Myrddyn Phillips - Mapping Mountains: Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys

20.08.14 Y Golfa (SJ 182 070), Y Golfa (SJ 173 073), Y Golfa (SJ 169 073), Frochas Hill (SJ 194 083) and Yr Allt (SJ 218 087, bwlch only)

Y Golfa (SJ 182 070)

The first reply to my question was ‘you can throw me under a hedge’, I appreciated the forthrightness in this reply but I wasn’t going to do this, the second time I approached the subject I was met with ‘you can throw me over the Welsh bridge in to the river when you come back from Shrewsbury’. The third time I approached the subject my father looked at me and with tears in his eyes he said ‘at the top of the Maes Gwastad field’. I knew exactly where my Dad meant, I often wondered if I could ask the question as I thought I’d find it very emotional to do so, I’m ever so thankful I did. The question I asked my Dad was ‘where would you like your ashes scattered’.

My Dad passed away aged 93 on the 20^th August 2004 two or three years after I asked him this question. In November of that year I fulfilled my Dad’s request, and today on the 10^th anniversary of his death I wanted to revisit Maes Gwastad and pay my respects to my Dad, a person who I loved dearly and someone who had a great influence on my life. I also wanted to repeat a small segment of the walk I did on that day when I took my Dad’s ashes to be scattered. The walk in 2004 took in 20 miles and visited many places that had a direct bearing on my father’s life. I also wanted to combine today’s walk with visiting some local places that I had not been to before and by doing so I could survey two Sub-P30 hills.

My father passed away at 7.50am and I wanted to be standing at the spot where I scattered his ashes on top of Maes Gwastad at this time. I set off from home at around 7.00am and walked on the canal towpath in to town, it was quiet and peaceful as I made my way toward Christ Church and the track that leads up the initial north-easterly slopes of Powis Park’s high point; Upper Park, which is also known locally as Pen y Parc.

Thankfully the weather forecast was good, with only occasional showers forecast for the afternoon, and as the early morning sun cast down from a radiant blue sky I paid a visit to the remains of Park Cottage, this is situated in a wood and is now a ruin, it is where my Grandparents lived with my Dad and my Aunt when they were young. I then paid my respects to my Dad at the top of Maes Gwastad, overlooking the town he knew as home with Cefn Digoll and the Breiddin as backdrop.

The view from Maes Gwastad over Welshpool with the Breiddin and Cefn Digoll as backdrop

I then followed the field down to Christ Chuch and headed out of Welshpool from the Raven roundabout on the paved road that eventually turns in to a track and which makes its way up the eastern ridge of the first hill I wanted to visit; Y Golfa. This route goes through the grounds of Llanerchydol Hall, the present house having been built in 1776 by David Pugh; a wealthy tea trader.

The paved road and then track passes many mature trees set in old estate grounds before the continuation of the track peters out for a path to head through agricultural fields and then up to hillsides of fern. I was met at the top by the buzzing of a motorised grass cutting buggy that was diligently mowing the greens of the accompanying Welshpool Golf Course. I waved at the person behind the wheel and had an acknowledgement back in response.

Y Golfa has a triangulation pillar at its summit, I’d visited twice before, once when taking my Dad on his journey in November 2004, and the second time with Bob Kerr when we met up to do a series of pre-Everest videos on Bob’s attempt to complete the Seven Summits. As I placed the Trimble on the high point beside the trig to gather ten minutes of data, the cloud to the north and west was already building up to great plumes of greyness heralding the forecast afternoon showers.

Gathering data beside the trig pillar on Y Golfa with the distinct profile of the Breiddin in the background

Once data were collected I found a path through ferm that led down towards the connecting bwlch to a 299m map heighted hill, the bwlch is given a 272m spot height on Ordnance Survey maps, so the hill stood an outside chance of becoming a P30. I collected data at the bwlch and then the summit, this looks out over the Golf Course Club House where cars were arriving and people were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.

Centre foreground is Y Golfa (SJ 173 073) and the lower part of Y Golfa (SJ 169 073) on the left with the high Aran in the background

Beyond the Club House is a 298m map height summit and as this height and its 299m counterpart have a margin of uncertainty of +/- 3m associated with the photogrammetrical technique that gave them these heights, I wanted to survey each, as in affect the lower map heighted hill could prove to be the higher!

Gathering data at Y Golfa (SJ 169 073) with L-R; the Breiddin, Cefn Digoll and Y Golfa in background

Once surveyed I walked back down to the Club House and found the footpath that led down toward the Frochas Lane which was my way back home. This footpath went straight over one of the golf courses fairways and as I was about to head over it toward a foot stile I noticed that three people were about to tee off. They’d already noticed me, I acknowledged them and headed from the fringe of the fairway to the rough, hoping that their aim was good and no hooks would be forthcoming. The first person took his stance and swung and the golf ball made a big ark in the sky and whizzed toward me, I retreated further in to the rough and hoped the second person would find the fairway! As the second ball was hit, it too made an ark and headed straight for me, I scampered off and ducked as it went whizzing past my head. Before the third member of their group took his stance I quickly walked over the fairway toward the ladder stile and watched as the third ball was hit, this time it arked in the opposing direction and headed right towards me; again! They were either very bad shots or extremely good ones, depending on what they were aiming for.

I followed the Frochas Lane eastward toward the next bwlch I wanted to survey, this was in a field and once the spot had been chosen for Trimble placement I retreated behind a high hedge and spent the next twenty minutes waiting for the Trimble to attain its 0.1m accuracy before data should be logged. This was probably due to there being a large hedge a few metres behind the equipment, it did mean a long wait in a field though, and as vehicles passed on the lane I stood behind the hedge completely out of eye shot of all and everything.

Once the Trimble had gathered five minutes of data I packed it away and headed up the lane to a track that veers off toward the summit of Frochas Hill. This common is one of the last Welsh habitats for the rare Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly, the whole summit area was awash with thistles, flowers and long grasses. As I set the Trimble up on its improvised Tupperware and draughts board tripod I was met by a very happy dog which was running around retrieving a stick. The stick was being thrown by Mandy Kirkman who was out with her sister; Debbie and their two dogs and children. Debbie lives at the end of the track on the north-east side of the hill. We chatted for quite some time, Debbie telling me about her life in the house which she is renovating. She walks this hill most days, a marvellous place with views toward Y Golfa and the surrounding beauty of this part of Wales. By the time the Trimble had collected nearly 17 minutes of data we said our good bi’s, a lovely couple to meet.

Debbie and Mandy Kirkman on the summit of Frochas Hill

Gathering data at the summit of Frochas Hill

I quickly packed the equipment away as the sky to the west had turned sleet grey and the first rain drops were now falling, as I headed down the lane toward Welshpool the rain started in earnest, big drops bringing an unusual comfort as it was never heavier enough whilst I walked on the lane to put on an outer Goretex shell, during the heavier spurts I took shelter under large mature trees where the gravelled tarmac of the lane remained dry.

One last survey remained and that was at the end of the lane just before it bisects the Welshpool to Guilsfield road, this is where the critical bwlch for Yr Allt is situated. By now the rain had ceased with the sun bringing warmth again, the area of this critical bwlch has had extensive alteration with the lane, and a number of houses all adding complexity to the surrounds. I chose my spot, gathered the customary five minutes of data, packed the Trimble away and headed up to the top of the Red Bank before walking down through the tranquil surrounds of Bron y Buckley Wood, and the journey through the outer fringes of Welshpool town centre toward my inward route on the canal towpath back home.