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Mynydd y Dref (
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
: ''"Mountain of the Town"'') or Conwy Mountain is a hilly area to the west of the town of
Conwy
Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...
, in
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
. To the north it overlooks the sea of
Conwy Bay
Conwy Bay ( Welsh ''Bae Conwy''), also known as Conway Bay, is an inlet of the Irish Sea. It is situated at the southeastern point of the coast of Anglesey at Bangor on the northern central coast of Wales, stretching from Puffin Island to Gre ...
, and to the south lie the foothills of the
Carneddau
The (lit. 'the cairns'; is a Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to ''Carnedds'') are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over or high) in Wales and England (although l ...
range of mountains, of which it forms a part. Mynydd y Dref is the remains of an ancient
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
that erupted about 450 million years ago.
At the summit of Conwy Mountain are the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
Hut Circles and the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
of
Castell Caer Seion (sometimes called Castell Caer Lleion). Castell Caer Seion comprised a stone walled fort, and remains show this to have been an extensive site, incorporated more than 50
hut circle
In archaeology, a hut circle is a circular or oval depression in the ground which may or may not have a low stone wall around it that used to be the foundation of a round house. The superstructure of such a house would have been made of timber and ...
s and levelled platform houses, and with a citadel and outposts.
Limited excavations were undertaken in 1951. No datable remains were found, only slingstones,
querns
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a saddle quern, while the upper mobile stone is called a muller, rubber or handstone. The ...
and stone pestles and mortars, which suggests that, unlike many hillforts in north Wales, this site was not reoccupied in the late Roman period.
Millstones were quarried on Conwy Mountain during the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Tracks and footpaths cross Conwy Mountain, and many walks, which can be accessed from
Sychnant Pass
Sychnant Pass (Welsh: ''Bwlch Sychnant'', "Dry-stream Pass") in Conwy County Borough, Wales, links Conwy to Penmaenmawr via Dwygyfylchi. Much of the pass is in Snowdonia National Park, and a large area of land within it has been designated a S ...
at its western end.
The route along Conwy Mountain comprises a section of the
North Wales Path
The North Wales Path ( cy, Llwybr y Gogledd) is a long-distance walk of some that runs close to the coast of northern Wales between Prestatyn in the east and Bangor in the west. Parts of it overlap with the Wales Coast Path. The path runs alo ...
, a way-marked long-distance walk of some 60 miles which runs close to the
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
coast between
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085,
History Prehistory
There is evidence that the ...
in the east and
Bangor in the west.
See also
*
List of hillforts in Wales
This is a list of hillforts in Wales.
Anglesey
*Bwrdd Arthur, Din Sylwy (Bwrdd Arthur) (), contour fort
*Caer Idris Hillfort (), promontory fort
*Caer y Twr (), partial contour fort
*Dinas Gynfor (), promontory fort
*Dinas Porth Ruffydd (), p ...
*
List of hillforts in Conwy County Borough
References
{{Conwy Valley
Mountains and hills of Conwy County Borough
Volcanoes of Wales
Ordovician volcanoes
Conwy
Mountains and hills of Snowdonia