For quite a few years we have been going to Cei Bach in Ceredigion in Wales, it is a beautiful area just along the coast from New Quay.
Cei Bach beach is in the sweep of Little Quay Bay, at low tide you can walk from Cei Bach beach to New Quay, it takes about an hour or longer, depends how many times you stop to look at things or just stand and enjoy the surrounding views.
But back to the subject……all these years and I never really noticed the big grey rock pillar that stood in a field as you walk down to the beach. Until this trip, as the caravan site had made more pitches for camping away from the caravan and motor homes.
As always, we parked up and with small dog we were rushing down to the beach……..but wait… I cannot believe I had never really noticed what the grey lump of rock was before, I had really always thought that it was a rather ancient gate post. But now looking at it really for the first time could it be a Bronze Age Standing Stone.
There had been remains of broken metal rings for hanging a gate, so at one time it could have be used as a gate post, but they are gone and now all that remains are some metal studs.
The stone is not mentioned in any ancient monument list, but it is way to big to be just a gate post, it is an elongated tapering stone and is 1.8m high and 0.6 x 0.3m across max, leaning at an angle. There is no details on any maps of the stone or even boundaries that it could have been a gate post for.
There are Bronze Age activity around the area, at a church in Llandysiliogogo when carrying out some repairs in the 1890’s they found a large prehistoric stone under the floor of the church which was too heavy to move. The nearby village of Llaingarreglwyd to Cei Bach, translates as ‘a narrow strip of land of the grey stone’, there is also a cottage name Ty Carn meaning Cairn House.
To me it just looks like it should be more than just a gate post, I think it is a standing stone that in more recent years had been used as a gate post, possibly moved from somewhere local to where it now stands. I suppose it will always remain a mystery but at least now I have noticed it.
Echoes of the Past 
That does look very ancient and interesting! Strange how these stones sometimes get absorbed into a place (although, as you say, it could have been moved). I’m sure it feels a bit awkward there! 🙂 I would be tempted to get a large-scale map out and see if there are any more in the vicinity, or if there are any lines leading to anywhere. Great photos, by the way!
I think there are a few more in the area, but I need to get a large scale map, I only have a tourist one, but I will get one and next year we can go stone hunting. I would have loved to have seen the one under the church floor 🙂
I would love to have seen that too!
Fascinating – the mystery surrounding stones, circles, and similar is the magic for me. Good luck with your research.
Thank you 🙂