Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills of Wales

Bryn Llwyd (SN 835 920) - Pellennig addition  

There has been a new hill that has entered the list of Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills of Wales, due to a recent Trimble survey.  The hill is situated in the Pumlumon group of hills in the northern part of mid Wales and is situated between the towns of Llanidloes to its south-east and Machynlleth to its north-west.

The hill was surveyed over two days on 5^th and 13^th May 2016, both in beautiful sunshine and its name is Bryn Llwyd.  It can be accessed from the east via a track that leaves a minor road toward the farm of Nant-yr-hafod, or alternatively it can be accessed from its north via a track that leaves a minor road leading toward the lake of Glaslyn, or from a track that leaves the same minor road and makes its way around the southern flank of Y Grug.  These approaches from the north have to contend with Cors yr Ebolion, which as its Welsh name suggests is a bog.  If tempted by one of these northern approaches it is advisable to keep to a path that contours the eastern flank of Banc Bugeilyn before losing height to cross the reed infested stream close to the south-west corner of the conifer plantation to the north of this hill’s summit.

Bryn Llwyd was surveyed by the Trimble GeoXH 6000 as being 501.4m (converted to OSGM15, and average of four summit surveys) high, and prior to this survey the highest point listed hereabouts was Bryn yr Ŵyn which had been regarded as being higher than Bryn Llwyd and therefore listed as the summit in the 500m Twmpau list.  However, Bryn yr Ŵyn was surveyed by the Trimble as being 499.9m (converted to OSGM15, and average of five summit surveys) high, and as contour interpolation and a rudimentary survey suggested that the connecting bwlch between these two hills was not low enough to give each sufficient drop to be listed as separate summits; only Bryn yr Ŵyn was previously listed.  This Trimble survey confirms Bryn Llwyd to be the higher summit (see Summit Relocation post) and as the nearest paved public road at SN 84696 94288 is 2.525km from the summit this hill qualifies for the listing of Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills of Wales, having the required 15m minimum drop and 2.5km minimum distance between the summit and the nearest paved public road.

This now brings the overall total for Y Pellennig to 168 hills for the Complete list (All Wales), with the total for the Mainland Wales list being 124 hills.  The Master List will be duly updated on the Mapping Mountains site.

The full details for the hill are:

Cardinal Hill:  Pumlumon Fawr

Summit Height:  501.4m (converted to OSGM15, and average of four summit surveys)

Name:  Bryn Llwyd

OS 1:50,000 map:  135, 136

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 83574 92022

Drop:  30.3m (converted to OSGM15)

Distance:  2.525km

The list of additions and deletions in the Pellennig list since the 1^st edition of Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills ills of wales of Wales was published by Europeaklist is as follows:

ADDITIONS

Pen Diban (SH 112 205)

Ynys Arw (SH 266 945)

Bryn Llwyd (SN 835 920) 1st survey, 2nd survey

DELETIONS

Graig Fach (SN 821 931)

Bryn Llwyd (SN 835 920) now confirmed as a Pellennig hill

ills of wales For details on the 1st Trimble survey and the 2nd Trimble survey that promoted this hill to Pellennig status.

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (May 2016)