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Llyn Gafr Hut Circle is a prehistoric settlement consisting of the remains of at least one circular dwelling constructed on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks. The mafic lava and tuff forming the underlying geology date from around 485 to 444 million years ago, creating a hard, unforgiving foundation that would have presented significant challenges to inhabitants seeking to establish a stable settlement.
The hut circle represents evidence of Bronze Age or Iron Age occupation in Wales, when communities constructed roundhouses as their primary domestic structures. Built directly onto this ancient volcanic bedrock, the settlement demonstrates how prehistoric peoples adapted their construction techniques to local geological conditions, likely using the rocky substrate both as foundation and as a ready source of building stone.
The site is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference ME218. This designation ensures the preservation of this important record of prehistoric settlement patterns in Wales. The monument contributes to our understanding of how early communities exploited and inhabited the Welsh landscape during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Llyn Gafr Hut Circle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME218. View the official record →
Llyn Gafr Hut Circle is a prehistoric settlement consisting of the remains of at least one circular dwelling constructed on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME218.
Llyn Gafr Hut Circle dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hut circle settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Llyn Gafr Hut Circle 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 ME218.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carnedd Lwyd cairns (2.9 km), Anti-invasion Defences 2000m NE of Cwmrhwyddfor Farm (4.1 km), Llynnau Cregennen Standing Stone (4.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Llyn Gafr Hut Circle'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.
Llyn Gafr Hut Circle stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.