The fort is believed to have been occupied for some 300 years up to and including the 1st century BC.
The hill includes twin summits and the defences divide into three systems. Excavations in the 1930s demonstrated at least four phases to the defences.
The northernmost defence is a single bank and ditch of 1.5ha. The southern area is defended by a single bank and ditch on the steeper southern and western sides and on the east by triple defences. Linking the two is a single bank and ditch. The total area enclosed is some 4ha.
You can still see some evidence of occupation today - within the southern enclosure, some eight house platforms can still be seen.
Most of the buildings were circular, though one D-shaped building was excavated in the 1930s.
The ridged top site is enclosed by a series of banks and ditches.There have been numerous finds on the site and most are now in the hands of the National Museum of Wales. They include a clay pot made in the Malvern Hills and a pale yellow glass bead, possibly made in Somerset, as well as decorated Iron Age pottery, a 4th century Roman coin, spindle whorls and loom weights.
The northern enclosure is farmed privately and is not open to visitors, though it can be viewed from the southern summit. The Wellington Monument, raised in 1852, stands within.
Directions: Take the A487 south from Aberystwyth, across bridge and through Trefechan. Just beyond Trefechan, take right hand turn marked No Through Road. Follow road 0.8km and park in the pull-in just beyond the gate on the left, signed public footpath. Take the track up to the summit, heading for the Wellington Monument.
your comments
Alan Hughes: Once. Proud Penparcau bOY
Pendinas.As soon as we hit 7 we were allowed up there.Just imagine that today with all this PC society.We would take cardboard boxes and if lucky enough,find a metal tray to slide down the bank just off the face, we thought it was huge then.But the fun we had!!The cuts,the scars are still there to be seen on my butt and legs today.We spent hours and hours with our "slug" guns firing at targets simply another banned by PC past time.Then..if "Wildie" caught us on his land look out!Our parents were never worried about Pendinas they'll be fine...they'll come home when they get hungry.Then later came the super dooper ferrari pram carts that we made from old orange boxes and pram wheels knicked from the council tip behind "Penny"...Thats if Keith's horses didn't frighten you...like they did me,I was scared of themif Keith was there...they would leave you alone.I saw him last month....That guy still looks the same.....as he was 40 years ago!Yes..I took my girls up there...I've yet to take my three grandsons up there yet perhaps when the 18 month old gets a little stronger.
Mon Oct 12 09:31:14 2009
Phil Anderer Norway
All these stories I read here, make me think oh no, I can't add anything, it's already been said. But I can add, that if there is anyone out there wanting and not finding peace and consequent inspiration, then I can seriously recommend several walks "up penny" as we used to call it. It may be that you too, will pick up the quiet but strong vibe of the place. It has a 'personality', with it's enchanting views and moody skies as weather fronts swoop in from the horizon way out in the bay and swirl around you. If you're not careful Pen Dinas will enchant you and 'never let you go' as yo! u will be drawn back throughout your life...but why? ahh thats the never ending mystery ...try it for yourself and see............there is no one answer...
Thu Sep 24 11:11:41 2009
Ed, Hove Sussex
I have just been researching my family tree and found that my Great Great Great Grandfather was Roderick Eardley Richardes of Penglais (and High Sheriff) - his brother William Eardley Richardes (Squire of Bryneithin) b1794-d1874 actually built the Wellington Monument in honour of the Duke of Wellington who he had fought for against Napoleon in the campaign of 1815. The Iron Duke died in 1852 and shortly afterwards Richardes opened a public subscription to erect a monument on Pen Dinas. It is believed that the monument should have been topped with an equestrian statue of the Duke but not enough funds were forthcoming. Richardes also led the public subscription through which the old timber bridge across the Ystwyth, near Tanyblwch was replaced with an iron bridge
Fri Apr 3 15:55:43 2009
Carl Hicks- Loddon Norfolk
Wow what a great place,,as kids we were always goin up penny as we fondly called it.We used to play hide and seek and ghost hunting and many other suchlike games.I also remember we were always scared of old farmer wild LOL if he ever existed.Sad to see the news about shane,the last timr i saw shane was about 1993ish,as well as being kieron`s friend he was also a great friend of mine too way back.be nice to know how his brother Jason and his little sister are,RIP Shane.
Wed Jan 21 09:32:21 2009
k daniel amsterdam
I come from aber and grew up in heol nanteos penparcau which is at the base of pendinas more or less and this place brings back loads of child hood memories! my friends and i spent all our time up there playing army and cowboys and indians all around pendinas especially in and old slate quarry in a field behind pendinas.the last time i went up pendinas was several years ago but this time not for fun it was to scatter my very very good old childhood mate Shane platt(R.I.P SHANE AND GOD BLESS).But when i was up there all the old memories came back what a great place .we who come from aber are very lucky.
