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Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference BR217. The site lies upon bedrock of Ashgill formation, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Ashgill period. Ring cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and represent burial or ceremonial monuments constructed by heaping stones into distinctive circular configurations. The underlying geology of Ashgill rocks would have provided an ample source of stone for cairn construction, with materials available both as naturally fractured bedrock and surface debris weathered from the surrounding landscape.
The monument comprises a ring cairn arrangement alongside standing stones, suggesting a ceremonial or funerary focus at this location. Such monuments often served as territorial markers or focal points for ritual activity within prehistoric communities. The combination of cairns and upright stones indicates deliberate, purposeful construction requiring communal effort and planning.
The site survives today as part of Wales's substantial Bronze Age monument heritage, reflecting the landscape choices of prehistoric peoples who selected this elevated location for construction. The Ashgill geology remains visible in the stone composition of the cairns themselves, directly connecting the monument to its geological and topographical setting.
Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR217. View the official record →
Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference BR217.
Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd 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 BR217.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing Stone NE of Capel Rhos (4.8 km), Earthworks SW of Church (5 km), Standing Stone SSE of Dol-y-Felin (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd'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.
Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.