Bag those Carns on Myndd Preseli
By Dave and Barbara Palmer

This walk takes you on a round trip of the many Carns to be found on the Preseli Mountains. Including a visit to a spectacular Iron Age fort of Foeldrygarn and a climb to Carn Menyn.

Distance: 10 miles  
Time: 3 hours  
Terrain: Bridleways and open moorland, which can be boggy in places  
Map: Ordnance Survey - Outdoor Leisure 35, North Pembrokeshire:  1.25,000
 Nearest Towns:  Crymych and Cardigan   

Start and Finish: By the old red telephone box and post box, ½ mile west of Penygroes, North West of Crymych  - Grid Ref 1455 350. There are only a few parking places near the telephone box. Please park neatly and don’t block the lane.

  1.      From the Telephone Box take the Bridleway due south and walk down the rough lane until you emerge on to the open moorland. The track now bears left towards a small farm.

2.      Head straight-ahead in a Southeasterly direction across a rough boggy patch of moorland, towards a field and fence at Grid Ref 151 337.

3.      Here you will find an old green path that follows the field boundaries in an Easterly direction, with the Iron Age fort of Foeldrygarn towering up on your right. Follow this path for about 400 M.

4.      This is where the hard part of the walk begins. Begin to climb up the steep side of Foeldrygarn by making your way along the many sheep tracks that head upwards to the top.

5.      After a heart-pounding climb, you cross over the Stone Age ramparts. Enter a once mighty fort, to emerge at the 363m high trig point, at Grid Ref 1579 336. This is a wonderful place to stop because on a clear day the views are quite spectacular. To the north you can see the sea at Newport. Towards the Southeast you can make out the Brecon beacons and easterly you can see the Preseli ridge all the way to St David’s.

6.      Pick your way around the ramparts in a South easterly direction and follow a path that heads downward and crosses a boggy stretch of moorland towards Carn Ddafad-las at Grid Ref. 147 330

7.      From Carn Ddafad-las follow the path Easterly passing Carn Menyn on your left. It is well worth a detour to look at this ancient Carn where the huge Blue stones were removed and taken a hundred miles to build Stonehenge.  This must have been a remarkable feat of engineering for a so-called primitive ancient Briton.

8.      After your detour return to the old path and head Easterly. Drop down into the slight valley and start to cross a really boggy area, following a line of poles that help you to make out the old path.

9.      As the path starts to climb you will soon come to the Small Stone Circle of Bed Arthur reputed to be the burial site of King Arthur.

10.  Climb the short steep rise and pass by Carn Bica on your right at Grid Ref 129 3255

11.  Head on Easterly and just after you pass the spot height of 375m the path starts to descend. Soon you will reach a faint path heading north easterly towards Carn Goedog.

12.  Turn right onto this path and head towards Carn Goedog at Grid Ref. 128 332, which will soon come into site. Don’t be tempted to follow the many old sheep tracks that head downward into the valley or you will soon head into a deep bog. Just keep higher up on the old path that soon becomes more obvious as it picks it’s way around the boggy ground.

13.  When you reach Carn Goedog follow the path Easterly on higher ground until you reach a faint path that heads north easterly to the left of Carnalw, which is an old Settlement.

14.  After you pass Carnalw on your right, the path gets harder to follow. Head North easterly towards the fences of the field boundaries and to the right of a large house at Mirianog-ganol. Soon an old Bridle path finger post comes into view, close to a cattle grid by the edge of the cultivated fields at Grid Ref 138 344.

15.  When you reach the finger post turn RIGHT and head Easterly on a Bridleway that doesn’t exist across a boggy section of gorse and streams to a fence and field boundary straight in front of you.

16.  Follow the fence on your left Northward and soon you will pick up a faint Bridleway that weaves northward around the many streams to arrive at an iron field gate at Grid Ref 1435 3484.

17.  Pass through the gate, remembering to heed the sign on the gate and replace the Hook, pass a cottage on your left, and head down the rough track until you reach the road.

18.  At the road turn RIGHT and soon the Red Post Box comes into view. In just a few minutes you are at the Phone box where you started you walk.        

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