Hidden History in the Welsh Mountains

The mountains of Wales are rich in natural resources which have been exploited over millennia, often by people who also lived and farmed there. This human activity has left a wealth of evidence in the landscape, revealing fascinating insights into what life was like in the Welsh uplands.

Featuring more than 200 sites – from Neolithic chambered tombs, Iron Age hillforts and shepherds’ huts to twentieth-century reservoirs, the World Heritage landscapes of Blaenavon and the North Wales slate industry – this book offers both a rich visual history and a practical guide to archaeological features hidden in the Welsh mountains. Each section provides physical descriptions of the kinds of archaeological evidence to be found, tips on how to identify sites accurately and an explanation of why these features are found where they are.

This is a book for anyone interested in the history and archaeology of the upland landscapes of Wales – in the form of bumps, dips, scatters of stones and standing ruins – of cairns and hillforts, old quarries, mines, sheepfolds and the long-lost houses of shepherds, peat cutters, miners and poor farmers. It offers an enriching history for curious hikers, and the opportunity to enhance our appreciation and enjoyment of upland Wales.