Circle 275, Penmaenmawr

Circle 275

Five low stones form Circle 275, a prehistoric stone circle that has been called the smallest in Britain. Quartz deposits have been unearthed in a pit in the centre of the circle. Circle 275 is quite close to the more striking Druid's Circle.

There is an outlier stone just uphill of the circle, suggesting that there was more to the arrangement of stones than is first apparent. The small circle is similar in style to circles found in Ireland, suggesting a cultural link across the Irish Sea. The combination of a small size and quartz deposits is also found in County Cork.

This is one of 4 stone circles on the headland above Penmaenmawr, near Conwy. The circle probably dates to the Bronze Age, and it stands on a much-travelled trading route between eastern England and Ireland.

The circle is on the trail leading up to the more spectacular Druid's Circle, silhouetted on the top of the ridge. It is about 3 metres across (roughly 10 feet) and the interior of the circle was found to be strewn with small bits of quartz when it was excavated in 1958.