Sun Dec 14 13:47:08 2008
George Kenyon from Glanrafon Terrace
I was born in trefechan an have meany fond memorys of Pendinas in 1940s to the 1970 it was my play ground yours George W Kenyon
Thu Jul 24 09:28:51 2008
Derrick Spragg Loppington in Shropshire
We went up Pen Dinas this year as part of our annual Aber Uni Football re union. It was a stunning walk in very windy condition. Spike lost his hat on top and it blew about 100 yards.
Thu Jun 26 09:22:31 2008
Aberystwyth
I live at the bottom of Pen Dinas and have only been up it once; on account of my fear of heights. I went up it via a very precarious path which terrified the living daylights out of me and then found that there was a nice easy road down on the other side! My four-year-old ran up it no problem however, lol. The views from the top are amazing and were worth battling my fear for, although I forgot my camera. I bought a sledge two years ago for when it snows as EVERYONE goes up it then, but it hasn't snowed here since.
Fri May 23 09:12:05 2008
Roy Lilly (Edwards), N. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A
I'm 56, but when I was five years old my grandmother Mary Elizabeth Edwards Lewis had a picture that sat on her hutch in Macon, Missouri, U.S.A. It was of Pen Dinas, but I didn't know it at the time. It just left a mysterious image in my mind.Then in the 80's my uncle passed away and the family gave me several of the pictures that had belonged to my grandmother and in the box was the one of Pen Dinas. I've been to Aberysywyth twice and will be going again next year. So one of the places that I will visit will be Pen Dinas just to feel that mystery up close.
Thu Sep 27 09:43:47 2007
K.Bramley
My husband and I both have vivid memories of walking up Pen Dinas- together when courting and for worshiping God, having been up all night in a special weekend for 'Methsoc' (methodist student society). After the night ramble, on which I remember taking in the lower slopes and the Ystwyth, and a trip back to church to warm up and refuel, the summit of Pen Dinas was the setting for our annual dawn service. But we never quite felt like the timing had been perfected- the pre-dawn light is quite bright which makes true sunrise less satisfying than you'd expect, and if you go up in the dark and wait to see sunri! se you get cold, so cold! How do I moan? It's just me parroting as t'was the hubbie that suffered the longest wait in a year before I arrived.
Fri Jul 20 09:36:03 2007
Emma, London
Still cannot see a foxglove in bloom without thinking of a sunny June evening in 1999 - there were hundreds of them, all over the slopes of Pen Dinas. Very happy memories of my year in dear Aber.
Wed Jun 20 14:30:55 2007
Tony from Wimbledon
I first climbed Pen Dinas whilst staying at the Aberystwyth Holiday Camp as an 8 year old. I've taken my children up there and I'll be back in Aber this summer as a 60 year old and will see you at the top. It never fails to impress and is timeless. Ardderchog!
Fri May 18 17:19:42 2007
Evans, London
A very good lookout point, for a tactical analysis I couldn't think of anywhere better other the sites that have already been chosen. Just don't stand too near the plastic tanks.
Sat Mar 24 18:07:33 2007
Ellie Baker from Neath
I think this website is cool!!!!!!!
Thu Jan 18 16:27:54 2007
Gary, Aberystwyth
I loved pen dinas as a kid and now my kids do too we go up there every so often and it has not changed much just the view of town ive got great memorys from up there ahhhh what a place
Mon Nov 27 09:40:49 2006
Mr. Williams, High View School, London
As a local from Aberystwyth, I have visited Pendinas a number of times - although it is surprisingly difficult to find the right route up to the top! We ended up in Llanrhystud once!! I now have the pleasure of teaching the next generation about the Celts in Clapham Junction.
Tue Sep 12 17:05:07 2006
Gibson Aber
Funny you should mention being put on the map Haydn Davies. Did you know that it was a map makers error that has the place named Aberystwyth as they got the two rivers mixed up. It should be called Aberrheidol. The Ystwyth river is on the other side of Pendinas and the Rheidol is the one that flows through the town. But the early cartographers made a simple error and the name stuck.
Thu Jul 6 09:50:30 2006
Gibson Aber
Funny you should mention being put on the map Haydn Davies. Did you know that it was a map makers error that has the place named Aberystwyth as they got the two rivers mixed up. It should be called Aberrheidol. The Ystwyth river is on the other side of Pendinas and the Rheidol is the one that flows through the town. But the early cartographers made a simple error and the name stuck.
