Thanks to George Nash for inviting me to come over and have a look at the work currently under way at Trellyffaint cromlech, not far from Moylgrove. A fabulous spring day, and a very interesting chat.
The cromlech is reputed to be a ruined portal dolmen, and indeed it is in a bit of a decrepit state. Did it collapse during construction, or after it was abandoned? It's built of natural erratics presumably collected from the neighbourhood. The big supporting rock on the left is made of dolerite, but I think the capstone and the right-hand support are made of volcanic ash, as are several of the smaller stones. There are other small dolerite cobbles lying around, and some that seem to be made of rhyolite and local shales and mudstones, some of which are metamorphosed. There are lumps of quartz lying around too; these have probably come from bands of quartz in the mudstones exposed in the nearby cliffs.
Was there a mound partly covering the burial site? George thinks that this is very likely.
There may have been another cromlech just to the left of the one seen in the photo -- so was this related in some way to the "cromlech cluster" at Cerrig y Gof?
The main work of George's research team has concentrated on the cupmarks on the capstone and other stones, and on ground surveys. There is no actual excavation at the site this year. Some interesting things are emerging. George will no doubt report on these when he is ready.......
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