Megalithic Portal Map Search - Ancient Sites in Flintshire (Sir y Fflint), Wales

There cannot be many counties where it is possible to visit all the surviving prehistoric sites in a long day, but the small county of Flintshire, in the north-east corner of Wales, is one of them. Overlooking The Wirral, and easily accessible via the main A55 road from Chester, Flintshire holds a number of prehistoric surprises.

Firstly it is home to the the second largest man-made mound in Britain, beaten only by Silbury Hill in Wiltshire. Located to the south-east of Prestatyn, it goes by the name of "The Gop". Consisting of a massive cairn of stones, The Gop is a notable landmark and is intervisibile with many of the other archaeological features in the area. Below the cairn to the south are The Gop Caves, which were used for burial during the Neolithic period.

There is currently only one known stone circle in Flintshire - Penbedw Park (access by permission only). The antiquity of this site has been questioned, but it is scheduled as an ancient monument and the noted archaeologist and stone circle expert, Dr Aubrey Burl, remains open minded about it.

Elsewhere in the county there are a few Bronze Age standing stones, numerous round barrows and several Iron Age hillforts including Penycloddiau. However, the other most notable monument is the prehistoric complex just to the north of the village of Ysceifiog, consisting of a possible henge with associated cursus and round barrows . This was originally thought to be part of Offa’s Dyke, but a recent reassessment has dated it to Bronze Age.

Flintshire, the eastern gateway to North Wales, has much to offer for those interested in prehistory.