Change Register - The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru

Change Register

The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru

All hills in Wales at or above 500m in height with a minimum prominence of 15m; from the 500.5m summit of Moel Bowydd to the 1084.8m summit of Yr Wyddfa

‘The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru’ is a hill list co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams, and was first announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 4^th November 2015 where a complete breakdown of hill totals was listed by Group.  The list then comprised of 630 hills that met the qualifying criteria with over 100 of these hills making their first known appearance in any form of hill list; emphasising the fact that this listing is the most comprehensive of its kind for this height band of hill in Wales.

The listing originated in 2004 and it has developed ever since with over 330 marginal hills having been surveyed using a basic levelling technique.  It is now benefiting from the accurate surveys conducted with GNSS receiver, an expanded range of Ordnance Survey maps available online and most recently, by analysis of LIDAR data.

However, it is not just numerical data that has seen this list develop since its first inception, it is also place-name data, and it was because of this and their mutual interest in hill lists that the authors first corresponded.

In recent years, acronyms or short monikers referring to specific hill lists have become increasingly popular in hill-walking circles, and during the compilation of this list which used to be referred to as the ‘The Welsh 500m P15s’ the authors have used the Welsh word ‘Uchaf (Higher)’ to refer to these hills, with the plural being ‘Uchafion’, since these summits take in the higher tier of the Welsh uplands.  For the time being this moniker will be used on the Mapping Mountains site to refer to this class of hill.

It seems fitting that the list of ‘The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru’ should now benefit from a detailed Change Register, and although the hill list in its entirety is not yet published it is prudent for this Change Register to initially detail the changes to the list since the November 2015 introduction published on the Mapping Mountains site.

The Change Register to ‘The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru’ appears below with the reclassifications being detailed chronologically in receding order.

Change Register

The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru

Esgair Saeson    498.4m at SN 79504 60391 

LIDAR image of Esgair Saeson (SN 795 603)

The deletion of this hill from Welsh Highland P15 status was announced via this Change Register, with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on Mapping Mountains on the 12.11.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to the 500m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.  Its deletion is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 498.4m summit height and a 473.8m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 24.6m of drop.  Therefore, with its height below the 500m minimum height threshold this hill does not meet the criteria for this list.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 630.

 

Pt. 516.9m    516.9m at SN 75493 62086 

LIDAR image of Pt. 516.9m (SN 754 620)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 07.11.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to the 517m summit spot height and a 502m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  It was then reclassified to a Welsh Highland Sub with an estimated c 14m of drop due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit survey and interpolation of bwlch contouring on the interactive mapping hosted on the OS Maps website.  Its reinstatement and reclassification to Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 516.9m summit height and a 501.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.8m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total increases by one and confirmed as 631.

Pt. 526.8m    526.8m at SN 74595 61119 

LIDAR image of Pt. 526.8m (SN 745 611)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 03.11.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to contouring on the interactive mapping hosted on the OS Maps website.  The hill was subsequently surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000, resulting in a 526.8m summit height and a 511.9m bwlch height.  Although this survey gave this hill 14.9m of drop, it was decided that the bwlch position was incorrect and therefore the hill was retained as a Welsh Highland P15.  Its reclassification to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR bwlch analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 526.8m summit height and a 512.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.8m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 630.

Esgair Neint    538.1m at SN 78369 80073 

LIDAR image of Esgair Neint (SN 783 800)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 30.10.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to a 49½ft/15.1m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 24.09.04.  Its reclassification from Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 538.1m summit height and a 523.6m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.4m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 631.

 

Pt. 557.5m    557.5m at SN 79410 81689 

LIDAR image of Pt. 557.5m (SN 794 816)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 26.10.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to a 50ft/15.2m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 24.09.04.  Its reclassification from Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 557.5m summit height and a 543.1m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.4m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 632.

Ochr Llygnant    550.4m at SN 79677 91711 

LIDAR image of Ochr Llygnant (SN 796 917)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 22.10.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to a 49½ft/15.1m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 03.10.05.  Its reclassification from Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 550.4m summit height and a 536.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.4m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 633.

