A series of bizarre patterns carved into the North Wales Highlands have caused a stir among conspiracy theorists. The cryptic designs, which resemble abstract symbols, were discovered etched into the Hiraethog moors along the Conwy-Denbighshire border.
The curious markings are only visible from above and were first spotted by motor-glider pilot Simon Grice as he returned from a flight over Yr Wyddfa to his base airfield in Denbighshire. Situated near the remains of Gwylfa Hiraethog, close to the former Sportsmans Arms, once the highest pub in Wales, Simon initially thought it was a large-scale art installation.
However, after Simon posted a photo of the geoglyphs online, comparisons were drawn to the Nazca Lines, the extensive collection of lines, geometric figures and animal images found in southern Peru. Theories about their origins ranged from routes for the construction of wind turbines to the handiwork of drunken peasants.
READ MORE: Wales' 20mph roads to revert to 30mph speed limit BREAKING NEWS: Warning issued over potentially deadly 'eyesore' that will cost £100m to repairInevitably, some suggested extraterrestrial involvement, with one woman saying: "One word", her tongue firmly in cheek, "Aliens!" Simon, 54, from Llanferres, is a regular visitor to the skies over North Wales and flies his T61 Venture motorglider from Lleweni Parc Airfield near Denbigh.
He is looking forward to flying a plane on a groundbreaking journey around Britain next month, powered solely by the elements, reports North Wales Live. Reflecting on his recent aerial adventure, he said: "I'd just had the flight of my life over Yr Wyddfa.
"For the return trip I decided to go back via the Brenig Reservoir. Glider pilots always look down. It's a safety precaution that they look for fields in case they have to land. Because you're flying at 1500 feet and only going 60 mph, it's much lower and slower than most other aircraft, which makes spotting fields much easier.
"Flying northwest of Brenig, I saw these patterns. I'm used to seeing shapes cut into the heath, which are clearly man-made and functional. These were completely different: they looked like an attempt to create something artistic.
"I imagine they are hard to make out on the ground. Because they were taken at a high point on the moor, there is no vantage point to look down on them, so they can only really be seen from the air. They may have been there for a while and no one has noticed them."
Simon is an entrepreneur with a variety of business interests. As CEO of AI company Joggle, he used AI to investigate the strange Hiraethog patterns. A response from Claude's AI assistant was emphatic, saying it was an art installation by Gerry Judah, a landscape artist based in London who has "created several notable pieces in Wales."
The work, described by Claude AI, was part of a collection called 'The Sung Hills', in collaboration with the Welsh National Opera. It said: "The installation represents musical notation on a grand scale, transforming the landscape into a visual representation of Welsh folk music."
However, a Google search yields no results for an artwork titled "The Sung Hills" or any collaboration with the WNO. Simon contacted Gerry Judah, who confirmed he had no involvement. Back to square one, Simon turned to social media for ideas. The range of responses was wide. For the latest Welsh news in your inbox, sign up to our newsletter.
He shared: "Some said it was done by Banksy or drunken farmers, others said it was Welsh government planning. A few said it was photoshopped - it wasn't!" Online commenters joked about alien crop circles or "signals to the mothership". Jeremy Clarkson was blamed by some, as were the oft-criticised Evri drivers.
One person even linked it to a 13th-century pilgrimage to Jerusalem by a French rabbi. More serious theories include fracking, as the patterns mirrored natural gas fields in Wyoming, USA. Yet fracking is not allowed in Wales.
These forms are normally cut into heather to encourage a mix of new and old growth, creating ideal habitats for ground nesting birds such as grouse. These birds need open feeding areas but also cover to avoid predators.
Heather cutting is a common sight in North Wales and beyond, with the usual patterns of rectangular strips, squares and occasionally circles. These shapes can be seen beneath the intricate Hiraethog patterns that Simon has recorded, which show where the heather has been cut in previous years.
However, a Wrexham University graduate has suggested that the Hirathog pegs were designed for grouse moors, claiming that the connecting lines act as pathways for the birds, whose numbers are beginning to recover thanks to moorland management.
"My son worked on it," she shared online. "The heath was too dense and there was nowhere for them to show themselves and attract a mate. The trails connect the open areas where they could show themselves, which are called 'leks'. They have a complex system of trails. Leks have largely disappeared over the last 40 years, so we are reintroducing them to increase the population."
This claim has left some people confused, given the complexity of the patterns created. However, Natural Resources Wales seems reasonably certain that this is the reason. The environmental organisation works with landowners and tenants of the Mynydd Hiraethog Site of Special Scientific Interest to manage and improve the condition of the upland habitats.
A spokesman explained: "This is beneficial for species such as grouse and the birds of prey that rely on this special place to forage and breed. By cutting the heathland in a rotation over a number of years, a patchwork of heather is created at different stages of growth.
"The variation suits different species at different stages of their life cycle. Cutting paths through the high heath also helps with access to the site to control any accidental fires. Whether the cuts are regular in shape or not, they are still effective."
