Penycloddiau Hillfort, Denbighshire

Penycloddiau Hillfort is one of the largest hillforts in Wales enclosing 21 hectares at the northern end of the Clwydian Mountain Range in Denbighshire. The northern half of the hillfort is multivallate with up to four lines of banks and ditches on the north face while the southern half is univallate. There are in-turned entrances on the southern and eastern sides. A Bronze Age burial mound occupies the highest internal point at the north end. Up to 33 possible round house platforms have been identified. A further 49 platforms have been suggested, tucked into the back of the inner rampart, but it is far more likely that these are quarry hollows to create the rampart banks. A seasonal spring lies within the hillfort which has a cluster of round houses around it. The eastern rampart and ditch of the hillfort and a nearby hut platform have been excavated over a number of seasons by students of the Dept. of Archaeology, University of Liverpool under Dr Rachel Pope. DEM drone data courtesy of MOLA