
Situated in the heart of the Dolaucothi estate stands the old stone of Pumsaint with which many myths and legends are associated. Some of them are simply disregarded as old wives' tales or scary stories to frighten the children of the village so that they would stay out of trouble. What would you believe?
Five good men
A stone’s throw away from our welcome point you’ll find Carreg Pumsaint, a standing stone with mysterious indentations on four of its sides.
The legend goes like this. Five saints had set off on a pilgrimage and were heading to St. Davids in Pembrokeshire; their names were Ceitho, Celynnen, Gwyn, Gwynog and Gwynaro.
As they made their way through this area, the evil sorcerer who dwelled in the mines conjured up a fierce storm to thwart their attempts of reaching their destination.
In desperation, they sheltered against a rock that, today, bears the impressions of their heads and shoulders due to the force of the storm. There are only four impressions as the fifth saint could find no refuge during the storm. Instead, it’s said that he was taken in to the mines and rests in an enchanted sleep, similarly to King Arthur’s fate.