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Pared Mawr Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated on the Welsh coast, where it commands a naturally defensible position jutting into the sea. The site exploits the defensive properties of its coastal geography, with the fort occupying a headland whose narrow approach could be effectively controlled by Iron Age or Bronze Age communities. The underlying geology of Arenig Rocks—a foundation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Arenigian period—provides the solid bedrock upon which the monument stands.
The fort's defences consist of banks and ditches constructed across the landward side of the promontory, a characteristic design for coastal promontory forts that relied upon natural cliff faces and the sea to provide protection on three sides. This arrangement minimises the length of artificial defensive work required, concentrating effort where human assault was most likely. The exposed rocky foreshore and coastal setting would have offered both practical advantages for settlement and potential access to marine resources.
Pared Mawr Camp is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference CN103, recognising its archaeological significance and the importance of preserving this example of prehistoric coastal fortification. The site remains a valuable record of Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive strategies employed by prehistoric communities in Wales.
Pared Mawr Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN103. View the official record →
Pared Mawr Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated on the Welsh coast, where it commands a naturally defensible position jutting into the sea. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN103.
Pared Mawr Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a promontory fort - coastal. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pared Mawr 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 CN103.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cilan-Uchaf Burial Chamber (1.2 km), Inscribed Stone in St Cian's Churchyard, Llangian (4.3 km), Hut Circle at Cae-Cerig-Isaf (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pared Mawr Camp'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.
Pared Mawr Camp stands on Arenig Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Arenigian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.