Foel Fach    503.8m at SN 76446 93126 

LIDAR image of Foel Fach (SN 764 931)

The reclassification of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a retrospective Hill Reclassifications post published on the 18.10.23.  The hill was previously listed as a Welsh Highland P15 due to a 50ft/15.2m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 01.11.05.  Its reclassification from Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 503.8m summit height and a 489.2m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.7m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 634.

Craig Yspio    517.7m at SN 78042 83130 

Craig Yspio (SN 780 831)

The addition of this hill to Welsh Highland P15 status was announced when the survey post was published on Mapping Mountains on the 15.06.23, with a Hill Reclassifications post then published on the 19.06.23.  Prior to LIDAR analysis the hill remained unclassified as with a relatively small uppermost 510m single ring contour and no summit or bwlch spot height, there was little map evidence available to suggest a hill existed that had sufficient drop for qualification to either the main P15 or P10 sub list.  Its addition to Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, with its newly acquired status subsequently confirmed by a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, resulting in a 517.7m summit height and a 502.4m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.3m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total increases by one and confirmed as 635.

 

Pt. 585.6m    585.6m at SJ 13031 32635 

LIDAR image of Pt. 585.6m (SJ 130 326)

The reclassification of this hill from Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a New Welsh LIDAR post published on the 27.03.23.  The hill was previously listed with 15m of drop, based on the 587m summit spot height and 572m bwlch spot height that appear on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.  Its reclassification to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 585.6m summit height and a 571.5m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.15m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 634.

Pt. 576.0m    576.0m at SH 55928 47521 

LIDAR image of Pt. 576.0m (SH 559 475)

The reclassification of this hill from Welsh Highland Sub status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a New Welsh LIDAR post published on the 27.03.23.  The hill was previously listed with an estimated c 14m of drop, based on the 576m summit spot height that appeared on a variety of interactive mapping; including the WalkLakes website, the non-contour Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and the Master Map website, and an estimated c 562m bwlch height based on interpolation of 5m contouring between 560m – 565m that appeared on the OS Maps website.  Its reclassification to Welsh Highland P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 576.0m summit height and a 560.4m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.6m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total increases by one and confirmed as 635.

Llechwedd Du    511.4m at SH 89360 44629 

LIDAR image of Llechwedd Du (SH 893 446)

The reclassification of this hill from Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a New Welsh LIDAR post published on the 27.03.23.  The hill was previously listed with an estimated c 16m of drop, based on an estimated c 511m summit height from interpolation of the uppermost 510m contour that appeared on the interactive mapping hosted on the OS Maps website and the 495m bwlch spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.  Its reclassification to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 511.4m summit height and a 497.1m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.3m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 634.

Cefn Blaen Merin    552.9m at SN 81271 81064 

LIDAR image of Cefn Blaen Merin (SN 812 810)

The reclassification of this hill from Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on Mapping Mountains with a New Welsh LIDAR post published on the 27.03.23.  The hill was previously listed with 15.1m of drop, based on a 49½ft/15.1m basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 20.11.05.  Its reclassification to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 552.9m summit height and a 538.1m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.8m of drop.  Welsh Highland P15 total decreases by one and confirmed as 635. 

Chwarel Graig Ddu    613m at SH 72505 45533

Chwarel Graig Ddu (SH 725 455)

The addition of this hill to The Welsh Highlands list was announced on the Grough website on the 05.05.22, with a Hill Reclassificationspost being published on the Mapping Mountains site on the 13.06.22.  The hill was previously not classified as Ordnance Survey maps portray quarried ground without any spot heights or contours and its addition is due to online mapping that has 5m contours giving this hill an uppermost 610m contour and bwlch contouring between 590m – 595m.  The hill was inspected from adjacent hillsides by Aled Williams and Myrddyn Phillips resulting in a 613m summit height and a 592m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 21m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 636.   

