 Cerrig Pryfaid stone circle - looking over the north and eastern arc of this circle of small stones. |
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In a landscape
of big hills, big views and big standing stones the diminutive stones
of Cerrig Pryfaid stone
circle seem almost lost amongst the grass by comparison.
This is deceptive however as despite it's modest dimensions - about 22 metres across its southeast to northwest axis, and non of the stones exceeding a metre in height, it has an open airy quality that does not try to compete with the surrounding landscape but instead provides a perfect viewing platform that pays homage to its landscape setting (see panorama). Accounts of the number of stones vary from ten to twelve and the thick tussocky grass and small size of the stones means that it is not possible to know if some of the stones are missing or have been moved from their original positions, there certainly seems to be a large gap in the ring towards the northwest. An outlying stone stands a few metres to the west and another about 25 metres away to the northwest (see photograph below). Cerrig Pryfaid is located just to the south of a Roman road that followed the southern slopes of Tal-y-Fan and also passed several possible Bronze Age standing stones (Bwlch y Ddeufaen, Cae Coch, Caerhun) that may be of a contemporary date to the circle as well as settlement sites, cairns and burial chambers that suggest the area already had a long and evolving history before the Romans arrived. |
 Looking east into the Conwy valley from behind the northwest outlier with the other outlier to the right of the nearest pylon, one of the stones of the circle itself can be seen to the left of the same pylon. |
