Scheduled MonumentsWalesCaer Oleu Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Caer Oleu Camp

Conwy, Wales
Cadw SAM CN041
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Caer Oleu Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN041. The fort occupies a naturally defensible position underlain by Wenlock Rocks, a formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate dating to the Wenlock period. This geology provided both a sturdy foundation for the ramparts and ready stone for construction, resources that hill fort builders would have recognised and exploited.

The site represents a form of settlement typical of Iron Age Wales, when hillforts served as centres of power, defence and communal activity across the landscape. The choice of location on Wenlock bedrock reflects the builders' understanding of their local terrain—a hillfort positioned to command views of surrounding land whilst anchored to stable, workable stone.

As a scheduled monument under Cadw's protection, Caer Oleu Camp preserves evidence of prehistoric settlement patterns and defensive architecture. Its survival as an earthwork allows visitors and researchers to understand how Iron Age communities organised their settlement hierarchy and utilised the natural geography of the Welsh countryside for strategic advantage.

Caer Oleu Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN041. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Caer Oleu Camp?

Caer Oleu Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN041.

What period does Caer Oleu Camp date from?

Caer Oleu Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Caer Oleu Camp?

Caer Oleu Camp 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 CN041.

What other scheduled monuments are near Caer Oleu Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llanrwst Bridge (5.1 km), Klondyke Lead Mill (5.2 km), Capel Gwydir Uchaf (5.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Caer Oleu Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Caer Oleu Camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Caer Oleu Camp

Caer Oleu Camp stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Caer Oleu Camp

Bryn Celli DduArchaeological site · ~17.8 miles