Built at around 4000bc the St. Lythans Dolmen is a large lonely structure near the Capital of Wales, Cardiff.
Originally covered by an earthen mound around 90ft/27m in length, only traces of this now remain.
Despite its Neolithic origins, the site’s name may derive from the Arthurian legend of Culhwch and Olwen, which appears in two 14th-century texts.
St. Lythans Dolmen is only 1.6km from another more extensive Tinkinswood burial chamber
The capstone, which slopes downwards, measures four metres (13 ft) long, three metres (10 ft) wide, and 0.7 metres (2 ft) thick.
Interestingly, this site is likely to be a lot older than the more expansive and more well known Stonehenge.
There are many of this type of structures, often also referred to as Cromlechs all over Europe.
These structures often have "local legends" attributed to them and the one I like the most is that each Midsummer's Eve, the capstone spins around three times and all the stones go to the nearby river to bathe, Now if I could only capture that with my camera!
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Google Search reference: MSt Lythans Dolmen
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Additional information
Visiting is easy but there is no parking here and therefore you will have to park on the side of the road. The road is not too busy so for a short visit you should be fine.
The Dolmen is in a field and is signposted but please take care in the field.
Grew up in Cardiff and never heard of this one. If only we knew more about them. Fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYes, mysterious and often remote. This one can be seen from the roadside and is a great example. Thanks for the comments.
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