Hirfynydd facts for kids

Hirfynydd is a hill in South Wales. It is 481 metres (about 1,578 feet) tall. You can find it in the Neath Port Talbot area.

A very old Roman road, called Sarn Helen, runs along the top of the hill. This road goes from the northeast to the southwest. Today, a modern path follows this same route.

To the west of Hirfynydd is a valley called Cwm Dulais. To the southeast, you'll find the Vale of Neath. The northern part of the hill slopes down to a wide valley. This valley holds the Afon Pyrddin river. Beyond it is the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park.

Most of Hirfynydd is covered with conifer trees. These are trees like pine and fir. In some places between the tree farms, you can see areas where opencast mining used to happen. This is a way of digging up coal from the ground.

Hill's Geology

The top parts of Hirfynydd are made of strong rocks. These rocks are called sandstones and mudstones. They are part of something called the Pennant Sandstone.

Below these hard rocks are more mudstones. You can also find layers of coal here. These layers are known as the South Wales Coal Measures. All these rock layers are tilted. They generally lean towards the south.

Ancient Burial Site

On the side of the hill, west of the main ridge, is an old burial site. It is called the Carn Cornel Round Cairn. This site dates back to the Bronze Age.

A cairn is a pile of stones. This one marks a place where someone was buried long ago. It sits on what looks like a natural small hill. Close by, there is also a boundary stone. This suggests the site later became a marker for land borders.

Roman Fortlet

Right on top of the Hirfynydd ridge, at 450 metres (about 1,476 feet) high, is a small square area. It is surrounded by earth banks. This area is about 18 by 19 metres in size. Its corners are rounded.

This site was a small Roman fort. It is called a Castellum. The Romans used it to keep an eye on the Sarn Helen road. It was also a signal station. From here, they could see far across the land. This fort is now a Scheduled monument, which means it is protected.

Medieval Settlement

On a flat part of the Hirfynydd ridge, you can find signs of an old village. These are called medieval house platforms. They are located near the steep slopes of the Dulais valley. These platforms show where houses once stood.

One area has a rectangular space with earth banks. Inside, there is a platform for a house. Two more house platforms are found nearby. This entire site is also a Scheduled monument. It is sometimes called Coed Ddu and Nant-y-Cafn enclosure.

How to Explore Hirfynydd

Some parts of Hirfynydd are open for walkers. This is thanks to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. This law gives people the right to walk freely in certain areas.

There are also many tracks through the forest. These tracks help people get around. Some of them are also public rights of way. This means anyone can use them.

A special walking path called Saint Illtyd's Walk goes over Hirfynydd. It follows a public bridleway. This path connects the towns of Crynant and Resolven.

See also

• List of scheduled monuments in Neath Port Talbot