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Carn-y-Geifr is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR095. The monument lies upon bedrock composed of Ashgill Rocks, a geological formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that characterises much of the upland terrain in this region. The underlying geology, resistant yet friable in nature, would have influenced both the construction methods and the durability of the cairn structure over millennia.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments, their stones gathered from the surrounding landscape to create substantial earthen mounds. The Ashgill bedrock exposed across the locality would have provided readily available stone for cairn construction, making this site a practical choice for ancient builders. The survival of such monuments depends largely on the stability of the underlying geology and the monument's elevation and drainage.
Carn-y-Geifr remains an important archaeological record of prehistoric burial practices in Wales, its fabric and position within the wider Bronze Age landscape contributing to understanding of settlement patterns and ceremonial activity across the Welsh uplands during the later prehistoric period.
Carn-y-Geifr is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR095. View the official record →
Carn-y-Geifr is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR095.
Carn-y-Geifr 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.
Carn-y-Geifr 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 BR095.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earthworks SW of Church (4.8 km), Standing Stone NE of Capel Rhos (5.1 km), Standing Stone SSE of Dol-y-Felin (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Carn-y-Geifr'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.
Carn-y-Geifr stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.