Carn Fadryn, sometimes Carn Fadrun or Garn Fadryn, is a five-

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

and is the name of the mountain on which the fort is situated. It lies in the centre of the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( or , ) is a peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, with an area of about , and a population of at least 20,000. It extends into the Irish Sea, and its southern coast is the northern boundary of the Tremadog Bay inlet of Cardigan Ba ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, and overlooks the village of Garnfadryn, Wales. There seems to be two phases of ancient hillfort building on Carn Fadryn, followed by a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

of the summit. The first period of fortification at Garn Fadryn dates from about 300 BC, when the summit and an area of some were enclosed. These were re-fortified during a second period and a wider area towards the north of a total of about was enclosed. This second period of reinforcement dates from about 100 BC. The third fort which strengthens the natural crag near the summit is thought to be "the castle of the sons of Owain", mentioned in 1188 as being newly built. ( Giraldi Cambrensis Opera ( Rolls series, 1868), VI, p123 'dua castra lapidea de nova sita fuerunt; unum...Deutrait; alterum...in capite Lhein, quod erat filium Oenei, cui nomen Karnmadrun.') The medieval castle was built on the highest part of the summit, and was one of the earliest Welsh castles, symbolising power following the death of Prince

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...

and the division of his land between his sons.The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales, Cadw, Welsh Government, p. 12
/ref> On a clear day, the view from Garn Fadryn takes in

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

, most of

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay () is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geography Cardigan Bay ha ...

and even the

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: '' Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Where the mountai ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

References

External links

Information site for Garnfadryn Llŷn - Safle am Garnfadryn

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Carn Fadryn and surrounding area
{{coord, 52.88571, N, 4.56077, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SH278351), display=title Buildings and structures in Gwynedd Archaeological sites in Gwynedd Marilyns of Wales Tourism in Gwynedd Tudweiliog Mountains and hills of Gwynedd

See also

References

External links