| Myarth | |
|---|---|
 Myarth viewed from the west | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 292 m (958 ft) |
| Prominence | 164 m (538 ft) |
| Parent peak | Allt yr Esgair |
| Listing | Marilyn in Wales |
| Naming | |
| Language of name | Welsh |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Powys, Wales |
| OS grid | SO170208 |
Myarth is a hill in the Usk Valley in the county of Powys in South Wales, about 2 miles west of Crickhowell. Its summit at 292 metres (958 ft) is covered by trees, whilst the larger part of its slopes are also wooded. It is listed as a Marilyn. Myarth has an elongate form commonly ascribed to erosion by the west-to-east movement of the Usk Valley glacier during successive ice ages. The River Usk runs along the foot of the hill on its southern side. Myarth forms a prominent feature in many views over the Usk Valley and often features in commercial photography of the area.
Though it is ringed by public roads—the A40 to the north and a minor road to the south—there is no public access to the hill itself, which is in private ownership.[1]
In 2016, the hill was used as the location for a segment of an episode of the motoring series The Grand Tour.
The summit of the hill once contained a prehistoric hill fort, known as Myarth Camp, now largely obliterated by trees. It is thought to date from the Iron Age (c. 800 BC – AD 74). It had a double vallum, or rampart, and measured around 350m WNW/ESE by 210m, with an entrance at the east end.[2]
In the valley directly below the hill fort, half a mile to the north, a Roman fort was established in the mid-70s AD, when the Romans subdued the local tribe, the Silures.[3] The fort, known today as Pen-y-Gaer, remained in use until the mid-2nd century AD.[4] Near the Roman fort, on its south side, a civilian settlement or vicus grew up, the traces of which are mostly buried below ground today; it was occupied between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.[5]
On the south side of Myarth Hill a ford, now no longer used, once crossed the River Usk to Cyffredin, a hamlet near Llangynidr,[6] from where a road passes over Llangynidr Mountain to Ebbw Vale.
References
[edit]- ^ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Explorer map sheet OL 13 Brecon Beacons National Park: eastern area
- ^ Myarth Camp, CADW Source ID 787.
- ^ Lancaster, J. (2012). "South Wales in the Iron Age and Roman Periods". Swansea University PhD thesis; p. 93.
- ^ CADW Source ID 776.
- ^ Pen-y-Gaer Roman Vicus, CADW Source ID 1350.
- ^ Brycheiniog journal 2021, p. 106.
51°52′48″N 3°12′22″W / 51.880°N 3.206°W
External links
[edit]- Climbing Myarth and Buckland Hill (a short film by Adam Radford)