Scheduled MonumentsWalesCraig-y-Ddinas Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Craig-y-Ddinas Camp

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME020
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Craig-y-Ddinas Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME020. The monument occupies high ground formed from Lower Cambrian sandstone and conglomerate bedrock, which would have provided both a defensible position and a naturally hard surface for construction. The interbedded geology of the site created variable building conditions for its ancient inhabitants.

Hillforts of this type typically date to the Iron Age, though some may have earlier origins. Craig-y-Ddinas Camp's elevated location exploits the natural topography to command views across the surrounding landscape, a characteristic feature of such defensive settlements. The rocky substrate would have necessitated practical adaptations in how ramparts and fortifications were built into and around the exposed stone.

The site's protection by Cadw recognises its significance as evidence of prehistoric settlement and social organisation in Wales. The surviving earthworks and stone outcrops preserve archaeological information about how communities utilised this particular landscape, where geology, topography and defensive requirements converged to create a strategic settlement location during the pre-Roman Iron Age period.

Craig-y-Ddinas Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME020. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Craig-y-Ddinas Camp?

Craig-y-Ddinas Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME020.

What period does Craig-y-Ddinas Camp date from?

Craig-y-Ddinas 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 Craig-y-Ddinas Camp?

Craig-y-Ddinas 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 ME020.

What other scheduled monuments are near Craig-y-Ddinas Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Deserted Rural Settlement South of Ffridd Olchfa (4.8 km), Ffridd Fechan Fort (5.4 km), Hut Circle at Gellfawr (6.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Craig-y-Ddinas Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Craig-y-Ddinas 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Craig-y-Ddinas Camp

Craig-y-Ddinas Camp stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.