© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cwm Llefrith cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN385. The monument sits upon bedrock of Caradoc Rocks, a geological formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Caradocian period. This solid foundation of layered sedimentary rock would have provided a stable base for the cairn's construction.
Round cairns of this type are characteristic of Bronze Age burial practices across upland Wales, typically marking the graves of individuals or small family groups. Built from gathered stone, these mounds served both as durable monuments and as territorial markers within the landscape. The choice of this particular location reflects the typical siting of such cairns on higher ground with views across the surrounding terrain.
The monument survives today as a testament to prehistoric funerary practice and landscape use. Its continued protection recognises the archaeological significance of such structures for understanding Bronze Age settlement patterns, burial customs and the management of Wales's upland zones during the second millennium BC.
Cwm Llefrith cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN385. View the official record →
Cwm Llefrith cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN385.
Cwm Llefrith cairn 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.
Cwm Llefrith cairn 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 CN385.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hut Circles near Craig y Gesail (6.1 km), Fach-goch, standing stone to SSE of (6.4 km), Roman Bath-House, Tremadoc (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cwm Llefrith cairn'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.
Cwm Llefrith cairn stands on Caradoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.