© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cairns West of Craig y Ddffryn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference MM045. The monument sits upon bedrock of Dinantian age, a limestone formation interspersed with sandstone and argillaceous rocks dating from the Mississippian period. This geology would have provided local stone suitable for cairn construction, though the quartzite and other durable materials visible in the landscape may also have been incorporated into the structure.
Round cairns of this type typically served as burial monuments during the Bronze Age, though some were constructed in the Neolithic period. Such monuments remain visible across the Welsh uplands, where stony soils and heathland have preserved them through millennia. The position west of Craig y Ddffryn places the cairn within moorland characteristic of prehistoric settlement and ritual activity in Wales.
The monument's survival has depended partly upon its location in open country away from intensive agricultural use. As a scheduled monument, it now benefits from legal protection that prevents damage and unauthorised disturbance, securing its value for future study of prehistoric funerary practices and Bronze Age societies in Wales.
Cairns West of Craig y Dyffryn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM045. View the official record →
Cairns West of Craig y Ddffryn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference MM045.
Cairns West of Craig y Dyffryn 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.
Cairns West of Craig y Dyffryn 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 MM045.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Croes Carn Einion Roman Site (6.4 km), Ruperra Hillfort and Motte (6.7 km), Ruperra Castle lower summerhouse remains (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cairns West of Craig y Dyffryn'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 West of Craig y Dyffryn stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.