This is the quickest way to the top of the hillfort, but a very steep climb. You can do a longer but easier climb from car park 2 by following ‘The Mountain Walk’.

Twmbarlwm Tumble

We recommend walking shoes/boots and wet weather gear as Twmbarlwm is very exposed.

The Iron Age hillfort of Twmbarlwm lies at the heart of the territory of the Silurian Celts. With commanding views over the Bristol Channel, it must have played a large role in the 25 years of war that the Silurians fought against the Roman invaders. Yet the impressive earthen fortifications were originally constructed around 500BC, long before the Romans attacked Britain. Who were they fighting then?

The raised circular mound (at the west end inside the fortified banks of the enclosure) is a ‘motte’ built around the 12th or 13th Century AD, by the next invaders - the Normans. It must have supported a timber-built castle, and the rest of the area inside the wider enclosure would have been the ‘bailey’ to protect the horses and livestock of the soldiers.

Twmbarlwm has not yet been studied in great detail, and much archaeological evidence such as the foundations of clay walls, or the remains of timber posts may lie beneath the surface.

• Twmbarlwm and the Celts