Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Wales Eglwyswrw Carn Goedog
AO Edited

Carn Goedog

This rocky outcrop served as a quarry for some of the bluestones that sit at the center of Stonehenge.

Eglwyswrw, Wales

Added By
Alison Pinto
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Carn Goedog   Alan Hughes / CC BY-SA 2.0
An outcrop at Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
Natural pillars at Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
A view from the top of Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
A close up of the outcrop at Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
The view to Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
The view from the top of Carn Goedog   5beasts / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Everyone knows about the UNESCO World Heritage Site Stonehenge, 160 or so miles to the east on Salisbury Plane, but why are we reading about this world-famous landmark in an entry based in Wales? Well, it was long known that the small bluestones in the henge came from Wales, and now, thanks to modern chemical analysis, we know precisely where they were quarried from.

At first, Stonehenge was a circular earthwork enclosure, constructed in about 3000 B.C. It consisted of a ditch with chalk piled up to make an inner and an outer bank. Within the ditch was a ring of 56 timber or stone posts. Around 2500 B.C., the site was transformed by the construction of the central stone settings. These included smaller bluestones. The bluestones weigh between 2 and 5 tons each, and it is believed that their current positions at Stonehenge only represent their final locations. Some of the bluestones are likely to have previously stood in a stone circle on the bank of the river Avon at West Amesbury henge and some may originally have been part of a stone circle at Waun Mawn in the Preseli Hills.

Returning to the Preseli Hills, this is the site where the Neolithic henge builders quarried their materials. Recent chemical analysis of the rocks, and archaeological excavation at two sites, Carn Goedog and the nearby Craig Rhos-y-Felin, have identified them as the Neolithic quarry sites. Excavations at Carn Goedog revealed a large number of coarse stone tools, a handful of quartz flakes, and a single chert blade, which would have been used for quarrying. Natural pillars remain in situ, and excavation has also revealed where pillars have been quarried.

So now we know where some of the stones at Stonehenge came from. How they arrived at their final location having been quarried in Wales remains something of a mystery, as does how long the journey took, where they rested, and what they were used for along that journey.

Related Tags

Standing Stones Archaeology Neolithic Ancient Stone Quarries Stonehenge

Know Before You Go

The walk to Carn Goedog is wet and boggy and very steep in places, and will require a good level of fitness, as well as suitable outdoor clothing and footwear.  It is best approached from the south, and parking is available about 2 miles to the south on the un-named road running east-west between Mynachlog-Ddu and the B4313.

The location of Carn Goedog is 51°57'55"N 4°43'31"W, while the car park can be found at 51°56'38"N 4°43'34"W.

Community Contributors

Added By

5beasts

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 23, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/megalith-quarries-for-stonehenges-bluestones/AAF715CC586231FFFCC18ACB871C9F5E
  • https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=20265
  • https://www.archaeology.org/news/7415-190219-stonehenge-carn-goedog
Carn Goedog
Eglwyswrw, Wales, SA41 3SB
United Kingdom
51.965628, -4.724834

Nearby Places

Pentre Ifan

Pembrokeshire, Wales

miles away

Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage

Newchapel, Wales

miles away

The Blessing Stone

St Dogmaels, Wales

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wales

Wales

United Kingdom

Places 136
Stories 21

Nearby Places

Pentre Ifan

Pembrokeshire, Wales

miles away

Cilwendeg Shell House Hermitage

Newchapel, Wales

miles away

The Blessing Stone

St Dogmaels, Wales

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wales

Wales

United Kingdom

Places 136
Stories 21

Related Places

  • Stane Alane Standing Stone

    Lochgilphead, Scotland

    Stane Alane Standing Stone

    A mysterious solitary standing stone from the Neolithic period.

  • Croft Moraig Stone Circle entry stones

    Aberfeldy, Scotland

    Croft Moraig Stone Circle

    This Neolithic stone circle is the most complete of its kind in Scotland.

  • The Cuckoo Stone

    Wiltshire, England

    The Cuckoo Stone

    This neolithic stone was once used for ceremonial practices similar to its neighbor Stonehenge.

  • Pieces of columns left abandoned.

    Campobello di Mazara, Italy

    Cave of Cusa

    The ancient Greeks abandoned this quarry to escape Hannibal's devastating invasion.

  • Looking in from the gap left by the missing stone

    Duddo, England

    Duddo Five Stones

    There were once more than five stones in this ancient monument.

  • The cairn from the entrance opposite the car park

    Kilmartin, Scotland

    Dunchraigaig Cairn and Baluachraig Rock Art

    No other place in Scotland has such a high concentration of prehistoric carved stone surfaces.

  • Ballymeanoch Standing Stones set out in two parallel rows

    Kilmartin, Scotland

    Ballymeanoch Prehistoric Monuments

    This Neolithic-era complex boasts standing stones, a cairn, and the only henge in Western Scotland.

  • The flat circular centre of the henge

    Eamont Bridge, England

    King Arthur's Round Table

    Though this large circular site is now named for the legendary king, its history dates back to the Neolithic era.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.