metres of the Norwegian Church is a memorial statue to Captain Scott. Scott and his party, of course, were beaten to the South Pole in January 1912 by a Norwegian party led by Roald Amundsen. It was on their return journey from this expedition that Scott and his comrades perished.

UPDATE: With referernce to the Captain Scott memorial , my father adds that: "The reason for its location is, of course, that is where they set out from for the Antarctic. The curious coincidence is that they were beaten to the South Pole by a Norwegian. There is another memorial to Capt Scott in Cardiff – the 'lighthouse' in Roath Park lake on top of which sits a model of the Terra Nova."

(Pictures of the Captain Scott 'Lighthouse' memorial in Roath Park Lake can be seen here).

Date visited: 19 June 2008

The Pilgrims' Cross, Nevern, Pembrokeshire

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On the outskirts of the village and just a short walk uphill from St Brynach's Church is Nevern Castle, the site of a pre-Norman native Welsh stronghold. The path to the top is known as the Pilgrims' route, and passes a cross - also believed to be at least "pre-Norman" (if not dating from a whole lot earlier) - carved into the rock face of the hillside.

One theory has it that the cross is not carved into the rockface, as such, but into the stone of a bricked-up entrance to a cave. What is inside the cave? Well, that's a matter of some speculation...

In the next photo I asked my father to point out the cross, mainly to give an idea of scale.

Here is a close-up of the cross carving:

And closer still (below) we see that visitors have been pressing coins into the spaces in the rock face. This practice is quite worrying as it could damage the carving. But if you're short of a few pence with which to buy a packet of nuts in the local pub, then you know where to come.



Date visited: 13 February 2009

The Church of St Brynach, Nevern, Pembrokeshire

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The small village of Nevern lies just a few miles east of Newport in Pembrokeshire, and is well worth a visit for a number of reasons. Its church has some very interesting features, whilst a short walk away from the church is the Pilgrims' Cross (which I shall feature in a separate post).

The church of St Brynach is said to date back to the 6th Century. That is not to say that all of the building we see today is from that era. The tower in the first photo is a Norman addition.


To the east of the porch stands the Vitalianus Stone. Believed to date back to the 5th Century the stone features both Ogham and Latin inscriptions (VITALIANI EMERETO in Latin, and VITALIANI in Ogham).


A short distance further to the east stands a magnificient "Celtic" cross known simply as the Great Cross. This is thought to date to the 10th or 11th Centuries.


Standing at 13 feet in height the Great Cross is believed to be one of the most perfect specimens of its kind.


Inside the church in the nave there are a pair of stones embedded into the window sills.

The first is known as the Maglocunus Stone and again we see more Ogham and (fainter at the top) Latin inscriptions. The translation reads "(THE MONUMENT) OF MAGLOCUNUS (MAELGWN) SON OF CLUTORIUS".


In the adjacent window sill there is embedded the Cross Stone. This shows a form of "Celtic" cross made of intertwining cords, and resembling a prone human figure.


Outside again and on the north wall of the church on the sill of the second chancel window, we find the so-called "Imperfect Incised Stone". You can just make out a few letters from a vertical Latin inscription that has been turned through 90 degrees and is most likely an example of a stone being re-cut and re-used.


Finally, in the avenue of yew trees leading from the gate to the porch, there is one particular yew tree that has a legend all of its own. Known as the Bleeding Yew, this tree has been "bleeding" its red sticky sap from a lower limb for as long as everyone can remember. The legend apparently is that the tree will bleed "until a Welshman is once again Lord of the castle on the hill". As a small child I remember visiting this tree and the story I heard at the time was that the blood was supposed to be (or represent) the blood of Christ. I cannot back up this alternate "legend" as it was only hearsay or perhaps being only six or seven years old at the time I got the wrong end of the stick.


However, I was somewhat alarmed to discover on this visit that the branch in question has been removed, but as can clearly be seen in my photo above there are two openings in the stump of the missing branch through which the sap has been flowing.

