Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Mynydd Hiraethog

16.01.16  Y Faerdre (SH 781 794)

Y Faerdre (SH 781 794)

Y Faerdre takes in land that comprises three tops, two being distinctly appealing in shape, with the third lesser so.  The higher top comprises the ruins of Castell Deganwy, which is now no more than a few rock encrusted remains from the old castle’s wall that is now partly grassed over.

We had planned on visiting a few more P30s during the late afternoon but Alex wanted to visit his Grandfather who’s 90^th birthday it was today, we also had an appointment with a stove and a quite scrumptious cup a soup, and with the rain falling heavier upon an already wet land, the prospect of getting particularly wet did not enthuse us.

As Alex navigated us to a housing estate above the village of Deganwy the rain splattered across the car’s windscreen.  Pulling up we remained stubbornly seated in the car, not wanting to venture out and hoping that the rain would stop for a half hour or so, thus enabling a quick and dry ascent.  No such luck.

A footpath leads between houses on to closely cropped grassy fields where the attractive profile of the two highest points of Y Faerdre shot up in to view; both are relatively steep and well worth a visit.

The field proved wet and as we made our way up it we squashed our way through standing water and mud to get to the lower slopes that lead up to the remains of Castell Deganwy.  The fortification that once stood at the top of this hill was finally destroyed by the Welsh as part of a scorched earth policy under threat of an impending English invasion.

Alex heading toward the summit of Y Faerdre

Once at its top we assessed the summit for its high point and I placed the Trimble down to gather five minutes of data as the rain increased in strength.  Once packed away we descended the hill’s eastern slope and headed up to its near, but slightly lower neighbour.  If the afternoon had been dry I would have Trimbled this top, but rain and cold meant that we admired the view and scampered down to the comforts of the car.

Gathering data from the summit of Y Faerdre

The high point of Y Faerdre from its adjacent but slightly lower top

Before leaving Deganwy I drove down in to the village where Alex directed me to a car park, and he proceeded to set up a stove beside a bridge spanning the railway line.  Within a few minutes the water had boiled and was quickly poured in to two large mugs containing cup a soups.  Seldom have I tasted anything so appetising, it proved absolutely yummy, and kept the chilly, wet conditions at bay for ten minutes or so.

Time for a brew-up

LIDAR image of Y Faerdre (SH 781 794)

Postscript: 

Since the summit survey of this hill full LIDAR coverage is now available.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height and positional data that is now freely available for England and Wales.  Consequently the numerical details for this hill has been analysed using this technique, resulting in the LIDAR height and position for its bwlch being used.

Survey Result:

Y Faerdre (significant name change)

 

Summit Height:  109.0m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 78160 79432 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  30.4m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 79280 80334 (LIDAR)

Drop:  78.5m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

Dominance:  72.08% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

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