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Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr is a prehistoric round cairn located on the high moorland of mid-Wales. The monument sits upon bedrock composed of Ashgill rocks—mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations dating to the Ashgill geological period. This elevated position, characteristic of cairns built across the Cambrian uplands, would have commanded views across the surrounding landscape whilst remaining accessible to Bronze Age communities exploiting the upland terrain.
The cairn represents a burial or ceremonial monument constructed by stacking stone across the underlying geological substrate. The specific geology of Pen Plynlimon-Fawr, with its readily available stone from weathered Ashgill deposits, provided practical material for construction. Such cairns typically functioned as burial monuments or territorial markers for prehistoric populations, though without excavation the precise function and date of this particular example remain undetermined.
The Central Cairn is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference CD037, recognising its significance as part of Wales's prehistoric heritage. Its survival on this remote moorland landscape demonstrates the enduring presence of Bronze Age ceremonial architecture across the upland interior, where such monuments remain prominent features of the archaeological record.
Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD037. View the official record →
Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr is a prehistoric round cairn located on the high moorland of mid-Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD037.
Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr 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.
Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr 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 CD037.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nant yr Helygen Deserted Rural Settlement (6.5 km), Esgair Naint Deserted Rural Settlement (6.9 km), Hen Bont, Pont-Erwyd (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr'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.
Central Cairn on Pen Plynlimon-Fawr stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.