Craig Ty-Isaf

Craig Ty-Isaf is a small hillfort on the hillside called Mynydd y Gaer in Baglan community, Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. It stands within Briton Ferry Woods, overlooking the town of Baglan from its south-western slope. The oval enclosure covers about 0.2 hectares and is formed by a broad rubble bank. Two further banks on the eastern side extend the area of banks and ditches, making the site a Scheduled Monument. Recent test cuts for mineral extraction have left various internal features across the site. The earthworks sit 210 metres above sea level and measure 65 metres east to west and 45 metres north to south. The northern ramparts follow the ridge’s crest, giving views over Baglan to the south. The earliest earthworks include a complete oval of rubble banks, some 2.5 metres high and 9 metres wide. A second bank runs along the east side, matching the main earthwork in age. A later third bank, further east, blocks the original entrance, suggesting the entrance moved over time. The site was declared a Scheduled Monument in 1959 and listed among the 24 most significant hillforts in Glamorgan in 1971. Though no footpaths cross the hillfort itself, the surrounding Briton Ferry Woods offers marked trails through mature broadleaved trees and planted conifers. The woods are open to the public, and an inland section of the Wales Coast Path runs along the lower edge, just 200 metres south of the hillfort.