Pt. 501.4m    501.4m at SH 73011 39784 

The addition of this hill to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the survey post was published on the 28.10.20, with a Hill Reclassifications post being published on the 03.11.20.  The hill was previously not classified and its addition is due to a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams on the 19.07.20, with the bwlch height and position obtained from the data spread produced from various bwlch surveys and scrutiny of aerial map comparisons, resulting in a 501.4m summit height and a 485.5m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.9m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 635.   

Iwerddon    579m at SH 68671 47997

Iwerddon (SH 686 479)

The addition of this hill to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the Hill Reclassifications post was published on the 18.07.20.  The hill was previously not classified and its addition is due to detail on contemporary maps produced from Ordnance Survey data, with mapping on the Magic Maps and WalkLakes websites and the non-contour Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website giving this hill a 579m summit spot height and the OS Maps website giving bwlch contours between 560m – 565m, with interpolation giving an estimated bwlch height of c 564m, with these values giving this hill c 15m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 634.

  

Moel Darren    510.0m at SH 95221 41372

Moel Darren (SH 952 413)

The reclassification of this hill to 500m Sub-Uchaf status appeared in a Hill Reclassifications post published on Mapping Mountains on the 06.06.20.  The hill was previously listed as an Uchaf based on a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 01.05.04 which resulted in 51½ft / 15.7m of drop.  Its reclassification to 500m Sub-Uchaf status is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams on the 19.01.20, resulting in a 510.0m summit height and a 495.4m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.6m of drop.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 633. 

Clo Cadno    530.3m at SO 11849 16247

LIDAR image of Clo Cadno (SO 118 162)

The addition of this hill to Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the Hill Reclassifications post was published on the 28.01.20.  The hill was previously not classified as the uppermost contour indicated by LIDAR does not appear on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.  Its addition is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, resulting in a 530.3m summit height and a 513.6m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 16.7m of drop which is sufficient for Uchaf status.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 634.

Clogwyn Drain    508m at SH 65200 49356

The addition of this hill to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the Hill Reclassifications post was published on the04.01.20.  The hill was previously not classified having been originally listed with 19m of drop due to a basic levelling survey and subsequently taken out of this list due to the 498m bwlch spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local, which when coupled with the 508m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map gives this hill 10m of drop.  Its addition to Uchaf status is due to 5m contouring on the OS Maps website, resulting in an estimated c 15m of drop based on the 508m summit spot height and an estimated bwlch height of c 493m based on bwlch contouring between 490m – 495m.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 633.
  

Llechwedd Du    c 511m at SH 89377 44652

THIS HILL HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN RECLASSIFIED TO WELSH HIGHLAND SUB STATUS

The reclassification of this hill from 500m Sub-Uchaf to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the Hill Reclassifications post was published on the 19.12.19.  The hill was previously listed as a 500m Sub-Uchaf with 14m of drop based on the 509m summit and 495m bwlch spot heights that appear on contemporary Ordnance Survey maps, and its reclassification to Uchaf status is due to interpolation of its 510m uppermost contour on the OS Maps website coupled with the 495m bwlch spot height, resulting in an estimated c 16m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 632.   

Pt. 524.3m    524.3m at SN 88113 16370

Pt. 524.3m (SN 881 163)

This hill’s reclassification from 500m Sub-Uchaf to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains when the survey post was published on the 16.10.19, with a Hill Reclassifications post appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 20.10.19.  The hill was previously listed as a 500m Sub-Uchaf due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, and its reclassification to Uchaf status is due to a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 resulting in a 524.3m summit height positioned at SN 88113 16370 and a 538.4m bwlch height positioned at SN 87423 16132, with these values giving this hill 15.0m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 631.   

Pt. 504.7m    504.7m at SH 74482 62452

The summit of Pt. 504.7m (SH 744 624)

This hill’s deletion from Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 21.05.19, with the Hill Reclassification post appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 26.06.19; prior to this the hill was listed as an Uchaf with 15.1m of drop based on a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 18.05.04.  This hill’s deletion is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams resulting in a 504.7m summit height and a 491.4m  bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 13.3m of drop, which is insufficient for its continued inclusion as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 630.   

