<< Our Photo Pages >> Pen Y Beacon - Stone Circle in Wales in Powys

Submitted by Johnny on Monday, 03 March 2003  Page Views: 22615

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Pen Y Beacon Alternative Name: Blaenau, Pen-Y-Beacon
Country: Wales County: Powys Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Hay-on-Wye
Map Ref: SO23933735  Landranger Map Number: 161
Latitude: 52.029323N  Longitude: 3.110196W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 3 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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radrad emh504 MicheleW jonathandown would like to visit

Anne T visited on 12th Jul 2021 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 Blaenau Stone Circle (remains of): At first view, there was only one standing stone here, immediately adjacent to the car park park, where people were picnicking in their cars and rubbish all around. Rather than there being a footpath, it was a short walk across the grass to the standing stone. I was very disappointed, but we got out to explore anyway, and found what appeared to be three other stones lying flat in the grass, and other lumps and bumps around that could have been stones lying under the turf. We had the Coflein record up on our phones, so tried to trace the 29.8m diameter of the circle, and thought we spotted part of the outer arc of the circle away from the car park. The one standing stone has a well-worn bench mark on its southern side, almost at ground level.

MercuryMars visited on 17th Oct 2020 - their rating: Access: 5

SumDoood visited on 1st Jan 1966 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 5

TheCaptain Bladup cerrig sem mrcrow have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2 Ambience: 2 Access: 4.67

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by cerrig : This is looking South West,towards Twmpa(Lord Herefords Knob) (Vote or comment on this photo)
Marked as stone circle and sited adjacent to a car park on a minor road from Hay-on-Wye to Llanthony. This site has only recently been recognised as a stone circle: in the past it had variously been described as the remains of a cairn or burial chamber.

The largest stone, on the east of the circle, is 1.5m high and 1.1m wide and has much smaller stones to either side of it which follow the arc of a circle 30m in diameter. Underneath the Ordnance Survey bench mark, a circular depression can be seen which is believed to be a cupmark, something of a rarity in this area of Wales. Four very small stones are just discernible on the opposite side of the circle with another stone to the south.

The circle has an obvious entrance to the SE marked by flanking portal stones which are not a common feature amongst stone circles in Wales.

More information can be found on Coflein NPRN 92240, a site visit from 2002 describing this site as: "A circle, 29.8m in diameter, comprising thirteen stones averaging 0.1m high, with the exception of one that stands 1.5m high. Obscured to the E by a carpark, the circle was recognised in 1969".
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Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Bladup : Hay bluff from Pen-y-beacon on a very windy day. This Original Artwork in a glass frame is £39.99 + Postage (Just whatever it costs), and is 21 cm x 14 cm. A limited (to a 100) edition print in a 8" x 10" glass frame would be £19.99 + £2.90 postage, E-mail me at [email protected] if interested. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by cerrig : A wider view,looking towards the Central Beacons and the Black Mountain(somewhere in the clouds) (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by TheCaptain : The four portal stones with Hay Bluff beyond. Blocks now keep most of the cars in the parking area, whereas in years gone by they used to be able to drive all over the circle. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by cerrig : Looking North West,towards the centre of the circle, showing the stumps and slabs of the broken stones,this upright is the only intact one left. On the far horizon ,in line with this entranceway,would be Banc y Cellin stone circle,20klm's away,itself aligned in this direction. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by cerrig : Looking North West,towards Builth Wells.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Anne T : Stepping across the stones which keep the cars within the parking area, rather than intruding on what remains of the stone circle, this one solitary stone is the one thing that is immediately visible as we stepped out of the car. Walking closer to this stone, the remains of other stones, buried in the grass on the north-western side can be easily seen.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by TheCaptain : The largest remaining stone of the circle, and the only one most people see.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by TheCaptain : The view to the northwest into mid Wales

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by TheCaptain : View southwest from the edge of the circle towards Lord Hereford's Knob

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Postman : After a long day stoning around the Beacons.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Postman : The rest of the circle

Pen y Beacon
Pen y Beacon submitted by Johnny : Pen y Beacon (or Blaenau) Stone Circle, Powys (SO 239 373): Another view of the only remaining stone of any size in this circle. The circle has an obvious entrance to the SE marked by flanking portal stones which are not a common feature amongst stone circles in Wales.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine : 2008

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine : The view 2008

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine : The largest car-park stone

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Antonine : Stones in the gorse, 2008

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Anne T : The well-worn bench mark at the base of the southern side of the main (only) standing stone. Johnny mentions a possible cup mark just below the bench mark. That can be seen here on the photo, but looked to us just where an inclusion had weathered out, but would love to be proved wrong!

