Anglesey And North Wales

fig. 8 : House at Din Lligwy

Sometimes when you read about a site and see a photograph of it you think you know what to expect when you get there. At Din LLigwy (SH 496 862) I was to be reminded that this is often not the case. Before my visit I had only ever seen one picture of this place which was very similar to fig. 8, a very nice round house foundation. What I hadn't grasped was the scale of the rest of the site and when I passed through the trees and entered the clearing my breath was taken away (see fig. 9).

fig. 9 : Din Lligwy - first glimpse

You enter the site at one corner of the village. Here you get the first surprise: it is not just a collection of hut circles, but a miniature walled citadel. Huge slabs of limestone have been used to make a rectangular enclosure around the huts within. The layout seems very well designed with houses using the outer wall for part of their structure as well as free standing huts in the centre. The skill and ability of the people who built this place certainly parallels those that built the cashels in Ireland.

Just down the road from this village is one of the most unusual tombs I have ever been to. Lligwy Burial Chamber is only just off the road in a field surrounded by a metal railing, the gate into which seems to be permanently locked. This means that to take a proper look at the tomb means risking bodily harm through impalement on the pointy tops of the fence.

fig. 10 : Lligwy Burial Chamber

This one doesn't fall into any classification that I can think of. It's certainly of unique design in my experience. The capstone is an incredible 3m square and over 1m thick. It is supported by too many stones to count about 80cm above the external ground level (see fig. 10).

There are a couple of ways to squeeze inside and the effort is worth it. The floor of the chamber is sunken and give enough head room to move around in a very stooped manner. Once inside you start to get an idea of why this location could have been chosen for along one side is a slab of bedrock, which funnily enough looks like a bed. Perhaps this was used to lay out the dead.

With day one drawing to a close it was time to head towards my parent's house near Dolgellau, so off I set with one stop planned on the way. Tucked behind a school, just off the main coastal road, is one of the loveliest pairs of portal tombs anywhere. Dyffryn Ardudwy (SH 589 229) is a place I've known for over 30 years, but Ive only known the monument for 20 or so, and it's still one of my favourite places.

fig. 11 : Dyffryn Ardudwy

The site is reached via a narrow path that runs up the side of the primary school. When it opens out to reveal the site my heart skips a beat. A huge spread of stones mark out the sacred precinct around the two sepulchres, which stand beneath two huge trees. It is doubtful that the stone spread was ever a cairn that once covered the tombs and it is more likely in my mind that the sacred precinct idea is more likely.

The western-most tomb is a rather ramshckle affair, but the other is as sweet and as perfectly formed as they come. It might be small, but it's beautiful! (see fig. 11)