Coed y Bwnydd Camp

Iron Age Hillfort

The monument is a multivallate hillfort that dates back to the Iron Age period, roughly between 800 BC and AD 74, which marks the Roman conquest of Wales. It is situated on a hilltop with commanding panoramic views in all directions and is surrounded by woodland. The hillfort has an oval plan, measuring 230m from north to south and 180m from east to west, with an entrance located on the northeast side.

The fortifications of the hillfort consist of multiple banks and ditches. To the north of the entrance, there are three banks separated by wide flattish ditches. The outer bank is 2m high, the middle bank is 3m high, and the inner bank is 1.8m high. The inner bank only survives for a short length before diminishing to a low tump. The middle and outer banks continue to the edge of the steep slope on the northwest side of the site, where they terminate. Along the northwest side of the fort, the ground drops steeply, and the defences continue as two scarps, with the upper one measuring 2m-3m high and the lower one 5m high. The scarps continue around the west side, but to the south, a third low bank rises between the scarps. On the south side, the third bank becomes more pronounced, with an internal height of 1.5m and an external height of 2.5m. The inner scarp continues at a height of 2.5m, while the outer scarp gradually rises into a bank 1.5m high. On the east and southeast sides, the defences reach their maximum height, with the inner scarp remaining at 2.5m high. Outside the inner scarp is a bank 1m high on the inside and 1.5m high on the outside, and beyond this is the largest bank, measuring 1.5m high on the inside and 3.5m high on the outside. There is also a further outer bank measuring 1.5m high. These banks are separated by wide U-shaped ditches. The banks and ditches continue around to the entrance.

Excavations were conducted at the hillfort between 1969 and 1971 to investigate the structure of the defences and identify internal features. The excavation trenches across the defences on the southeast side of the site revealed that they had been built in at least two phases, with the outer bank added at a later date. Internally, evidence for four roundhouses was uncovered in the excavation trenches.

Sites near Coed y Bwnydd Camp