Caer y Twr, Holyhead, United Kingdom

Caer y Twr (fort of the pile) is an Iron Age hillfort atop the summit of the Holyhead Mountain in Anglesey, Wales. The hillfort, which is situated among rocky outcrops, is ideally placed for defence and likely served as a watchtower and possibly as a signal tower. Some have speculated that it was built to alert a small fort in the modern town of Holyhead in the case of raiders coming in from the Irish Sea, while others have suggested that it may have been a lighthouse.

The hillfort is now mostly rubble, but its walls can still be made out, including a large stone rampart on the north and east sides which reaches 3 metres at points. The entrance to the fort was through a rocky gully. The footings of a tower were discovered when the site was excavated; its stones are believed to date from the 2nd to the 4th centuries.

Nestled below Caer y Twr is a group of several enclosed huts, named Cytiau Tŷ Mawr (the Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles), that also date from the 3rd to the 4th centuries, some of which still contain the accoutrements of life, such as hearths and shelves.

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Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Colin Quayle (2 years ago)
Well worth the hike,4 the views,heart & overall feeling of well-being ????‍☠️

Matthew Rason (2 years ago)
Well worth the climb along the tricky but well kept paths to the summit.

Mark Woodhouse (2 years ago)
Great place to walk to from RSPB Centre. Great views from the summit. Get your kids out on the hills and let them explore this area.

Steven Strange (3 years ago)
Highly recommend getting to the top absolutely awesome views 360 degree and as far as the eye can see. Clear day today and hot and could see for miles

Laura Oversby (3 years ago)
What a great mini mountain to climb. Fairly Easy walk with I great view at the top. As it was our wedding anniversary we took champagne with us and a had picnic on the bench. The weather was great the dog loved it too. There is a lake half way up if needed for your dog to cool off. We went from the south stack lighthouse carpark (paid) it was a easy walk up with easy paths to follow.

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Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Caer y Twr

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