Pen y Gaer
| Pen y Gaer | |||
| Caernarfonshire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Pen y Gaer from the west | |||
| Range: | Snowdonia | ||
| Summit: | 1,263 feet SH749693 53°12’22"N, 3°52’23"W | ||
Pen y Gaer is a hill at the eastern edge of Snowdonia in Caernarfonshire, as the western confines of the county descend towards the Conwy Valley. It is modest by the standards of Snowdonia, rising to just 1,263 feet. It is found near the village of Llanbedr-y-Cennin.
The hill-top is the location of a Bronze Age and Iron Age hillfort.
Hill fort
The name ‘Pen y Gaer’ means ‘Peak of the Fort’. This is a natural defensive site overlooking the Conwy Valley and has a long history of occupation, indicated by the complexity of the defences, which were amended over time. There are two Bronze Age cairns on the north-west slope, and extensive prehistoric and later field systems are nearby. The remains as seen today are mostly of Iron Age origin, but further earthworks, probably of mediæval origin, lie on the south-eastern slopes.
The remains of the two walls of stone can be seen, as can those of a chevaux-de-frise. The entrance is to the west, and access can be gained from a car park, reached by the road from the village.