Wed Jul 5 15:27:59 2006
Haydn Davies, Aberystwyth
I like Pendinas because you can go up there any time of the year and enjoy the veiw and also I think it puts us on the map.
Mon Jul 3 12:30:39 2006
Matthew Smith from New Malden
I was a student in Aber (1995-8) and used to climb Pendinas often. I once got to the top on a foggy day and could see nothing except what was near the top of Pendinas. I remember once trudging up the wet muddy path from Trefechan when a woman jogged the other way without the slightest inhibition. Last Sunday I took my parents to the top of Pendinas intending to walk down the other side to Penparcau, but the winds were so severe that we could not walk straight, and had to turn back. But another jogger ran straight across the top and didn't let the wind affect him.
Wed Apr 5 22:33:53 2006
Ivitt from Ashtead
What is the full story about the Wellington Monument on the hill above Aberystwyth?
Thu Mar 9 10:18:52 2006
Gerald Yandell, St Neots
I lived on 5th Avn Penparcau
and remember Pendinas very well,
in fact myself and my best mate
went right to the top when it had
scaffold around it. We made our mark
whith a sharp stone, I bet our names are still on top. It's true. Ask Ian Bland.
Mon Feb 13 00:36:27 2006
Carys from Aberystwyth
My grandparents live just below Pendinas and I remember going up there when it snowed with a home-made sledge.... brilliant
Thu Oct 27 09:23:38 2005
Janet from Aberystwyth
I remember going horse riding up Pendinas in the early 70's with my friends.
Keith Spencer had (and still has, I think) stables (sheds) on the Tanybwlch side - down the road that led to the town dump. He grazed his horses on Pendinas.
Sat Oct 1 23:17:52 2005
Morgan Thomas, Rochester Kent
I visit the monument regularly as in the year of 1998 I scattered my wife's ashes there at her request as we went up there on our honeymoon in 1969. So I go up there whenever I come back to my home town.
Thu Jul 28 16:32:27 2005
Simone, Aberystwyth
I live on the Penparcau side of Pen Dinas my kids spend a lot of time up there rolling down the grassy banks and fighting the wind on the top by the monument, nice to know old traditions havent died!
Mon Jul 25 23:35:11 2005
Ruairidh Mc Gaw Barbados
My Dad was brought up at the foot of Pen Dinas. He had a ball. As children, my sister and I would walk and play along the railroad track picking raspberries and avoid the garbage trucks on the road, climbing became easier each year we visited. There were the geese in the farmyard and I remember they would attack if you came any where near them.
Fri Apr 15 12:17:43 2005
Vivian Fox, Saxmundham Suffolk
I used to live in Penparcau, and just about every week I and my brother would take the dog up Pen Dinas, and when the grass was long, my friends and I would roll down the long slopes.
Tue Feb 15 16:16:15 2005
Angela from Chepstow
My brother and I spent our childhood up Pendinas, along with our friends. We would disappear for hours, finding different ways to get to the top, and building treehouses and dens. We had a blue bonnet of a car, and when the grass was wet, we used to get and slide all the way down the hill. We didn't think it was dangerous, just hilarious fun. If my children came back and told me they had been doing that, I would freak out!
On a windy day, it's great fun as the wind takes your breath away, the best game was leaning into the wind to see how far forward you could go before falling over.
Also had my first snog up Pendinas in the back of a hay trailer, with Peter, (Fats as he was known then) of course he will probably deny all knowledge of this.
We used to take bread up and feed the horses and donkeys in the fields. I also used to help out on a Saturday walking the donkeys on the prom. We used to meet at the top of Dinas Terrace, and harness the donkeys, then walk them into town, over Trefechan Bridge, Bridge Street, Pier Street, then down the Prom to the Kings Hall.
Ahh, fine memories.
Thu Feb 3 21:50:43 2005
Rhiannon, Canada
I miss my Pen Dinas!
Thu Oct 28 02:59:51 2004
Eoin - Oxford
A stroll to the top of Pen Dinas is a must when in Aber. The view is amazing and the sun-sets on a clear day (when you get one!) are breathtaking. The monument actually stands un-finished as a statue of Wellington was designed to stand on the pillar which represents an upturned cannon. The monument was struck by lightening in the late 90's and the metal plaque was found quite some distance from the summit. Last time I was up there I lost my lucky yellow glass bead so keep an eye out.
Diolch.
Fri Aug 13 12:25:20 2004
Have you visited Pen Dinas? What did you think of this hill fort? Add your views here.
