Castell Pared Mawr hillfort, Porth Ceiriad
Here the remains of a small Iron Age hillfort, Castell Pared Mawr, guard the bay called Porth Ceiriad. There is no public access to the fort site, which is on Ysgubor Hen farmland.
Pared Mawr means ‘large wall’, a reference to the sheer cliff alongside the fort. The cliff is 90 metres (300ft) high. This fort gave its name to the bay below – Ceiriad coming from caer (‘fort’) and the ending '-iad' meaning 'location/site'.
Within the fort site is a rectangular plot – c.39 by 21 metres (c.130 by 70ft) – slanting downwards slightly to the east. On the west side of this plot are the remains of a round hut c.6.5 metres (c.22ft) across, its entrance facing east. The entrance to the fort itself was on the south side, facing the sea, from a clifftop ledge. A distinct ditch can be seen on the north and west sides.
Evidence has been found of earlier human activity in the area, including signs that flint was worked in the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age) near both Pen Cilan and Bwlchtocyn. Flint tools, including a thumb-scraper, have been found at Porth Ceiriad. There are also remains of a hillfort, probably from the Iron Age, near the former Tan'rallt lead mine in Llanengan.
There was further defensive construction on this section of the coast in the Second World War, when the surviving pillbox was built at the highest point as a defence in case the Germans tried to launch an invasion of Britain in this area.
With thanks to Diogelu Enwau Llanengan, and Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
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