Cribau    501.9m at SH 73264 64129

The summit of Cribau (SH 732 641)

This hill’s reclassification to 500m Sub-Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 21.05.19, with the Hill Reclassification post appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 20.06.19; prior to this the hill was listed as an Uchaf with 15.5m of drop based on a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 13.12.05.  This hill’s reclassification is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams resulting in a 501.9m summit height and 487.3m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.6m of drop, which is insufficient for its continued inclusion as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 631.   

Pt. 526.8m    526.8m at SN 74595 61119

THIS HILL HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN RECLASSIFIED TO WELSH HIGHLAND SUB STATUS

Pt. 526.8m (SN 745 611) is now classified as an Uchaf

The addition of this hill to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 16.09.18, with the Hill Reclassification post appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 16.10.18; prior to this the hill was listed with an estimated c 13m of drop and therefore was not even listed as a 500m Sub-Uchaf.  This hill’s reclassification is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey and interpolation of the 5m bwlch contouring on OS Maps, resulting in a 526.8m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and a c 511m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill c 16m of drop, which is sufficient for Uchaf status.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 632. 

  

Pt. 516.3m    516.3m at SN 75504 62132

THIS HILL HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN RECLASSIFIED TO WELSH HIGHLAND P15 STATUS

Pt. 516.3m (SN 755 621) has been reclassified to the ranks of 500m Sub-Uchaf

This hill’s reclassification to 500m Sub-Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 16.09.18, with the Hill Reclassification post appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13.10.18; prior to this the hill was listed as an Uchaf with 15m of drop based on the 517m summit and 502m bwlch spot heights that appear on the Ordnance Survey Interactive Coverage Map hosted on the Geograph website.  This hill’s reclassification is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey and interpolation of the 5m bwlch contouring on OS Maps, resulting in a 516.3m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and a c 502m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill c 14m of drop, which is insufficient for its continued inclusion as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 631.   

Tap Llwyd    565.7m at SH 71990 06571

Tap Llwyd (SH 719 065) is now listed as an Uchaf

The addition of this hill to Uchaf status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 28.04.18, with the Hill Reclassification post appearing on Mapping Mountains the following day; prior to this the hill was not classified as it was listed with 13.6m of drop based on a basic levelling survey (BLS) conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 29.09.05.  Importantly the BLS was conducted when the western conifer plantation was intact and therefore the survey could only be taken to the high point of the hill that was outside of the plantation.  This hill’s subsequent addition to the ranks of Uchaf hills is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams on the 01.04.18 when the forestry had been felled, resulting in a 565.7m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and 550.5m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height giving this hill 15.3m of drop, which is sufficient for its inclusion as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 632.   

Foel Wyddon    536.2m at SN 78813 83668

Foel Wyddon (SN 788 836).  Photograph:  Aled Williams

The addition of this hill to Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 07.05.17.  Prior to this the hill was not classified as with an estimated c 13m of drop it did not meet the criteria for Welsh Highland P15 status.  The addition of this hill is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams; with its status confirmed by a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey, resulting in a 536.2m summit height and a 520.9m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.3m of drop, which is sufficient for its inclusion as a Welsh Highland P15.  Welsh Highland P15 total increases by one and confirmed as 631. 

  

Bwlan    525.9m at SH 94692 25540

Bwlan (SH 946 255) its deletion from Uchaf status has been confirmed by LIDAR data and a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000

The announcement of this hill’s deletion from Uchaf status was made on Mapping Mountains on the 24.04.17; prior to this the hill was listed as an Uchaf with 16m of drop based on a 51ft 6˝ (15.7m) basic levelling survey (BLS) conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 10.05.05.  This BLS was conducted from the easterly of two bwlch options to a 523m map heighted bump with 5m then added to compensate for the difference in height to the 528m map heighted summit of Bwlan.  This hill’s subsequent deletion from Uchaf status is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, with the 526.1m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and 512.6m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height giving this hill 13.55m of drop, which is insufficient for its retention as an Uchaf and also for its classification as a 500m Sub-Uchaf.  This hill has subsequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the 04.05.17 by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams resulting in a 525.9m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and a 512.1m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 13.8m of drop.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 630.   

