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This route is more of a megalithic drive as the sites are spread over quite a large area. The first Anglesey route is based mainly around the south and west coasts mostly following the A4080. Burial
Chamber Directions
This late Neolithic burial mound dates back to 2000BC. It was built in two stages, the first being a “henge” with a ditch and stone circle, followed at a later stage with a central stone chamber used for human burial purposes which was covered in a mound of soil. The grave is entered from the northeast by a narrow passage 27 feet (8.2 metres) long and 3 feet (0.9 metres) wide. The passage is divided by two tall portal stones, the outer passage 10 feet (3 metres) long and unroofed, and the inner passage 17 feet (5 metres) long. On the north wall of the inner passage is a low shelf. The passage leads to an inner chamber 8 feet (2.4 metres) wide which is roofed by two capstones. Human bones were found in the chamber and passage as well as flint arrowheads, a stone bead and shells. Inside this chamber is a free standing pillar and one of the stones on the south wall has a spiral carved on it.
The megalithic passage and chamber were first excavated in 1865 and today has been extensively restored. The mound is about 12ft (3.7m) high. A stone lined passage leads to a chamber where skeletons were found. In this chamber is a tall stone column believed to represent a female guardian of the dead. This figure has been mistaken for a “figure in white” ghost in local superstition. The passage is in line with the midsummer sunrise and an outlying standing stone in a nearby field continues this line. This can be seen from the top of the mound.
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The entrance passage and the forecourt
The carved stone and inner pillar
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Cromlech Directions
A cromlech is a burial
chamber made from stones. Originally it would have had soil over it in a
mound but this has eroded away. There is an ugly fence around it and it
measures about 8-10ft across by 6ft high (2.4-3m by 2m) This small chamber
has never been excavated but it's construction is characteristic of the
Neolithic period. It has four upright and one fallen supporting stones but
onlt three of them now hold the massive capstone up. The capstone is 8
feet (2.4 metres) by 6 feet (1.8 metres) wide. The low upright on the east
side of the chamber may mark the original entrance to the chamber.
Returning to the A4080 down the lane after the crossroads you will see a metal gate and sign on the right opposite a house. This leads to a large ditch and bank construction called Caer Leb. Go through the gate and you can see it over a style in front.
Caer Leb Mound This is a large rectangular construction defined by double banks and ditches. It measures around 200 feet (61 metres) by 160 feet (48.8 metres) and possibly has it's origins before the 3rd century AD as a brooch from that time was found here.
Return to the A4080 and go straight across towards Ty Coch. Carry on until you see a footpath sign on the left and park where the lane is a little wider near a house further down. Follow the footpath and go through five gates across fields. You will see the chamber in the middle of a field on the left. It has a large collapsed capstone visible and seems to have some of it’s stones removed.
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Ring Mound
This monument consists of a single bank, partly destroyed by farm buildings on the north side. Excavations in 1959 revealed the site has a long history spanning Neolithic to Roman periods. The earliest phase consisted of a circular enclosure about 130 feet (40 metres) in diameter of late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date. This was defined by a bank with an external ditch. It was thought to have been a henge monument but these usually have the ditch inside the bank. Also the excavations revealed postholes and debris within the enclosure suggesting it was once a small settlement rather than a ritual site. Finds include flints and pottery of the late Neolithic period.
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