Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn Caves

Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn Caves are two scheduled monuments in Denbighshire, Wales. They sit high on a valley side above the Vale of Clwyd, with their entrances close together. The caves were first excavated in the 1880s. Archaeologists found human tools dating back to around 36,000 BC. A mammoth bone from 16,000 BC was also uncovered. The site is important for its early evidence linking Paleolithic tools with extinct animals. It provided one of the first direct associations between human artefacts and bones of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses. In 1963 the caves were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The caves are also valued for their role as a winter roost for lesser horseshoe bats. Visitors find two caves with entrances near each other on the valley side. The surrounding area offers views over the Vale of Clwyd. The site’s significance lies in its ancient finds and its importance for bat conservation. Nearby Cefn Caves lie seven kilometres to the west. The caves stand as quiet reminders of the past within the Welsh landscape.