The Preseli Mountains (; Welsh: Mynyddoedd y Preseli or Welsh: Y Preselau|label=none), also known as the Preseli Hills, or just the Preselis, is a range of hills in western Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and entirely within the county of Pembrokeshire.
The range stretches from the proximity of Newport in the west to Crymych in the east, some in extent. The highest point at 1759feet above sea level is Foel Cwmcerwyn. The ancient of track along the top of the range is known as the Golden Road.[1] [2]
The Preselis have a diverse ecosystem, many prehistoric sites, and are a popular tourist destination. There are scattered settlements and small villages; the uplands provide extensive unenclosed grazing, and the lower slopes are mainly enclosed pasture.
Slate quarrying was once an important industry. More recently, igneous rock is being extracted. The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status, and there are three sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).
A peak is spelt Percelye on a 1578 parish map, and more recent maps show the range as Presely or Mynydd Prescelly. The etymology is unknown, but is likely to involve Welsh prys, meaning "wood, bush, copse".[3] A number of other peaks are shown on the 1578 map, but the only other named peak is Wrennyvaur (now Frenni Fawr). An 1819 Ordnance Survey Map refers to the range as Precelly Mountain (singular).[4] [5] An 1833 publication stated: the ancient Welsh name...is Preswylva, signifying "a place of residence",[6] but does not cite any evidence. 21st century maps show the range as Mynydd Preseli.
The hills are formed largely from the Ordovician age marine mudstones and siltstones of the Penmaen Dewi Shales and Aber Mawr Shale formations which have been intruded by microgabbro (otherwise known as dolerite or diabase) of Ordovician age. The former slate quarries at Rosebush on the southern edge of the hills worked the Aber Mawr Formation rocks whilst it is the dolerite tors of Carnmenyn which have been postulated, amongst other localities, as the source of the Stonehenge ‘bluestones’.
In contrast Foel Drygarn towards the eastern end of the range is formed from tuffs and lavas of the Fishguard Volcanic Group. Further east is Frenni Fawr which is formed from mudstones and sandstones of the Nantmel Mudstone Formation of late Ordovician Ashgill age. The sedimentary rocks dip generally northwards and are cut by numerous geological faults.Cwm Gwaun is a major glacial meltwater channel which divides the northern tops such as Mynydd Carningli from the main mass of the hills.[7]
The hills, much of which are unenclosed moorland or low-grade grazing with areas of bog, are surrounded by farmland and active or deserted farms. Field boundaries tend to be earth banks topped with fencing and stock-resistant plants such as gorse. Rosebush Reservoir, one of only two reservoirs in Pembrokeshire, supplies water to southern Pembrokeshire and is a brown trout fishery[8] located on the southern slopes of the range near the village of Rosebush. To the south is Llys y Fran reservoir. There are no natural lakes in the hills, but a number of rivers, including the Gwaun, Nevern, Syfynwy and Tâf have their sources in the range.[9]
The principal peak at 1759feet above sea level is Foel Cwmcerwyn. There are 14 other peaks over 980feet of which three exceed 1300feet.
| Peak | Height | Image | Notes and features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 536m (1,759feet) | Highest peak; cairns; disused quarry | |||
| Cerrig Lladron | 468m (1,535feet) | Bronze Age stone row | ||
| Foel Feddau | 467m (1,532feet) | |||
| Carn Siân | 402m (1,319feet) | |||
| Frenni Fawr | 395m (1,296feet) | Tumuli; see also Blaenffos | ||
| Mynydd Bach | 374m (1,227feet) | |||
| Foel Dyrch | 368m (1,207feet) | |||
| 365m (1,198feet) | Bluestones (on the far ridge) | |||
| 363m (1,191feet) | Hill fort (meaning: three cairns) | |||
| Crugiau Dwy | 359m (1,178feet) | (meaning: Two barrows) Preseli transmitting station | ||
| 347m (1,138feet) | ||||
| Mynydd Castlebythe | 347m (1,138feet) | |||
| 339m (1,112feet) | ||||
| Mynydd Cilciffeth | 335m (1,099feet) | |||
| Mynydd Melyn | 307m (1,007feet) |
Villages and other settlements within the range include Blaenffos, Brynberian, Crosswell, Crymych, Cwm Gwaun, Dinas Cross, Glandy Cross, Mynachlog-ddu, New Inn, Pentre Galar, Puncheston, Maenclochog, Rosebush and Tafarn-y-Bwlch. The only town in the Preseli area is Newport, at the foot of the Carningli-Dinas upland in the northwest of the range.
The Preselis provide hill grazing for much of the year and there is some forestry. As well as features of interest to geologists and archaeologists, the hills have a wide variety of bird, insect and plant life. There are three sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs): Carn Ingli and Waun Fawr (biological), and Cwm Dewi (geological). The Preseli transmitting station mast, erected in 1962, stands on Crugiau Dwy near the hamlet of Pentre Galar. To the south of Crugiau Dwy is the extensively quarried hill Carn Wen (Garnwen Quarry) which was still actively extracting igneous rock in 2018.[10]
The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status; the citation states that the area is "... exceptional in Wales for the combination of upland and lowland features..." Numerous scarce plant and insect species exist in the hills.[11] For example, they are an important UK site for the rare Southern damselfly, Coenagrion mercuriale,[12] where efforts to restore habitat were underway in 2015[13] and reported in 2020 to have been a success.[14]
One major road, the A478, crosses the eastern end of the range, reaching a height of 248m (814feet). Two B-class roads, intersecting at New Inn, cross the hills: the B4313 NW-SE, reaching 278m (912feet) and the B4329 NE-SW, reaching 404m (1,325feet) at Bwlch-gwynt (translation: windy gap). These, and a number of other minor roads and lanes, provide scenic routes popular with motoring, cycling and walking tourists. The A487 road skirts the western end of the range, near Newport. Cattle grids prevent egress of grazing stock from unenclosed areas of the hills.
The Preselis are popular with walkers wishing to follow prehistoric trails,[15] with walks varying from easy to long-distance. The larger part of the hills is designated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 as 'open country' thereby enabling walkers the 'freedom to roam' across unenclosed land, subject to certain restrictions. An east-west bridleway which runs the length of the main massif (known as Flemings' Way or the Golden Road[1]), together with spurs to north and south, gives access to mountain bikers and horseriders.[16] There are cycle trails.[17] Paragliding is not permitted without the consent of the land owners, who in 2014 collectively agreed not to allow it.[18]
Castell Henllys, on the A487 road between Eglwyswrw and Felindre Farchog is a reconstructed Iron Age settlement, illustrating what life may have been like in those times.[19]
The Preselis are dotted with prehistoric remains, including evidence of Neolithic settlement. More were revealed in an aerial survey during the 2018 heatwave.[20]
Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales published in 1833 said of Maenclochog parish: