Saturday 31 October 2015

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Moel y Gamelin


13.10.15  Mynydd yr Hôb (SJ 294 568)  

Mynydd yr Hôb (SJ 294 568)

Mynydd yr Hôb (Hope Mountain in English) rises above the small communities of Llanfynydd to its west, Cymau to its south and Caergwrle to its east.  The hill dominates its immediate surroundings as one would expect of a Marilyn as it is listed with just less than 190m of prominence.  It can be easily accessed from the west or the east as narrow lanes encircle its upper land.  However, these access points are not on open access land and if at all possible, permission should be sought to visit.

LIDAR summit image of Mynydd yr Hôb (SJ 294 568)

I approached the hill from the east and parked opposite the gate that gives access to a track leading up to the high masts that are situated on the eastern side of the hill and below its summit.  There is space to park one car opposite this gate and although the road is narrow there is sufficient space for vehicles to pass if a car is left.  This parking spot is at SJ 297 571.

As the track wound its way up to the masts the view started to open up, the day was set fine with early afternoon sunshine giving autumnal warmth to proceedings.  Although the view is extensive from the summit, today’s warmth meant that the view was also hazy, but Liverpool Cathedral could still be easily picked out across the flatlands of the Wirral.

Near to the masts one barbed wire fence has to be clambered over, this is a wee bit dilapidated and for people with long legs it can be stretched over easily.  All that remains is a saunter up a grassy field to the summit trig pillar which is positioned on an elevated plinth.

Looking toward the trig pillar at the summit of Mynydd yr Hôb

As I approached I assessed the ground at the base of the trig from a number of directions and eventually chose my spot for the Trimble.  It attained its 0.1m accuracy level before data should be logged within a minute or so and I pressed ‘Log’ and walked away to scribble down all details that will later appear in the ‘Trimble Survey Spreadsheet’.

Gathering data at the summit of Mynydd yr Hôb

Once data were collected I packed the Trimble away and sauntered off taking a few photos on the way as I looked back at the trig pillar forlornly keeping guard over its high perched summit.

The trig pillar on its elevated plinth at the summit of Mynydd yr Hôb

Arriving back at the car I headed down the narrow lane and in to Caergwrle as the next hill I wanted to visit was Castell Caergwrle, I’d never visited this P30 and yet had travelled past it on a number of occasions.


Survey Result:



Summit Height:  330.0m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 29476 56892 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  142.7m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 26903 58849 (LIDAR)

Drop:  187.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  56.76% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)




For further details please consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet click {here}




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