Barclodiad-y-Gawres Chambered Cairn

This burial mound has five carved stones within its chamber, now capped by concrete to prevent their erosion. The stones are carved with a range of patterns including spirals cup marks and zig-zag features. The purpose of these marks is unknown, but they may have had some ritual function.

According to local folklore the tomb was created by a giantess, who was carrying the huge boulders in her apron. The weight was too much for the apron strings and the stones fell to form the cairn.

Chambered cairns were often seen as the work of giants or legendary figures, often transformed to giant size.

The opposite drawing shows a portion of the carving on one of the stones. Their meaning is elusive.

Directions: The burial chamber is situated on the Anglesey coast, on a footpath off the A4080.