Caerfai
Follow our efforts to rescue the ruins of an ancient Welsh coastal fort that's under threat from climate change.
The gorgeous, windswept coastline of St David’s peninsula in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is lined by the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Its dramatic natural beauty, sheer cliffs, and pristine coves hugged by white sand beaches, draw people in for plenty of reasons. But for history-lovers, this scenery is the breathtaking backdrop to something even more profound; a string of 12 ancient coastal forts which line these dramatic cliffs.
Caerfai Camp, known as Penpleidiau in Welsh, is the closest of these forts to St David’s and is one of the largest. Beyond the stunning views, its sheer size, and its enduring air of mystery, there’s something else quite striking about this site: it is collapsing into the sea.
Who built this mighty fort? When? Why? What were they defending? And what else can we learn about the community who used it, before its story is lost forever?
In 2021, DigVentures was invited to lead a community-based rescue dig to assess whether any evidence could be recovered. After discovering clear signs of ancient occupation, including roundhouses, tools, and more, DigVentures went on to crowdfund two further rescue digs in 2022 and 2023.
Articles (9)
Go in-depth with updates from the dig and read more supporting articles about the project.
Videos (8)
Join us for video tours, go behind the scenes in the finds room or watch the latest project updates.
Reports (6)
From Project Designs to Final Reports, this is where you can read the official nitty gritty detail of everything we’ve found at Caerfai.
Follow our progress
See the latest updates and follow the archaeology action from Caerfai as it happens.
