The Preseli Hills under blue skies and with a thin coat of snow. We meandered Eastwards between the crags and outcrops that are scattered along the ridge and finished up at Foel Drygarn; an ancient hillfort and the largest in Pembrokeshire, before turning back for home. Carn Goedog was at one point thought to be the most likely source for the Bluestones that were used in the construction of Stonehenge but reading around online it seems that there is still plenty of doubt and opposing opinion on the subject. I expect it’s a debate that will continue for some time. Whatever the truth, the stones have a sculptural quality to them that was no doubt as appealing to ancient civilizations as they are to the wandering photographer in 2021. It seems there isn’t much evidence of any quarrying works which suggests that glacial forces are the most likely explanation for their appearance on the Salisbury Plain. The hills would once have been forested but have been used by humans for millenia and along with the signs of settlement, there are also the lines of ancient drovers routes that can still be seen crossing the terrain. Livestock would have been moved from Pembrokeshire farms to markets further East and many hooves have left scars on the landscape that are still visible now.
The Preseli Hills feel like a miniature version of the larger landscapes of the Brecon Beacons or the Moors of South West England. It’s possible to stroll around the hills in a day and see most of what they have to offer but, like the Cleddau Estuary I wrote about in my last post, the hills are a less explored gem of Pembrokeshire.
I processed these to give a slightly otherworldly feeling as that seemed to suit the collection. Let me know if you think it works/doesn’t work.
