The road up to Cerrig Arthur stone circle is narrow and steep. It climbs sharply out of the town of Barmouth, winding at precarious angles until it settles into a straight line ascent above the seaside town. From houses through woods then out into open fields the road lifts you clear of the roar of the sea and replaces this with the howl of the wind across the valley which perches itself above the Afon Mawddach river mouth miles below.
We parked at the entrance to a farm called “Sylfaen” – a reference to the sylvan woods, perhaps, or maybe to the presence of sylphs? Either way Kal noted it as an auspicious sign. This visit would be the third Arthur-related site this year so far, and it was only the middle of January.
We had maps. We had the right clothes. We set off in the right direction. We couldn’t find the circle though! We had to triangulate from mountain tops and buildings to try to work out the position of the stone circle. My tip, if you’re visiting, is this – go through the first gateway up the hill to the left of the farm and then follow the dry stone wall over a couple of crests until you see it. The circle is nestled between two dips, and is very difficult to spot until you’re almost on top of it. We were half way down the valley before we realised we’d gone too far!
When we found it, though, the sun came out and provided us with the kind of photo opportunity that can’t be resisted. We spent a good five minutes just taking pictures before we actually got down to doing some work.
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