Well worth a visit, this small hillfort near Ffestiniog was excavated in 1979-85 and subsequently the rampart and certain buildings in the interior have been partially reconstructed, giving a good impression of how it might once have looked.

Because of this, Bryn y Castell is well worth visiting. As you enter the fort, note the stones which mark the postholes which once supported substantial gateposts. During the Iron Age, the fort interior would have been crowded with various buildings.

Excavations at the site have uncovered valuable evidence of iron smelting, within the fort and in a round hut. Look for the snail-shaped roundhouses archaeologists believe that this was the iron smelting and working smithy. Other buildings are marked by cobbling and the former wooden stake walls are now indicated by upright stones.

Evidence demonstrates that the site was actively producing iron in the late Iron Age and the period soon after the Roman occupation. The Celts would use bog iron ore from beneath the peat that surrounds the hill for smelting and working iron.

Directions

Take the B4391 towards Bala from Ffestiniog. After 1.9km, turn left at crossroads into gated lane. You can park the car beyond the waterworks, at the junction of tracks. Follow the track that bears right to Bryn y Castell, and access is on the north side.