Tag Archives: Landscape

Pen-Clawdd-Mawr Hillfort

Tranquil Drone Flight around Pen-Clawdd-Mawr Hillfort and beautiful scenery nr Talsan in West Wales

Tranquil Drone Flight around Pen-Clawdd-Mawr Hillfort and beautiful scenery nr Talsan in West Wales

WA2363: Pen Clawdd-Mawr.

Back in April I went out to investigate a series of overlooking Hillforts dotted along the Aeron valley in West Wales.

Not much is known about these ‘Pen Y Gear’s’, research has been minimal but they took up prominent defensive positions along the valley. Each fort was within a couple of miles of the neighbour and most look to have somehow artificially flattened the prominences , before constructing huge banks and ditches in defensive patterns. Maybe these were then topped with huge dry stone walls. Where they really defensive forts? Probably the smaller ones where fortified farmsteads perhaps for larger family farming groups, hunkered down together in a period of danger but usually living and farming the surrounding land.

Today not much is left of the Great Headland Bank as the name translates. Sheep as always are left to graze peacefully atop the green meadows that used to house the Iron Age community that once lived there. The village of Talsarn can be seen across the valley about a mile to the north and it is situated below the peak of TryChrug (343 Metres). Lower on the flank of the summit to the left is an ominous looking spur, this too is a Hillfort, we shall travel there soon. In spring on a sunny day the Aeron Valley is stunningly beautiful and the county of Ceredigion as a whole is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the whole of mainland Britain. ‘Aeron’ itself translates as ‘Berries’ in this case probably Blackberries as they can still be found all over.

Music, a newbie from Nostramus, seemed to fit the mood of the flight. So new is this track that for the time being I will call it “Pen-Clawdd-Mawr” Hope you like it!

Pen Y Gaer Hillfort

A tranquil Drone Flight around Pen Y Gaer Hillfort and beautiful scenery at Bwlch-Llan in West Wales

A tranquil Drone Flight around Pen Y Gaer Hillfort and beautiful scenery at Bwlch-Llan in West Wales

WA2393 Pen-y-Gaer, Nantcwnlle, nr Bwlch Llan, Ceredigion https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/

Back in April I took ‘Buzby’ my drone out to investigate a series of overlooking Hillforts dotted alon the Aeron valley in West Wales. Not much is known about these ‘Pen Y Gear’s’ research has been minimal but they took up prominent defensive positions along the valley. Each fort was within a couple of miles of the neighbour and most look to have somehow artificially flattened the prominences , before constructing huge banks and ditches in defensive patterns. Maybe these were then topped with huge dry stone walls. Where they really defensive forts? Probally the smaller ones where fortified farmsteads perhaps for larger family farming groups, hunkered down together in a period of danger but usually living and farming the surrounding land.

The scenery along the Aeron Valley is stunningly green and beautiful on a bright spring day the hills stand up to 250 metres above the valley floor. The tiny village of Bwlch Llan sits serenely, protected by the Pen Y Gaer prominence and we float peacefully around the village Church. Finally the old master skeleton of a tree sits in proud judgement like a decaying green man as the drone drifts back to earth.

Music a gentle techno acid meditation I wrote back in the 90’s which I later released as part of the “Ruff and Tuff at The Edges” cassette compilation which was co opted by The Hidden Corporation. This project co existed with the genesis of Nostramus. It did have a name I will correct it when I can by for now I will call it Gentle Arpeggio.

The Derry Ormond Tower

Drone Footage of the Derry Ormond Tower and Beautiful Surrounding Landscape nr Lampeter Ceredigion

The Derry Ormond Tower and Beautiful Surrounding Landscape nr Lampeter Ceredigion

Built in the early 1800’s by a benefactor businessman Derry Ormond to provide employment for locals during a recession. Sadly today the tower is in a state of dissrepair and is offlimits owing to danger of collapse to the public. The crows and other birds have it to themselves as the tower still stands proud in the magnificent landscape near Lampeter in west Wales.


“The Derry Ormond Tower is a Grade II listed folly situated above Betws Bledrws, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Lampeter in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. It was built in the early nineteenth century as an unemployment relief project”. “The 127-foot-high (38.7 m) tower, which is based on an upturned cannon, was built on common land near Derry Ormond.[6] The pedestal of the column is built of coursed square rubble stone, 8.3 metres (27 ft) high and 4.3 metres (14 ft) wide. The column itself is 31.4 metres (103 ft) high and has a square plinth and a rounded base 3.8 metres (12 ft) in diameter. The column swells in the middle and has a neck ring and a now-eroded band of corbels at its top. Apparently it was surmounted by a viewing platform, but is now covered by slate slabs and consolidated in concrete. The stairway to the top had narrow loops to admit light through the shafts.” Wikipedia.

The music is an interpretation of a waltz in the form of a bollero, a rare piece written by me in the murky noughties. There was something in the mood which to my mind seemed to suit perfectly the forgotton grace of this social and historical icon within the landscape. “The Bollero of Derry Ormond”