The Mound of the Dark Grove

Lets go back a few thousand years to a place called Bryn Celli Dhu, the Mound of the Dark Grove. This passage grave is one of the best-preserved burial sites in Britain and, unlike most, you can go inside. Best seen on a misty morning, it's vast bulk rises up from the surrounding fields like a stranded whale, but there's no Jonah inside here. Just the ghosts of the past. It is atmospheric beyond belief, as you find out when you stoop through the entrance and navigate the long stone-lined passage through to the burial chamber itself. Some people I know won't even go near the place, let alone enter, but once inside the feeling of peace takes you over. It is, after all, a place of rest, although there are no burials left inside. They were urn burials anyway, and the place has been robbed out over the centuries. In fact, when it was excavated all that was found was a human ear bone. The stone of the original Henge was probably used to build the Burial Chamber itself. Once inside, see if you can read the messages left in the stones. Sit in the chamber and imagine what it was like to be one of the people who built and used it. Think of the different people who have stood where you're standing now. Romans probably, grave robbers certainly, Victorian studiers of Ancient History and maybe a coach party from Ramsbottom! Little did those Neolithic farmers know what the future held for their edifice.

Go onto the A4080 towards Brynciencyn and then take a right turn after a couple of miles towards Llandaniel Fab. Look for the parking place on the left and then take the track across the fields to the Burial Chamber.