Bronze Age hill fort and ceremonial complex
Located above the town of Harlech, this commanding hill is the site of a hill fort and two stone ring cairns, believed to be burial or ceremonial as human remains have been found here. Castell Odo near Aberdaron, which resembles Moel Goedog, is thought to be one of the earliest hill forts in Wales, and Moel Goedog has been dated by association to the late Bronze Age, sometime around the early 1st millennium BC. The cairns are thought to be even older. Analysis of deposits found in one of the pits here suggests that the stone rings date to around 2000 BC. Both sites are adjacent to the prehistoric Fonlief Hir trackway, indicated by a series of standing stones of which 13 remain. This route led from Moel Goedog to the coast at the Meini Hirion, Llanbedr.
It has been suggested that the two stone circles are part of a single design and may have been erected simultaneously. The upper circle consists of a ring of large boulders set upon the inner edge of a grass-covered stone bank. It is around 6 metres (20 feet) across and the centre has been hollowed and levelled. The lower cairn is similar in structure, but the stones here are taller. Excavations carried out in 1978 revealed a number of pits containing charcoal. Three of the pits contained large pots, two of which held the cremated bones of young adults. Two other pits also contained cremated human bones. Some of the cremation deposits were merely token amounts, and it is possible that most of the activity at the cairn was ceremonial.
Hill fort is just off minor road from Llanbedr to Eisingrug off A496 Harlech to Barmouth road.
Harlech - 2.5 miles
Harlech bus stop
On-road cycling
Follow track and turn right to top of hill. OS map required.
Footpath nearby. Hill fort on private land but access allowed to SW section. Very limited parking on roadside – no designated parking.
Full Figure Grid Reference SH 614325 OS Landranger map sheet: 124