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Two Cairns on Fan Foel is a prehistoric round cairn situated on upland moorland in Wales. The monument lies upon Lower Devonian bedrock of sandstone and conglomerate, typical of the Early Devonian geological sequence that underlies much of the Welsh landscape. The exposed or shallow bedrock at this elevation would have presented both challenges and opportunities to Bronze Age communities seeking suitable burial locations on this windswept terrain.
The cairn comprises a substantial stone mound raised over one or more burial deposits, a form of monumental architecture widespread across upland Britain during the Bronze Age. Its placement on Fan Foel reflects the preference for elevated, prominent positions that made such monuments visible across considerable distances and often accessible year-round despite their moorland setting.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage authority, under designation BR275. The site's surviving physical structure and upland location preserve important evidence of prehistoric burial practices and landscape use in this region, contributing to understanding of how early communities organised their relationship with both the natural topography and the mineral geology beneath their feet.
Two Cairns on Fan Foel is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR275. View the official record →
Two Cairns on Fan Foel is a prehistoric round cairn situated on upland moorland in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR275.
Two Cairns on Fan Foel 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.
Two Cairns on Fan Foel 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 BR275.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Craig-y-Rhiwarth Hillfort (6.7 km), Saith Maen (6.7 km), Hut Circle West of Saith Maen (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Two Cairns on Fan Foel'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.
Two Cairns on Fan Foel stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.