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Pen y Gaer Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN052. The site occupies a position on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, specifically felsic lava and felsic tuff. These ancient volcanic deposits, formed during the Ordovician period over 440 million years ago, provide a naturally elevated and defensible foundation for the fort's construction.
The hillfort's defences exploit the rocky outcrops characteristic of this volcanic geology, where the hard felsic materials would have offered both natural barriers and ready sources of stone for rampart construction. The elevated position afforded by the Ordovician bedrock provides commanding views of the surrounding landscape, typical of hillfort siting strategies in Iron Age Britain and Wales.
Like many Welsh hillforts, Pen y Gaer Camp represents prehistoric settlement and territorial control, though the precise period of its principal use remains to be established through archaeological investigation. The site's preservation under Cadw protection ensures that this important example of prehistoric defensive architecture and its geological setting remain available for future research and public interpretation.
Pen y Gaer Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN052. View the official record →
Pen y Gaer Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN052.
Pen y Gaer 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.
Pen y Gaer 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 CN052.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carn Pentyrch Camp (3.8 km), St Cybi's Well (4.2 km), Cross-Incised Stone in Llangybi Churchyard (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen y Gaer 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.
Pen y Gaer Camp stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic lava and felsic tuff.