Mynydd Carningli, Pembrokeshire: The ancient volcano in the shape of a reclining woman

The peak of this remote mountain in West Wales is the next spot to make our Secret Britain list.

Mynydd Carningli, Pembrokeshire.
Mynydd Carningli, Pembrokeshire.
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

It only takes half an hour to climb this 1,138ft ancient volcano from Newport, but, once at the top, the solitude is tempered only by the whirling of skylarks on the Atlantic wind.

St Brynach is said to have had conversations with angels here in about 450AD, hence the name ‘Mount of Angels’. You’ll also find one of the largest hill forts in west Wales and remains of Bronze Age settlements on the slopes below.

When viewed from the south, Mynydd Carningli resembles a reclining woman, which some associate with an earth goddess.See more of Secret Britain


Annunciata is director of contemporary art gallery TIN MAN ART and an award-winning journalist specialising in art, culture and property. Previously, she was Country Life’s News & Property Editor. Before that, she worked at The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, researched for a historical biographer and co-founded a literary, art and music festival in Oxfordshire. Lancashire-born, she lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and a mischievous pug.