"Gorsedd stones are the meeting places for Druids and Bards, located in Bute Park which is the principal park and the green heart of the City of Cardiff, capital of Wales
This is not an ancient monument, having been erected to celebrate the holding of the Welsh National Eisteddfod in the city in 1978. There is an historic link however as it is said that the central stone slab was recovered from a another place in the park.
Gorsedd Stones (Welsh: Cerrig yr Orsedd) are groups of standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They form an integral part of the druidic Gorsedd ceremonies of the Eisteddfod. The stones can be found as commemorative structures throughout Wales and are the hallmark of the National Eisteddfod having visited a community
As well as commemorating the National Eisteddfod, the Gorsedd Stones continue to provide an important ceremonial venue for the proclamation of future National Eisteddfodau which according to tradition must be completed one year and one day prior to its official opening. The ceremony is conducted by the of the Gorsedd of Bards who formally announces the particulars of the proposed venue. . The portal stone to the right of the entrance points to midsummer sunrise, while that to the left indicates the midwinter sunrise
Earth cache lesson.
The centre of Cardiff is relatively flat and is bounded by hills on the outskirts to the east, north and west. Its geographic features were influential in its development as the world's largest coal port, most notably its proximity and easy access to the coal fields of the south Wales valleys. Cardiff is built on reclaimed marshland on a bed of Triassic stones; this reclaimed marshland stretches from Chepstow to the Ely Estuary,which is the natural boundary of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Triassic landscapes of this part of the world are usually shallow and low-lying which accounts and explains the flatness of the centre of Cardiff.
Stone types1) The classic Triassic marl, sand and conglomerate rocks are used predominantly throughout Cardiff as building materials. Many of these Triassic rocks have a purple complexion, especially the coastal marl found near Penarth. 2) One of the Triassic rocks used in Cardiff is "Radyr Stone", a grey/green freestone which as it name suggests is quarried in the Radyr district. 3) Cardiff has also imported some materials for buildings: Devonian sedimentary sandstones (the Old Red Sandstone) from the Brecon Beacons has been used. 4) Most famously, the buildings of Cathays Park, the civic centre in the centre of the city, are built of Portland stone (close textured yellow) which was imported from Dorset. 5) A widely used building stone in Cardiff is the yellow-grey Liassic limestone rock of the Vale of Glamorgan 6) Also the very rare "Sutton Stone", a conglomerate of liassic limestone and carboniferous limestone.
Caching requirements
In order to claim this cache you will need to visit the site, do a little research and answer the following questions.
1) The stone used for the uprights is local, describe the stone and tell me which of the types of stone describe above is the stone used for the stone circle?
2) The flat stone in the middle is much older. What geological process occurred to create this stone, or what type of stone is it?
3) To make sure you did visit the site. About 100m to the south there is another small stone with a plaque on it, who is this stone dedicated to and why?
4) Finally if you have the time and a camera please take a photo and (optional) upload to the log page
Though this is a relatively modern stone circle it still seems to have some "power" as all stone circles,do, feel the power and use it to make your day a good one.
Thank you for visiting the site and please email me the answers to the questions