Mynydd-y-Gaer
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Mynydd-y-Gaer is a hill that sits on the boundaries between the South Wales communities of Baglan (south-western quarter), Cwmavon (south-eastern quarter) and
Briton Ferry Briton Ferry () is a town and Community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a deri ...
, (northern half), all within
Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhon ...
county borough. The summit, at , has grassland fields subdivided by dry stone walls. Foel Fynyddau lies 2 km to east. To the south is the coastal plain of the
Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...
. To the West is the
Vale of Neath The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 du ...
. To the north is the Crythan Brook and the town of Neath. It has numerous prehistoric monuments, and evidence of occupation in medieval times, as well as 19th and 20th century coalmining.


Prehistory

Three
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
s are on the hill, all dating to the
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 ...
. Close to the summit is the hillfort enclosure of Buarth-y-Gaer. On the south-west flank, close to Baglan, is a small hillfort, Craig Ty-Isaf. A third hillfort, Gaer Fawr is 800 m (870 yd) from the summit, on the northern spur.
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
burial cairns are also recorded. One, near the summit, is within the enclosure at Buarth-y-Gaer. Similarly the enclosure at Gaer Fawr has a group of 5 cairns, which may once have been as many as 19, but the rest appear to be ploughed away. Another cairn is located on the crest of the ridge, part way between the two enclosures.


Medieval occupation

There are records of a deserted medieval village having been located on Mynnydd-y-Gaer, although the location is uncertain. A house platform has been identified on the east side of the hill. The only high-level road over the hill is a minor road that runs north-south over the saddle between Mynydd-y-Gaer and Foel Fynyddau, close by the house platform, and also past a number of disused coalmining levels, in the vicinity of Gelligaer Fach Farm, and probably dating at least to the 19th century.


Coal mining

Although no coalmining currently takes place on the hill, two collieries were located there in the first half of the twentieth century. The numerous earlier levels had accessed the coal from levels on the east side of the hill. At a much larger scale the Cwm Mawr colliery, based further south in Cwmafon, opened up a No 3 slant around 1920, running into the side of Mynydd-y-Gaer. From 1922 it was owned by Briton Ferry Collieries Ltd, who employed upwards of 100 men at the Cwm Mawr mines for the next 20 years. It closed in 1944, with a short-lived re-opening in 1950. On the northern tip of the Mynydd-y-Gaer ridge was the Eskyn Colliery. This was established early in the 20th century, and constructed a leat, engine house, tramroad and spoil tips, all of which remain. However it was of short duration, and was listed as disused in 1919.


Access

No footpaths run to the summit of the hill. On the eastern side a minor road crosses the high saddle 80m below the summit. A section of the
Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...
's Margam Forest may allow access to its rides. On the western side are the Briton Ferry Woods, a mixed woodland including plantations and broadleaved trees, occupying a large area of the slopes and ridges on that side of the hill, and with many paths and rides. The
Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path () is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire len ...
has an inland section that runs along the south-western rim of these woods. In 1861 the Ynysmaerdy Railway Incline was opened along the northern edge of the hill, to transport
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
down to Briton Ferry docks. The line closed in 1910. Ynysmaerdy Railway Incline


See also

* List of Scheduled Monuments in Neath Port Talbot * Buarth-y-Gaer


References

{{reflist Mountains and hills of Neath Port Talbot