Neolithic Wales

Apologies for the break in transmission. I didn’t get the opportunity to post during the remainder of our time in Europe, and on returning to NZ I was laid low with a nasty flu virus. It really knocked me about and I’m still not fully recovered but feel strong enough to attempt restarting the blog.

While we were in Pembrokeshire we visited several sites of early human activity. This is Pentre Ifan, a burial chamber or dolmen from about 3,500 BC.

It sits on an exposed part of the Preseli Hills with views out over the sea. (Sorry – that’s a very murky shot.)

On the south coast, near Manorbier, is another dolmen (confusingly the Welsh word is cromlech), the King’s Quoit (they are generally called quoits in Cornwall – confused?).

Perhaps the most interesting location was Rhos Y Felin. This area was home to humans 10,000 years ago. Their settlement has been excavated and at that time it would have been close to a small river that has moved 100 metres away in the ensuing centuries. It was one of the places where the famous blue stones at Stonehenge were quarried. A piece of chemical detective work has identified the exact location where one of the stones came from.

There is a wonderful slide show of the archaeological excavation here – well worth a look.

Finally – I was much taken with this sign outside a pub in Arberth/Narberth. Beer soup – yum!