| Twmbarlwm | |
|---|---|
Twmbarlwm |
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| Elevation | 419 m (1,375 ft) |
| Listing | Latitude: 51° 37' 35.79" N; Longitude: 3° 5' 32.23" W |
| Location | |
| Location | Caerphilly, Wales |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 171 |
| OS grid | ST242926 |
Twmbarlwm also known as Twm Barlwm, Twyn Barlwm, or locally known as "The tump" in relation to the mound that lies on its summit, is a mountain situated 2 km to the northeast of Risca in South Wales. It is (1,375 ft/419m) high and is a well known sight throughout the region. It commands extensive views across what is now the M4 corridor, out over the Bristol Channel [1] and Newport and Cwmbran.
The top of the mountain features the remains of what is presumed to be an Iron Age hill fort near its summit, believed to have been built by the Silures, the Celtic tribe that inhabited the area before and during Roman times. This is the reason for the local people of Risca and Cwmcarn naming it "The tump". There was also thereafter possibly a Roman signal point and there is also a substantial Norman motte and bailey castle [2] incorporated into the eastern end of the fort, probably of early Norman construction.
The mountain itself is a well known local landmark visible on the skyline for many miles and is indeed seen as a symbol of Monmouthshire/Gwent. It is very popular for hillwalking and mountain biking and with tourists who go to Cwmcarn Forest Drive or walk the Gwent Ridgeway. It features heavily in local folk legends with tales of a giant buried here, and treasure, supposedly guarded by swarms of bees. Local legend says the druids supposedly regarded it as a sacred site and a place of judgement. The hill fort is known to locals as 'the pimple' or 'the nipple'.
An example of the use of the 'pimple' term came during a boxing commentary on national radio by the BBC's Raymond Glendenning Raymond Glendenning, who had grown up in Newport. As one of the boxers rose after being floored, Glendenning excitedly announced to the listeners that 'he has a lump on his head the size of the pimple on the top of Twm Barlwm!'. Of course this was completely incomprehensible to all but those from Risca or Newport.
Youngsters from neighbouring areas and council estates such as Bettws often walk to the top of Twmbarlwm and back home on Good Friday, as a sort of tradition amongst friends and youngsters in the community.
It also is noted in the work of local writers like W H Davies and Arthur Machen. Machen described it in his autobiography Far Off Things (1922) : "As soon as I saw anything I saw Twyn Barlwm, that mystic tumulus, the memorial of peoples that dwelt in that region before the Celts left the Land of Summer." This description was 'borrowed' by Dylan Thomas for Llareggub Hill in Under Milk Wood.[1]
In the past 20 years extensive damage has occurred to both the tump and surrounding areas primarily caused by illegal off-road motorcycles. Several attempts have been made by the local councils to limit this damage by fencing off large areas, all have failed with the fences being destroyed within weeks of erection.
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