Sunday 29 May 2016

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Hafod Ithel


13.05.16  Pt. 173.8m (SN 225 503)

Pt. 173.8m (SN 225 503)

The ethics of roadside bagging may be thought of as dubious, but their convenience and novelty are not to be underplayed as a summit visited is just that, and if that summit just happens to be positioned on a road the ethics of what constitutes a valid ascent are easily dispensed with in favour of another tick in another list.

Today’s roadside grab was a hill that is positioned on the outskirts of Felinwynt, which is a small gathering of houses to the north-east of Aberteifi (Cardigan).  The hill constitutes a large grassed field with a minor road passing over it in a north to south direction.  The upper part of the road has a 174m spot height adjoined to it on Ordnance Survey maps, this is beside a fence in the field, with a 173m spot height given to a patch of land to the south.

I’d been out for 6½ hours earlier in the day around part of the Pumlumon range of hills before driving further south, and wanted a couple of easy P30s to visit before heading to the west of St David’s for tomorrow’s island adventure which Adrian Rayner had organised, and this roadside bag was on the way to Foel y Mwnt, which proved to be my last hill of the day.

It wasn’t difficult to find the high point of the minor road and I parked close to the grass verge, this is as the map indicates as it is opposite where the fence stretches across the greened field to the west.

Gathering data on top of an improvised tripod (my car) at the point where the 174m spot height appears on the ground

The car roof proved to be ideal as an improvised tripod and within a few minutes the Trimble was collecting data positioned 1.42m above the high point of the road.  After packing the Trimble away and as all was quiet hereabouts I decided to investigate the adjacent westerly field.  It took a little clambering to get over the fence but once in the field I marched across it following the fence line and looked back toward the hedgerow and minor road.  The highest part of land was either the hedge or the embankment where the fence was positioned; as both were judged to be man-made constructions I dismissed them as being potential points to survey.  However, as I was now in the field I thought it wise to gather another five minute data set from what looked to be its high point; this at least could be compared to that of the road.

Gathering data in the westerly field

Gathering data in the westerly field with the man-made embankment clearly higher in the background

As the Trimble gathered its customary five minutes of data I sat below and next to the fence, soaking up the afternoon’s sunshine.  Twenty three minutes after arriving I was back at the car having surveyed two potential highest points and having ticked off another P30, next stop the beautiful Foel y Mwnt.

  
Survey Result:


Pt. 173.8m

Summit Height:  173.8m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 22587 50306 (summit relocation confirmed)

Drop:  c 55m

Dominance:  31.64%










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