Preseli Hills

View from Carn Menyn eastwards towards Foel Drygarn (centre-left) and Y Frenni (centre-right) in the distance

The Preseli Hills or, as they are known locally and historically, Preseli Mountains (Welsh: Mynyddoedd y Preseli / Y Preselau—also spelt Presely or Mynydd Prescelly) is a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

The range stretches from Dinas Island, Cardigan Bay to Frenni Fach, near Crymych approximately 13 miles (20 km) to the east. The ancient 8-mile (13 km) track along the top of the range is known as the Golden Road.

The Preselis have a diverse ecosystem, many prehistoric sites, and are a popular tourist destination.

Geography

The mountains, much of which are unenclosed moorland or low-grade grazing with areas of bog, are surrounded by farmland and active or deserted farms. Field boundaries tend to be earth banks topped with fencing and stock-resistant plants such as gorse.

Peaks

Carn Edward with view towards Cerrig Lladron

The principal peak at 1,759 feet (536 m) above sea level is Foel Cwmcerwyn. There are 14 other peaks over 980 feet (300 m) of which three exceed 1,300 feet (400 m). The 15 peaks, with notes on their features, are listed in the table below, accessed by clicking on the 'show' link.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Peak	m	Image	Notes
Foel Cwmcerwyn	536		Highest peak; cairns; disused quarry
Cerrig Lladron	468
Foel Feddau	467
Carn Siân	402
Frenni Fawr	395		Tumuli; see also Blaenffos
Mynydd Bach	374		Stone circle, standing stone, tumulus
Foel Dyrch	368
Carn Menyn	365		Bluestones
Foel Drygarn	363		Hill fort (English: Three Cairns)
Crugiau Dwy	359		Preseli Transmitting Station
Mynydd Carningli	347
Mynydd Castlebythe	347
Waun Mawn	339
Mynydd Cilciffeth	335
Mynydd Melyn	307

Settlements

Villages and other settlements within the range are Blaenffos, Brynberian, Crosswell, Crymych, Cwm Gwaun, Dinas Cross, Glandy Cross, Mynachlog-ddu, New Inn, Pentre Galar, Puncheston, Rosebush and Tafarn-y-Bwlch. The principal town in the area is Newport, whose southern part is in the foothills of the north-western end of the range.

Other features

Rosebush Reservoir, one of only two reservoirs in Pembrokeshire, supplies water to southern Pembrokeshire and is a brown trout fishery located on the southern slopes of the range near the village of Rosebush. There are no natural lakes in the mountains, but a number of local rivers are fed from springs or bogs in the uplands.

The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status; the citation states that the area is "...exceptional in Wales for the combination of upland and lowland features...". Numerous scarce plant and insect species exist in the hills. The hills are the most important site in Wales for the declining Southern damselfly, and efforts to restore habitat were underway in 2015.

Pre-history and bluestones

Pollen analysis suggests that the hills were once forested but the forests had been cleared by the late Bronze Age.

Carn Menyn bluestones

The Preselis are dotted with prehistoric remains, including evidence of Neolithic settlement. In 1923 the petrologist Herbert Henry Thomas identified that bluestone from the hills corresponded to that used to build the inner circle of Stonehenge, and more recent geologists have identified Carn Menyn (formerly called Carn Meini) as one of the bluestone sources. Advanced details of the most recent contribution to the puzzle of the precise origin of the Stonehenge bluestones were published by the BBC in November 2013.

Others theorise that bluestone from the area was deposited close to Stonehenge by glaciation.

More detailed discussions on the bluestone topic can be found in the Stonehenge, Theories about Stonehenge and Carn Menyn articles.

Sacred and historic sites

The mountains are rich in sacred and historic sites, many of which are marked on Ordnance Survey maps. They include bluestones, burial chambers, tumuli, hill forts, hut circles, stone circles, henges, standing stones and other prehistoric remains.

Bedd Arthur standing stones

Carreg Coetan burial chamber

Some of the more notable are -

• Bedd Arthur (hengiform standing stones)
• Mynydd Carningli (hillfort, SSSI)
• Carn Menyn (chambered cairn)
• Carreg Coetan Arthur (neolithic dolmen)
• Castell Henllys (reconstructed Iron Age fort)
• Temple Druid (standing stone, cromlech)
• Pentre Ifan (burial chamber).

Others include -

• Banc Du (evidence of prehistoric settlement)
• Carn Alw (neolithic settlement)
• Carn Goedog (bluestones and standing stone)
• Foel Drygarn (hillfort)
• Foel Cwmcerwyn (tumuli)
• Frenni Fach & Frenni Fawr (tumuli - see also Blaenffos)
• Glandy Cross (prehistoric remains)
• Glyn Gath (tumulus)
• Gors Fawr (stone circle)
• Mynyedd Melyn (hut circle)
• Parc-y-Meirw (standing stones)
• Rhos fach (standing stones)
• Tafarn y Bwlch (mountain pass and standing stones)
• Tre-Fach (standing stone, prehistoric camp)
• Ty-Meini (standing stone, known as "The Lady Stone")
• Waun Mawn (standing stones).

Most of these sites (and others) are on the List of Scheduled prehistoric Monuments in north Pembrokeshire, spread across a number of communities that share parts of the Preseli range.

In 2010, Dyfed Archaeological Trust carried out a comprehensive survey of historic sites in the Preseli Hills for Cadw.

History

Battle of the Preselau plaque, Mynachlog-ddu

Slate quarrying was once an important industry in the Preseli mountains; the former quarries, worked for much of the 19th century, can still be seen in a number of locations such as Rosebush. Preseli slate was not of roofing quality, but its density made it ideal for machining for building and crafts. Most quarries had closed by the 1930s but there is a workshop at Llangolman where slate is still used to make a variety of craft items.

During the Second World War, the War Office used the Preseli mountains for training exercises by British and American air and ground forces. Its proposed continued use after the war was the subject of a two-year—ultimately successful—protest by local leaders. The success of the protest is commemorated with a plaque (pictured) near Mynachlog-ddu.

Today

Castell Henllys reconstructed Iron Age fort

The Preselis provide hill grazing for much of the year and there is some forestry. The hills are popular with walkers wishing to follow prehistoric trails, with walks varying from easy to long-distance. Horse riding and cycling are permitted, but the sport of paragliding is not permitted without the consent of the land owners - and they have collectively agreed not to allow it.

As well as features of interest to geologists and archaeologists, the hills have a wide variety of bird, insect and plant life. There are three sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Carn Ingli and Waun Fawr (biological), and Cwm Dewi (geological).

One major road, the A478, crosses the eastern end of the range, reaching a height of 248 metres (814 ft). Two B-class roads, intersecting at New Inn, cross the hills: the B4313 NW-SE, reaching 278 metres (912 ft) and the B4329 NE-SW, reaching 404 metres (1,325 ft). These, and a number of other minor roads and lanes, provide scenic routes popular with motoring, cycling and walking tourists. Some grazing areas are protected by cattle grids.

The Preseli transmitting station mast, erected in 1962, stands on Crugiau Dwy near the hamlet of Pentre Galar. To the south of Crugiau Dwy is the extensively quarried hill Carn Wen (Garnwen Quarry) in which blasting for aggregates restarted in 2013.

Dyfed Archaeological Trust has produced extensive notes on the mountain range and surrounding features and villages.

External links

• Geograph: photographs of the Preseli Hills and surrounding area
• BBC Wales: local history
• Experience Pembrokeshire: Mynydd Preseli
• Preseli at The Modern Antiquarian (forum)
• Visit Pembrokeshire: The Preseli Mountains