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Anne T : Standing just to the north-west of the main stone, showing its proximity to the car park.

Pen Y Beacon
Pen Y Beacon submitted by Anne T : Standing just to the south of the main standing stone, looking north-ish. The square blocks of stone to the top/right define the edges of the car park.

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Re: Pen Y Beacon by Anonymous on Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Having seen it on the OS map, I paid a visit this afternoon. Can't say that the entrance portal was all that 'obvious', either to me or a gentleman who looked up the entry for me, but the trip was well worth making for the stunning views across the Wye Valley towards Builth and Llandrindod Wells. On a clear, sunny late September day the landscape is majestically beautiful, and so, so quiet, I sat there for a good 3/4 of an hour, just enjoying the peace.

What's the cause of the curious, regular, angular hummocky appearance of the ground within the circle, does anyone know? Is it manmade?

The bird life up here was great. red kite, jay, buzzard, rook, wheatear, lark. Lovely.
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Re: Pen Y Beacon by TheCaptain on Wednesday, 24 January 2018
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Notes from a visit Sept 2016:
First time I have visited this poor old mistreated stone circle for many years, and it’s nice to see all the vehicles parked in the parking area, and no tyre tracks all over the region where the circle remains are. The ground has taken on a very strange lumpy bumpy texture, no idea what will have caused that, but it probably helps protect the circle.

Apart from the single large stone and its immediate neighbours, it’s a bit of a struggle to find all of the stones I found before; hopefully they are just hidden underneath the new growth. I do manage to find three or four stones opposite the “entrance” and another on the western side, plus a couple near to the main stone. It seems none of the other visitors here knows that this is a stone circle despite much talk of the standing stone and being a magical place.

The views from here are magical in this amazingly clear weather. Off to the west can be seen the peaks of the Brecon Beacons and the Fans beyond them. To the right the Malvern Hills can be seen in the distance, while straight on up the Wye valley and I am sure the mountains of Snowdonia can be seen, although it is possible it’s only the lower hills around Rhayader getting in the way.
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Re: Pen Y Beacon by cerrig on Saturday, 13 March 2010
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Street view



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Re: Pen Y Beacon by TheCaptain on Monday, 17 May 2004
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Pen-y-Beacon, Stone Circle in Powys, SO239373
Visited Sunday, 2nd May 2004

Nowadays marked clearly on the OS map, the remains of this stone circle can be found right by the car parking area beside the little road which runs north from the Gospel Pass immediately below Hay Bluff.

The obvious remains here are one fairly large, slab like standing stone, with another stone nearby, which is actually a stone from the car park surround which has been moved so that vehicular access to the hillside can be made. Closer inspection of the area reveals more however, and beside the large stone, the remains of several more slablike stones can just be made out in the grass. At right angles to the large stone, several edge set stone tops can be seen, which sort of make out an arc, smooth side in. Following this arc around on the moor land, several more edge on slabs can be found, which includes another arc of 3 or 4 stones at what would be the opposite side of the circle. In all, I reckon I found about 10 stones that could have been part of this fairly large circle.

The large standing slab seems to me to be a bit of an oddity, in that it is placed in such a way that it is at right angles to the rest of the stones, radially to the circle. There are a few other large stones flat on the ground here, which make me wonder whether this was originally an entrance to the circle, or perhaps some form of burial chamber which just happens to be in the same place ?

Unfortunately, as is becoming more and more commonplace on open moorland within Britain these days, it is all getting destroyed by the moronic behaviour of people in 4 wheel drive vehicles, who see it as some form of challenge to drive their machines over all the lumps and bumps they can find. As I was leaving, there was a large 4WD truck drive off the road onto the grassland near the circle and start careering all over the place, doing handbrake turns and the like. Perhaps these places now need video surveillance.
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Re: Pen Y Beacon by Anonymous on Monday, 03 March 2003
This stone circle now comprises of two stones, but the landscape in which it was built is stunning. Hay Bluff is a long climb away, and the Brecon Beacons are visible in all their magnificent glory in the east.
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Re: Pen Y Beacon by Anonymous on Friday, 28 February 2003
Lovely setting, Hay Bluff nearby and the Brecon Beacons clearly visible, creating a dramatic landscape for these stones. 2 of them are visible, the first is in the pictures, with another small stone opposite it, 30 feet away. The ambience is high here because of the location.
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