8.2
Wildland
Under 1 hour
Time
Check
Cost
Atmospheric
Feel
Why it's Wildland
8.2A Neolithic tomb built over an earlier henge, Bryn Celli Ddu has a passage aligned so that the rising summer-solstice sun shines into its inner chamber.
This is more than a burial mound: the visible passage, chamber and traces of the earlier henge make a remarkable prehistoric story legible on the ground. Its solstice alignment gives the place an exceptional moment of drama, but the monument is worth visiting throughout the year.
Atmospheric · Ancient-feeling
Find your way
Open mapLlanddaniel Fab, near Llanfair, Anglesey
Opening map…
Know this place a little better?
The experience
Visit the mound and, if it is open, look into its passage and chamber. Walk around the monument to take in its form and the surviving traces associated with the earlier henge. Allow time to absorb the solstice alignment story, while treating a sunrise sighting as weather-dependent rather than guaranteed.
Things to do
Walk around the mound
Take in the reconstructed mound and look for the surviving traces associated with the earlier henge and stone circle.
Look down the passage
If the chamber is accessible during your visit, look along the long, narrow passage towards the octagonal chamber. Cadw describes the solstice sunrise as shining down the passage to illuminate the chamber.
Notice the two monument phases
Consider the tomb in relation to its earlier henge: Cadw describes a bank and ditch enclosing a circle of stones before the chambered tomb was built beneath the mound.
Make a day of it
Quick escape · Allow around an hour; visit duration is not confirmed by the supplied sources.
The tomb and its alignment
- 01
Approach the monument during Cadw’s stated reasonable daylight hours.
- 02
Walk around the mound and take in its form and the surviving features associated with the earlier henge.
- 03
If the chamber is open, look along the narrow passage towards the inner chamber.
- 04
Read the site through its two phases: an earlier henge and a later chambered tomb.
- 05
For a solstice visit, treat the sunrise alignment as weather-dependent and check current access information in advance.
Verified history
Cadw describes Bryn Celli Ddu as two sites in one. An early Neolithic henge, a bank and ditch enclosing a circle of stones, was later replaced by a chambered tomb beneath a mound up to 26 metres across. Its narrow passage leads to an octagonal chamber about 2.4 metres wide. Human bones, arrowheads and carved stones have been found there. Cadw says that at summer-solstice sunrise, sunlight shines down the passage and illuminates the chamber. The name is translated by Cadw as “Mound in the Dark Grove”.
Hidden details
The earlier henge beneath the tomb’s story — The chambered tomb was preceded by a henge: a bank and ditch enclosing a circle of stones. Look for the relationship between the later mound and the earlier monument rather than treating the site as a single-period burial place.
A passage with a solar alignment — At summer-solstice sunrise, Cadw says shafts of sunlight shine directly down the passage to illuminate the chamber. The alignment is a feature to understand, not a guaranteed spectacle: weather and access matter.
Finds from inside the chamber — Human bones, arrowheads and carved stones have been found in the chamber. The supplied evidence does not establish that these objects are displayed at the monument.
When to go
June · Daylight; sunrise around the summer solstice for the reported alignment, if weather and access allow.
Cadw describes the summer-solstice sunrise alignment as the tomb’s unusual seasonal feature. The site is otherwise open all year during reasonable daylight hours.
Cadw warns that the monument is exposed to the elements and may be slippery or muddy. The reported sunrise effect depends on suitable visibility; take appropriate footwear.
What to look for
- 01
The long, narrow passage
- 02
the octagonal inner chamber
- 03
the mound
- 04
and the remains associated with the earlier henge and stone circle. Cadw says human bones, arrowheads and carved stones have been found at the site
- 05
do not assume these finds are on display.
The story
Prehistoric archaeology; Neolithic henge and chambered tomb
Best time to go
Year-round in reasonable daylight; around the summer solstice for the reported sunrise alignment, subject to weather and current access arrangements.
Visit in daylight throughout the year. Around the summer solstice, the rising sun is reported to shine down the passage into the chamber; cloud and access arrangements may affect what you can see.
How long to spend
Under 1 hour
Perfect for
History lovers · Photographers
Before you go
Address
Website
Listed hours
- Monday: Open 24 hours
- Tuesday: Open 24 hours
- Wednesday: Open 24 hours
- Thursday: Open 24 hours
- Friday: Open 24 hours
- Saturday: Open 24 hours
- Sunday: Open 24 hours
Check before visiting.
Google rating
Practical information
Opening & access
Cadw states that the chamber is open all year during reasonable daylight hours. The approach and monument may be slippery or muddy; check current visitor information before travelling.
Check before visiting
Parking
The source row reports free street parking and a free parking lot, but this is Google-sourced information rather than confirmed Cadw guidance. Check the location and availability before visiting.
Check before visiting
Toilets
Check before visiting
Check before visiting
Food & drink
Check before visiting
Check before visiting
Dogs
Cadw lists dogs as welcome. Keep dogs under control and check any current site guidance.
Check before visiting
Accessibility
Cadw lists the terrain as Level 3 — Moderate and warns that the ground may be slippery or muddy. The source row reports that the entrance is not wheelchair accessible. Check directly with Cadw for current access details.
Check before visiting
Cost
Check before visiting
Check before visiting
Gallery
Place photographs
Keep exploring
Around Bryn Celli Ddu
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
