All walks › Eryri: Ffestiniog and the Moelwynion
Eryri: Ffestiniog and the MoelwynionTomen y Mur
A Roman fort with an amphitheatre and a Norman motte planted inside it, on open moorland with almost nothing else around.
- Distance
- 2.5 mi / 4 km
- Time
- 1 hr 25
- Ascent
- 100 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
A circuit of the earthworks from the road takes in the fort platform, the amphitheatre and the motte. Short and grassy.
Worth knowing
- The amphitheatre is the only one known at a Roman fort in Wales outside Caerleon.
- The site appears in the Mabinogi as the court of Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
- Entirely unstaffed and free, and you will usually have it to yourself.
What you’ll see
Fort ramparts, the amphitheatre bowl, the Norman motte, and Trawsfynydd lake below.
Background
The fort was built around 78 AD and held for a century. The Normans reused it, raising a motte inside the Roman defences.