Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

05.11.14  Walker's Bank (SO 389 984)  

Walker's Bank (SO 389 984)

Having surveyed the critical col for the Stiperstones (SO 367 986) and the col and summit of The Cold Piece (SO 338 996), I drove out of the small community of Shelve and headed east circumventing the main Stiperstones ridge and then swinging north on a narrow lane and parked at the start of a gravelled track adjacent to a field where I spent the next twenty minutes assessing the critical col of Walker’s Bank.

Walking up the lane I stepped over an old gate into an expansive closely cropped grassy field, its contoured gradient reminiscent of a snooker table made for a race of giants.  Smoothly it slid down on its northerly valley to valley traverse, its meeting of the hill to hill traverse seemed relatively easy to pinpoint, but its southerly valley to valley traverse continued in a smooth green flatland that was hard to distinguish what was up and what was down.  The centralised ten figure grid reference for the col took me to what was visually still on part of the downward hill to hill traverse.  I pottered about for quite some time, wandering seemingly aimlessly back and forth, judging, assessing, looking and then repeating the process.  Eventually I picked a spot, set the Trimble down and gathered some data. 

Gathering data at the critical col of Walker's Bank

Thankfully only one vehicle passed on the adjacent narrow lane during the twenty minutes I spent in the field.  Once the Trimble had been packed away I walked back to the car and drove down the lane to a conveniently wide road junction, parked and walked back up the lane to a track heading eastward toward the next summit of the day: Walker’s Bank (SO 389 984).

The track led through three gates and continued around the northern slopes of the summit of Walker’s Bank, I broke off the track and headed over closely cropped grass and aimed direct for the high point of the hill.  To the north the rounded Shropshire uplands continued with the flat plain beyond. 

The view north from the slopes of Walker's Bank

Rounded Shropshire hills

This hill benefits from place-name research conducted by Aled Williams as it is another example of a hill that is unnamed on Ordnance Survey maps.  However, Ordnance Survey maps do help in their use of an uppermost 399m spot height that appears on the enlarged Geograph map.  And with an estimated 42m of drop this hill is a prime candidate for a Trimble survey and a possible promotion from the Sub-Fours to the main listing of The Fours.

The high point of the hill was easily identified and consists of grass.  Once the Trimble was set up and gathering data I enjoyed the expansive views with the Stiperstones a dulled brown heather colour with their recognisable spiky rock outcrops dominating the view westward.  Away to the south-west the pointed summit of Nipstone Rock was easily picked out with its twin map heighted heathery top just to its south.

Gathering data at the summit of Walker's Bank

After packing the Trimble away I made my way leisurely back down to the track and the continuation to the narrow lane and my parked car.  The day’s totals were now three cols and two summits surveyed, with another three summits (one a twin) and one col yet to visit.  Next stop the Stiperstones.     

Survey Result:


Walker's Bank (significant name change) 

Summit Height:  399.0m (converted to OSGM15) (390m Sub-Four status confirmed)

   

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 38905 98491

Col Height:  355.4m (converted to OSGM15)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 38430 99132

Drop:  43.6m 

Dominance:  10.93%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet