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Foel Eryr Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales on bedrock formed from Silurian mafic igneous rock. The monument sits upon an unnamed igneous intrusion of Ordovician to Silurian age, indicating settlement on high ground formed by ancient volcanic activity. This geological foundation would have provided a naturally prominent location visible across the surrounding landscape, typical of the deliberate siting of such monuments in the Bronze Age.
Round cairns of this type functioned as burial monuments, constructed by piling stones over cremated remains or inhumations. The choice of hilltop positions, as seen here, served both practical and ceremonial purposes, creating lasting markers in the landscape that would have been visible to distant communities. The mafic bedrock would have offered accessible stone for cairn construction, and the elevated position commands extensive views characteristic of Bronze Age funerary practice.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments organisation, under reference PE298. This designation recognises its importance as evidence of prehistoric settlement patterns and burial practice in Wales. The cairn remains a significant archaeological feature preserving information about the Bronze Age communities who constructed and used it as a focus for remembrance and territorial identity.
Foel Eryr Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE298. View the official record →
Foel Eryr Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales on bedrock formed from Silurian mafic igneous rock. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE298.
Foel Eryr Round 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.
Foel Eryr Round 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 PE298.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hill Slope Enclosure, 400m WNW of Parc Robert (5.9 km), Velindre Pillar-Cross (6.6 km), New Moat Castle Mound (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Foel Eryr Round 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.
Foel Eryr Round Cairn stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.