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Y Garn Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age sandstone and conglomerate. The underlying geology reflects the ancient Ordovician seabed, later folded and exposed by erosion into the harder interbedded strata visible across the region today. This natural stone foundation would have provided the builders with readily available material for construction.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age, though some may be older, and served as burial monuments for the dead. The mound itself consists of stone heaped over a central burial chamber or grave, often containing cremated remains or inhumations. The form and distribution of such cairns across the Welsh landscape reflect settlement patterns and territorial organisation of early metal-using societies.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the heritage division of the Welsh Government, under reference CD216, recognising its archaeological and historical importance. Like other cairns across upland Britain, Y Garn represents the enduring relationship between prehistoric communities and their landscape, marking the dead at a location chosen for visibility and prominence.
Y Garn Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD216. View the official record →
Y Garn Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age sandstone and conglomerate. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD216.
Y Garn Round Cairn 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.
Y Garn Round Cairn 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 CD216.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nantymaen Standing Stone (3.8 km), Cefncerrig Round Cairn (4.2 km), Blaen Brefi Longhouses (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Y Garn Round Cairn'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.
Y Garn Round Cairn stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.