Carnedd gron Foel Fynyddau

Carnedd gron Foel Fynyddau is a round cairn near Pelenna in Neath Port Talbot. It dates from the end of the Stone Age and the start of the Bronze Age. The site sits on a gentle slope above the valley of the River Pelenna. Its purpose was probably linked to burial rituals and religious ceremonies. The cairn is built of stones piled into a low circular mound. The cairn was raised by the area’s early inhabitants who also built chambered tombs and standing stones. Cadw recognises the site and lists it as a scheduled ancient monument with the number GM279. It stands apart from ring cairns, which have a different shape and function. The builders used local stones without mortar or shaping. Visitors reach the cairn along farm tracks and footpaths through open moorland. The view stretches across the valley to surrounding hills. The site is quiet, with only the wind and distant sheep for company. It offers a clear sense of the landscape the Bronze Age people knew. The stones remain where they were placed thousands of years ago.