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Tal-y-Gareg Camp is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME074. The site occupies elevated ground underlain by Silurian mafic igneous bedrock, part of an unnamed intrusion that provides a naturally defensible foundation. The dark volcanic geology of this location would have been familiar to the Iron Age communities who built and occupied such strongholds across Wales, though the camp itself may contain earlier occupation phases typical of multiphase hillfort development.
The fort's position on igneous bedrock reflects the practical choices of its builders, who selected naturally strengthened ground that offered both defensive advantage and resistance to erosion. Mafic rock of this age and composition is characteristically hard and durable, providing a stable base for the ramparts and internal structures that would have defined the settlement.
Like other Cadw-protected hillforts, Tal-y-Gareg Camp represents an important phase in prehistoric Welsh settlement strategy. The site remains valuable for understanding the distribution and adaptation of defended communities to local geology and topography across the Welsh landscape during the later prehistoric period.
Tal-y-Gareg Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME074. View the official record →
Tal-y-Gareg Camp is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME074.
Tal-y-Gareg 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.
Tal-y-Gareg 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 ME074.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llechlwyd Hillfort (0.4 km), Castell-Mawr (1.3 km), Domen Ddreiniog (2.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tal-y-Gareg 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.
Tal-y-Gareg Camp stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.