Pen-rhiwlas round barrow

Pen-rhiwlas is a round barrow in Ceredigion, a grassy burial mound built by Neolithic or Bronze Age people for ceremonies or to hold the dead. It stands in farmland near the village of Cwmbrwyno, one of many similar mounds in the area, some dating from later centuries. The site carries the Cadw reference number CD118 and is one of nearly 400 round barrows on the Welsh national record. Raised around 3000 BC, the practice of building these mounds continued until about 600 BC, with most created between 2400 and 1500 BC. The barrow’s form and position reflect the beliefs and organisation of early farming communities across Wales. Its preservation shows how these ancient structures survive in the Welsh countryside. Visitors reach the mound along farm tracks and find a low, circular earthwork covered in turf and wildflowers. The surrounding fields stretch away to distant hills, giving a quiet sense of the landscape the builders knew. From the top of the barrow the view takes in rolling green ridges and the occasional standing stone. The site is peaceful, with only the sound of wind and birds.