The Cobbled Surface of the Road Looking East : 1280 Feet A.S.L

© Kanovium Project

The second highest point of the Caerhun-Caernarvon road, the electricity pylons that stood level with the start of this tour are now far below.  I talk about the milestone looking slightly out of place in the British Museum as it has spent most of its life being buffetted by salty winds blowing in over Anglesey and Conwy Bay, well here the figure is buffeted badly, 29th May and almost still really winter, a sharp wind eventually forced us to return to our distant car the better part of an hour distant, Bwlch y Deufaen is but five minutes walk eastward, already we can see the narrow pass with the old black standing stones, formally the site of two Roman milestones, of Emperor Constantine, they are gone the standing stones remain.  From the pass eastward the countryside changes, the Conwy can be seen beneath, the remains of tiny Kanovium indistinct on the west bank, the country beyond, the Mynydd Hiraethog or Dengigh Moors, and beyond that the Wirrall, and Deva with it’s mighty legionary base you would be glad to return to base, the fort on the river’s edge would seem like home compared to this place, I know this as after leaving the Anafon valley we drove to Kanovium, here it was early summer, the mountain seemed distant, and the Conwy Valley was a verdant, welcoming place.

The figure stands on a good section of cobble stones which are present for most of this downward section, other sections use larger stones, while some sections are simply gravelled, I have mentioned a lower Roman road, the slope here seems so severe that no lower route seems possible.