Coetan Arthur

  

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C o e t a n  A r t h u r

Coetan Arthur (also known as Arthurs Quoit).

 A dolmen on the southwest coast of Wales 

on the St. Davids's head peninsular, 

in county of Pembrokeshire, Wales.

This impressive megalithic tomb dates from 

between 4000 to 3000 BC.

The dolmen, which is formed by two vertical 

megaliths erected to support a flat capstone,

is partially collapsed, but still impressive nonetheless.

Visit Date August 2022

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There are many ancient burial sites around the southwest of Wales

These burial sites are often marked with three or more uprights and a large capstone. Often this is all that is left of the site which would originally be covered with earth. This upright/capstone structure has been called a Dolmens or often also referred to here in Wales as a Cromlech, but my understanding is that Cromlech can also refer to a circular stone structure.

This structure should not be confused with Carreg Coeten Arthur which is also in Pembroke, and which will be covered in another blog soon.

The St Davids headland is full of ancient remains including signs of ancient field patterns, Neolithic enclosures, and defensive banks and ditches.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the burial chamber is the massive capstone, which is roughly 6m long and 2.5m wide. The upright stone supporting it (known as an orthostat) is about 1.5m high.

The site here overlooks Whitesands Bay at St. Davids and has a good view but is far enough from the main cliff not to be to battered by any storms that hit the coast.

It has been reported many visitors to the site that they found the site hard to find. I suspect that if you were only casually walking the coast path that this could be true but I found that the site could be seen from quite a distance when walking east to west which seems to be the most natural direction to be walking.

These ancient sites often have a legend attached to them and this one is no exception. The legend for Coetan Arthur states King Arthur himself chucked the stones from nearby Carn Llidi.

Note: The terms Dolmen, Cromlech and Quoit are often used to describe this sort of neolithic site.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.90450867492426, -5.308083153876568

What Three Words reference: -
///snowstorm.finely.deck

OS Details: -
SM 72527 28056 Altitude: 162 ft

Additional information.
Visiting is easy, head to Whitesands bay car park (51.897174093111616, -5.2940221280185105) this is a caravan and camping park and is easy to get to.

There is good facilities for the park, there is a charge for parking.

The walk is around 1mile from the car park but is not flat it is undulating.
Before you descend to the path to Pothmelgan beach (there is a small crossing) you can see the site to the northwest. You can then either take the steep path directly to the site of take the coastal path around the head and then on to the site.

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Maen Ceti (Arthur's Stone)

 Visit Date February 2019: .

Many ancient monuments have the name "Arthur's Stone, but this dolmen situated in the centre of the Gower peninsula in South Wales is mounted on top of what is a small mountain and is overlooking the mouth of the River Loughor and onto Carmarthen Bay.

This Neolithic burial site is known locally as Maen Ceti or the Stone of Ceti.

The Site dates back at least to 2500 BC and possibly even earlier.

The capstone of a quartz conglomerate has an estimated weight of 25 tons, and measures around 13 feet wide and 7 feet high. It was once larger than this, but at some time in the past, a 10-ton section of the stone broke off and now lies cracked at the side of the cairn. Legend has it that the patron saint of Wales, St. David cleaved the stone apart with his sword in protest of Druid worship.

The capstone is supported by 4 uprights although the evidence is that there may have been more originally.

This monument has been well known and well documented and was probably first mentioned in Welsh Triads of the 10th Century. In the 15th Century, it is recorded that Henry VII's (born in Pembrokeshire castle), troops, en route to the battle at Bosworth Field, made a one hundred mile detour to visit the stone. This was presumably to support Henry's claim to be the new Arthur.

Another legend relates to the Dolmens English name, Arthur's Stone, and tells how King Arthur while marching to the Battle of Camlann, found a pebble in his shoe, Tossed it aside and the stone grew with pride to it's current size.

Like many of these legends relating to this type of megalith, it is also said that the capstone travels down to the estuary on New Year's Eve to drink from the river.

Maen Ceti was once referred to as one of “the three arduous undertakings accomplished in Britain.” the other two being Stonehenge and Silbury Hill.

Close by, just a few hundred metres to the west of Maen Ceti there is another mound that could be the site of another Cairn.

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Visit Information:-

Google Reference:-
51.59352460633934, -4.1793914504919405

What Three Words reference:-
///quitter.sandpaper.bearable

OS Details:-
SS 49134 90547  Altitude: 482 ft

Additional information.

Visiting is easy as it is alongside the B4271 out of Reynoldstown on the Gower peninsular. I visited by parking close by and there is a car park near the start of the walk (51.588877417146136, -4.180022525744314).

Although the site can't be seen from the road walk North from the car park along the country path and after a short while the site will come into view.

There are wild horses here on the common and they are friendly and not wary of people but take care.

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