Foel Drygarn

Foel Drygarn rises on the eastern edge of the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. The hillfort crowns the summit and can be seen from miles away, a landmark of iron and stone. Inside its inner defences lie three Bronze Age burial cairns, silent reminders of an older time. Beyond the inner rampart, later stone and earth walls stretch north and east, marking stages of building and rebuilding. A ditch runs outside the inner rampart, adding to the defences. The whole place is protected as a scheduled monument. The site was clearly an important centre in the Iron Age. Excavations by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1899 uncovered Iron Age and Roman pottery, glass beads and many sling stones. At least 227 hut platforms lie within the fort, showing long occupation. Not all huts were used at once, yet the builders left the Bronze Age cairns untouched. The dry-stone ramparts and earthworks remain clearly visible today. Visitors walk among the remains of ancient huts and the three cairns on the summit. The inner enclosure offers wide views across the surrounding countryside. Traces of the ditch and ramparts show how the fort was defended over centuries. The stone mounds stand as they did three thousand years ago. From the hilltop the Preseli Hills stretch in every direction.