Penycloddiau

Penycloddiau is a hill in Flintshire, Wales, and one of five Marilyns in the Clwydian Range.

Penycloddiau
Penycloddiau hill fort
Highest point
Elevation	440 m (1,440 ft)[1]
Prominence	156 m (512 ft)
Parent peak	Moel Famau
Listing	Marilyn
Naming
English translation	hill of the trenches
Language of name	Welsh
Pronunciation	Welsh: [pɛnəˈklɔðjai]
Geography
Location	Flintshire, Wales
Parent range	Clwydian Range
OS grid	SJ127678[1]
Topo map	OS Landranger 116[1]

The hill, like Foel Fenlli and Moel Arthur to the south, has an Iron Age hillfort at its summit.^[2] It covers 26 hectares (64 acres) making it one of the largest hillforts in Wales.^[2] In 2017, excavations by the Clywdian Range Archaeology Group (CRAG) unearthed a significant number of 4,000-year-old stone tools from the Bronze Age, the discovery indicates human activity occurred much earlier than first thought in the area.^[3]

Penycloddiau is crossed by the Offa's Dyke Path and the Clwydian Way, two long distance footpaths that traverse the hills in this area. A free car park exists at the bwlch between Penycloddiau and Moel Arthur, where two footpaths lead to the summit.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  A view of the outer defence wall at Penycloddiau hill fort
• 
  The Offa's Dyke Path climbs Penycloddiau from the east

See also

• List of hillforts in Wales

References

1. Alan Dawson (1992). Relative Hills of Britain. Cicerone Series. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-85284-068-6.
2. John Davies; Nigel Jenkins; Menna Baines, eds. (2008). The Welsh Academy encyclopaedia of Wales. University of Wales Press. pp. 151, 981. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
3. "Bronze Age tools unearthed in Clwydian range hillforts dig". BBC News. 7 September 2017.
4. "Penycloddiau". Sustainable Days Out. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

Further reading

• Ian Brown; Mick Sharp & Jean Williamson (2004). "Penycloddiau Iron Age hillfort". Discovering a Welsh landscape: archaeology in the Clwydian range. Landscapes of Britain. Vol. 4. Windgather. pp. 75–76.
• "Penycloddiau Hillfort". Heather & Hillforts. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
• "Penycloddiau Hillfort — Dig In Deeper". Heather & Hillforts.
• "Soldier's Stone, Penycloddiau hillfort". A History of the World. BBC.
• Christopher John Wright (1975). "Moel Arthur and Penycloddiau". A guide to Offa's Dyke path. Constable. pp. 321–323. ISBN 978-0-09-460330-1.

External links

• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Penycloddiau and surrounding area

53.20008°N 3.30834°W / 53.20008; -3.30834