On route to the dEVILS SToNE, picture by ttTOM
Recommended parking is at OS SH672089 opposite the pretty little church know as Mary Jones Chapel in the hamlet of Llanfihangle-y-Pennant.
Or come in via The Nuggets Sams cache GCNVV4 and Gwyddnos Sliding with Stile GCZCJ4.
Previously thought to be lost, the dEVILS SToNE, in Welsh known as Carreg Enwau (names stone) dates from the 16th century, its location known only by a few!
Orienteering clues to it’s location can be found on the inside cover of the cache log book.
As a geocaching exclusive, this is the first ever published photo of the stone!
Folk lore has it that before the days of the Reformation, local parishioners used to gather in the Rhiwogof Valley below Cadair Idris on the Sabbath to dance and play games.
One Sunday, the Devil appeared perched on a rock in the form of an ass, rearing up on its hind legs he let out a frightening howl that shook the surrounding mountains, everyone fled, no one had the courage to visit the spot for months afterwards.
However in time, two local shepherds one from Pencoed and the other from Rhiwogof, went to examine the rock and found the Devil's hoof print embedded in it.
Set flat in the ground, the slate stone contains many names and dates by local sheperds, with the oldest dated 1564.
You might like to include the earliest dates found on the stone in your log entry!
Found in the letterbox hybrid cache along with the log book will be a unique rubber stamp!NOT FOR SWAP Don’t forget your ink pad to take an impression of the dEVIL SToNE stamp!
1/4 mile before your car park is Castell y Bere A massive fortress built by Llywelyn the Great in 1221. Theres still plenty to poke around, it’s primarily a great place just to sit gazing at Cadair Idris.
From the church car park, head down the single track road as if making for Cadair.
After 300yds take the ladder stile on the right to a broad track which climbs above the Dysynni.
Easiest route to the cache is to stay with this track until reaching a barn with sheep pens at Pencoed OS SH686111 then head S.E following the wall which will take you into the Rhiwogof valley.
After leaving the grazed area there is a short distance which can be problematic!
In the summer months the track can be hidden by heavy bracken, your general direction is never in doubt!
Also on crossing a boggy area, forge ahead ,do not be tempted to detour!
The cache is now only a short distance away!
For the more adventurous and a short cut, at a ladder stile by a gated area OS SH677096 head up over Craig Ysgiog climbing to 1000ft (largely untracked) with a river crossing beyond.
Researching and setting the cache has been a fascinating insight into a by-gone age. Oh’to have been a tick on a piece of bracken, watching the revelry before the devil descended!
Have fun!