Two Bronze Age cairns, one very big and one very small, lie on the summit of Drosgl in the Carneddau Mountains of Snowdonia.

The cairns were excavated in 1976. Two cists were found in the large cairn, one containing cremated bone and a whetstone. The small cairn contained the cremated bones of a young woman.

The small cairn has been restored and has an interesting drum like appearance.

All round spectacular views are afforded from these mountain top monuments, northwards across Conwy Bay to Anglesey and southwards up to the mighty Carnedd Llewelyn and the high Carneddau peaks.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH66366802

The Y Gyrn Ring Cairn is a Bronze Age monument situated under the black cliffs of Y Gyrn overlooking Portmeirion and the estuary of Afon Dwyryd. It is close to the footpath from Caerwych Farm to the beautiful Bryn Cader Faner.

The 2 metres wide ring of stones forms a circle 12 metres in diameter.

A burnt mound and another cairn with a large exposed cist straddle the footpath 90 metres to the south east of the ring cairn.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH64043593

The Hengwm Cairn Circle is a small but delightful Bronze Age monument close to the mighty Carneddau Hengwm Long Cairns. It could be considered the little sister of nearby Bryn Cader Faner as the stones of the outer ring are leaning outwards like the rays of the sun.

The site was excavated by O.G.S. Crawford in 1919 but he found no evidence of a burial.

10 metres to the east of the cairn are the remains of a settlement with hut circles and enclosure which may be contemporary with the cairn.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH61602032

The Carnedd y Bachgen Cairn sits on top of Arenig Fach (689 metres) in the Arenig Mountains of Snowdonia. It has a diameter of approximately 10 metres and shows signs of looting in several places.

A walker's shelter at the summit to the west of the cairn may also be prehistoric in origin. Also to the west a short rock cut track may be a ceremonial approach to the cairn. A boulder situated prominently on this approach may have cup-marks carved into the stone.

This monument is in a remote and wild location and the lack of any recognised paths makes access difficult. However the effort rewards with a very interesting Bronze Age site and spectacular views across the whole of North Wales.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH82064163

Bryn y Castell is an Iron Age settlement / 'mini' hillfort with a stone rampart in the North West Walian tradition. Excavations from 1979 to 1985 revealed iron-working activity, both smelting and smithing, until the Roman occupation and for a brief period after the Romans left Wales in a hut just to the north.

Both stone and wooden round huts were found during excavation along with modifications to the site spanning many years including a change of entrance on the northern side.

The walls and stone huts have been very tastefully restored especially the northern hut with its overlapping wall built to accommodate the industrial activities carried out here. Marker stones indicate where wooden gate and hut posts were found and areas of discrete loose stone paving show the bases of wooden huts.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH728429

The Bryn Cader Faner Cairn is one of the Prehistoric Wonders of Wales. A circle of thin upright stones, splayed outwards like the rays of the sun, are set around the circumference of a low-lying stone cairn. A robber pit at the centre of the cairn exposes a large cist which once would have contained the remains of a respected person who lived in this area.

The monument sits on a hill overlooking the ancient Bronze Age trackway which starts at Llanbedr, a seaport for one of the main trade routes to Ireland, and proceeds to Wessex and the south of England via Trawsfynydd, Bala and the Tanat Valley.

There are numerous other prehistoric attractions in the immediate area. Signs of settlement can be seen around the hill to the south and north of the cairn. Many standing stones, cairns and hut circles can be seen along the trackway to the south west towards Llanbedr. To the north west a ring cairn, burnt mound and cairn with cist can be found beneath the spectacular black cliffs of Y Gyrn.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH64803532

The 2 metres high Coed y Bedo Standing Stone lies close to an ancient trackway which proceeds north over the mountain of Foel Goch to Cerrigydrudion and North West Wales.

Other ancient activity in the area includes two burnt mounds next to a stream running close to the stone which strongly suggests a prehistoric settlement nearby.

Location: Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH96674004

The Garnedd Wen Cairn sits on a hill overlooking the Llyn Celyn reservoir. At approximately 16 metres in diameter and 3.5 metres high, this cairn is a classic example of the large mountain-top Bronze Age cairns of North Wales. The height is emphasised on the western side by a natural scarp.

Because it is located on remote moorland and not on a popular walker's route, the monument is in relatively good condition. A 2 metres deep and 4 metres wide robber pit can be seen at the centre of the cairn and there are signs of four other disturbances around the sides. No formal archaeological excavations are reported for this site in the official records.

The Llyn Celyn reservoir below also has its own history albeit more recent than the cairn. The flooding of the Tryweryn Valley in 1965 was a tragedy and a deep injustice to the people who lost their unique community as well as their homes, land, school and chapel. This act of English imperialism, reminiscent of the displacement and ethnic cleansing which fuelled Owain Glyndwr's campaign for Welsh freedom 500 years earlier, was the seed of modern Welsh nationalism spawning the militant action, Plaid, the National Assembly and whatever may follow in the years ahead.

Llyn Celyn today is a pleasant but slightly artificial lake which once was a very beautiful valley. It will always remain a powerful symbol of what must never ever happen in Wales again.

Gathering the Jewels entry for Llyn Celyn

Location: Near Bala, Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH86874140

The Carneddau Hengwm are two enormous Neolithic long cairns.

Carnedd Hengwm South is the larger at 46 metres long and 3 metres high in places. It has a collapsed dolmen at the eastern end and a virtually intact burial chamber in the Cotswold-Severn style with large capstone and lateral passage leading from the northern edge. Another chamber with no capstone and no apparent passage is also visible on the southern side. The two styles of chamber (dolmen and lateral passage) suggest that this is a multi-period cairn used and extended over a long period of time.

Carnedd Hengwm North is the smaller (only 30 metres!) and has two denuded but clearly visible chambers again in the lateral passage Cotswold-Severn style at the eastern end. There is a large capstone at the western end which may have once covered another possible chamber towards the centre of the cairn.

Location: Near Dyffryn Ardudwy, Gwynedd, Wales
Grid Ref: SH61342052