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Bwlch Sych round cairn is a prehistoric funerary monument situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference MG315. The cairn was constructed on bedrock composed of Ordovician felsic tuff, an extrusive volcanic rock formed during the Ordovician period over 440 million years ago. This distinctive geology would have been visible to the prehistoric builders and likely influenced their choice of location for the burial monument.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age, though some may have earlier Neolithic origins. They served as burial monuments, often covering cremated or inhumed remains, and frequently incorporated stones gathered from the surrounding landscape. The construction of such cairns was a labour-intensive communal undertaking that reflected the social importance of the deceased.
The monument survives as evidence of funerary practices and landscape use during prehistory. Its location on Ordovician volcanic bedrock is characteristic of upland Welsh cairn distributions, where such geological formations outcrop naturally. The site contributes to understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and ritual practices in the Welsh landscape.
Bwlch Sych round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG315. View the official record →
Bwlch Sych round cairn is a prehistoric funerary monument situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference MG315.
Bwlch Sych round cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bwlch Sych round cairn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is MG315.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bryn Gwyn Deserted Rural Settlement (3.9 km), Croes y Forwyn cairns (3.9 km), Clawdd Mawr (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bwlch Sych round cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bwlch Sych round cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.