Dinas Dinlle is a small settlement in

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

, north-west

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

which is also, historically, part of

Caernarfonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

Description

Dinas Dinlle has a large

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and

pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

with vast areas of sand from mid-tide level. The

foreshore The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species of ...

consists of natural pebble banks. The popular beach offers views towards the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn or , ) extends into the Irish Sea from North West Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire, and historic region and local authority area of Gwynedd. Mu ...

(Penrhyn Llŷn) and towards

Ynys Llanddwyn Ynys Llanddwyn (also known as Llanddwyn Island) is a small tidal island off the west coast of Anglesey (Welsh language, Welsh: Ynys Môn), northwest Wales. The nearest settlement is the village of Newborough, Anglesey, Newborough. Geology and g ...

(Llanddwyn Island) on

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

. The area is a designated

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI). According to the 2011 Census, 77.9% of the population were Welsh speakers. A small airport,

Caernarfon Airport Caernarfon Airport ( cy, Maes Awyr Caernarfon) , formerly RAF Llandwrog, is located southwest of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales. Operations Caernarfon Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P866) that allows flights for the public transpor ...

, is nearby. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

this was an

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

base but now it is mainly used for flying lessons and pleasure flights. A caravan park is located nearby. The erosion by the sea is a substantial problem. A

groyne A groyne (in the U.S. groin) is a rigid hydraulic structure built perpendicularly from an ocean shore (in coastal engineering) or a river bank, interrupting water flow and limiting the movement of sediment. It is usually made out of wood, concre ...

built in 1994 to alleviate the problem was thought to be a mistake that had made the situation worse by 2013. The height of the groyne was to be reduced and the large boulders removed. This was important to preserve the beach and the

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the wor ...

Hillfort

The cliff above the beach is known as Boncan Dinas and is occupied by an

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 ...

, Dinas Dinlle. This fort has been eroded by the sea, such that only a double semi-circular rampart remains. Finds of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

pottery suggest reoccupation in the 2nd or 3rd centuries CE. The fort is about 164 yards from north to south by 120 yards with an entrance on the south west. It is possible that a Roman

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

originally stood here. It is possible to make out small depressions which are thought to indicate the sites of Iron Age huts and the mound may be the remains of a barrow. Archaeological excavations at Dinas Dinlle in 2019 found the remains of structures inside the hillfort. These included 13m-diameter stone-built roundhouse with walls over 2m thick, thought to be one of the largest ever found in Wales. The excavations also found Roman coins and pottery dating from around 200CE to 300CE. The archaeological work was undertaken by the

Gwynedd Archaeological Trust The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Gwynedd) is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in 1974; it is one of four Welsh Archaeological Trusts. The trust maintains Historic Environment Records for their ar ...

and the

RCAHMW The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...

with funding from the EU 'CHERISH' project.Archaeology at the edge! CHERISH Project continues to unearth the secrets of Dinas Dinlle coastal fort (CHERISH website, accessed 9 October 2020)
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Gallery

Image:Dinas Dinlle 01 977.PNG Image:Dinas Dinlle 02 977.PNG Image:Dinas Dinlle 03 977.PNG

References

External links

www.mudandroutes.com : A walk to the hillfort and images
{{authority control Archaeological sites in Gwynedd Hillforts in Gwynedd Iron Age sites in Wales Llandwrog Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Gwynedd Villages in Gwynedd

Description

Hillfort

Gallery

See also

References

External links