Date visited: 13 February 2009

Carreg Coetan Arthur, Newport, Pembrokeshire

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Here's another site in Pembrokeshire that I visited on one of the few days in July 2008 on which it didn't pour down with rain. Carreg Coetan Arthur is a Neolithic dolmen and is situated where you'd least expect it - next door to a couple of bungalows in a residential close in the small coastal town of Newport, North Pembrokeshire.


The juxtaposition of this ancient dolmen sitting amidst the 20th Century bungalows somehow seems to make it all the more magical. It's quite literally a little piece of our ancient history in someone's back yard!


To give you an idea of scale, in the next photo are my niece and nephew.


As you can see, it's nowhere as huge as Pentre Ifan, but it's still an impressive site and like that other dolmen its massive capstone seems to defy gravity, almost hanging in the air over the four upright stones.

Date visited: August 2008

See also: Carreg Coetan Arthur on The Modern Antiquarian.

Carnedd Meibion Owen, Ty Canol, Brynberian, Pembrokeshire

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Returning to the Preseli mountains again, just south of the Ty Canol woods and a couple of miles south west from Pentre Ifan, on a bleak hillside arranged in a line running roughly north to south are four cairns known as Carnedd Meibion Owen.

According to Best Walks In Southern Wales by Richard Sale, the site "is named for the three sons of Owen who decided to fight for their father's land, even before he had died rather than divide it between them. [...] They made wooden clubs and fought all day on the hill, but as night fell no one had won. Eventually the father chose one son, sending the others to be the kings of England and Scotland."


From a distance it's difficult to judge the scale of what looks to be a few rocky outcrops. It's only when you get up close and take a walk around them that you realise how truly monolithic these cairns are.


But what are they? Are they geological features, are they man-made, or are they a combination of the two? They certainly resemble some of the rock formations found in Snowdonia in North Wales where glacial action has shattered and splintered the rocks.


I've read elsewhere that "Recorded archaeology comprises two possible neolithic chambered tombs", although this does little to explain why there are four cairns.


This is a stange and quite breathtaking site where you really do feel that you are encountering the unknown. It's well worth a visit and just a short distance away from Pentre Ifan on the more popular tourist trail. Unlike Pentre Ifan this site is unlikely to be swarming with tourists and hoardes of kids. It very likely will be just you and the wild ponies.

Date visited: 31 December 2008

"Celtic" Cross, St. Cledwyn’s Church, Llanglydwen, Carmarthenshire

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Here's another stone in a churchyard. This rough "Celtic" cross is to be found just inside the entrance of Llanglydwen Church in Carmarthenshire and - according to the Crymych Group of Churches website - it is believed to date from between the 7th and 9th Centuries. (St. Cledwyn's Church itself dates back to the 13th Century). Note the carving on the front of the stone.

Date visited: 27 December 2008

The Ogham Stone, Glandwr Chapel, Pembrokeshire

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In the last couple of weeks I've visited various standing stones and sites around Pembrokeshire in Wales, but the one which I'm featuring in today's post was the easiest to visit for me personally seeing as my parents live in this very village.

The Ogham Stone is to be found in the grounds of the chapel in a village called Glandwr, situated at the foot of the Preseli mountains, and with the nearest town being Crymych.

As can be seen in the above picture on the left hand edge of the stone when looked at from this angle there are a series of Ogham markings cut into the stone. Unfortunately I can't translate these for you. One theory I have heard is that Ogham is actually a musical notation.

Just behind the Ogham Stone is another little curiosity that the visitor might like to take a look at, although this time it's hardly ancient.
The gravestone of Lewis Phillips states - in Welsh - that he died on June 31, 1900. Now how does that rhyme go again?... Thirty days have September, April, June and November...

Date visited: 31 December 2008

See also: Glandwr Churchyard on The Modern Antiquarian