Moel Bowydd    500.5m at SH 71272 47051

Moel Bowydd (SH 712 470) has been confirmed as an Uchaf

The addition of this hill as an Uchaf was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 03.04.17; prior to this the hill was not classified.  This hill’s inclusion as an Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, with the 500.6m summit height and contouring at 1m intervals showing that the bwlch height is below 485m which is sufficient for this hill to have the required minimum of 15m of drop for inclusion as an Uchaf.  The hill has subsequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 resulting in a 500.5m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and a 482.4m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height giving this hill 18.1m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 631.   

Drum Boeth    506.8m at SH 71724 46417

Drum Boeth (SH 717 464) its inclusion as an Uchaf has been confirmed via LIDAR data and a Trimble survey

This hill’s addition to the ranks of the Yr Uchafion was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 02.04.17, with the hill previously being unclassified.  This hill’s inclusion as an Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, which resulted in a 506.6m summit height and a 490.5m bwlch height giving this hill 16.1m of drop, the hill has subsequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 resulting in a 506.8m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and 490.4m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height which confirms this hill's addition as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 630.   

Drum Boeth    523.4m at SH 72020 46289

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Drum Boeth (SH 720 462)

The announcement of this hill’s reclassification to Uchaf status was made on Mapping Mountains on the 01.04.17, with the hill previously listed as a 500m Sub-Uchaf based on a 48ft 6″ (14.8m) drop value produced by a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 27.10.05.  This hill’s inclusion as an Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, which resulted in a 523.4m summit height and a bwlch height of 508.3m, giving this hill 15.1m of drop, the hill has subsequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 resulting in a 523.4m (converted to OSGM15) summit height and a 508.1m (converted to OSGM15) bwlch height which confirms this hill's addition as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 629. 

  

Pt. 499.1m    499.1m at SN 86343 76073

This hill’s reclassification to a 490m Sub-Uchaf was announced on Mapping Mountains on 13.03.17, with the hill previously listed with an estimated c 500m summit height based on the flatness of the summit area in relation to the small uppermost 500m ring contour on Ordnance Survey maps.  The hill’s reclassification from an Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, with the resulting 499.1m summit height being too low for the hill to qualify as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 628.   

Blaen y Clawdd Du    516.8m at SN 87845 75282

This hill was announced as a new Uchaf via the Mapping Mountains site on 15.02.17, with the hill previously thought of as being unclassified and catalogued with only 13m of drop based on the Ordnance Survey 517m summit spot height on the 1:50,000 Landranger, 1:25,000 Explorer and the enlarged mapping hosted on the Geograph website and the latter map also giving a bwlch spot height of 504m.  This hill’s inclusion as an Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR bwlch data by Aled Williams, with the resulting summit height of 516.8m and bwlch height of 501.2m being sufficient for Uchaf status with the hill having 15.6m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 629.   

Cefn Cwm Coel    504m at SN 89101 64730

Cefn Cwm Coel is situated in the Elenydd

The announcement of this hill’s reclassification to 500m Sub-Uchaf was made on the Mapping Mountains site on 12.02.17, with the hill previously listed as an Uchaf with 15m of drop based on the Ordnance Survey 504m summit spot height on the 1:50,000 Landranger, 1:25,000 Explorer and on the enlarged mapping hosted on the Geograph website, with the latter map showing a 489m bwlch spot height.  This hill’s reclassification from an Uchaf to a 500m Sub-Uchaf is due to analysis of LIDAR bwlch data by Aled Williams, with the resulting height of 489.6m when combined with the 504m summit spot height only giving this hill 14m of drop, which is insufficient for continued Uchaf status.  This hill has subequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 resulting in a 503.0m summit and 489.6m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 13.4m of drop.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 628.   

Pen Maen Wern    543.2m at SN 86433 62011

This hill’s deletion from the ranks of the Uchafion was announced on Mapping Mountains on the 09.02.17, with the hill previously listed as an Uchaf with 50ft (15.2m) of drop based on a rudimentary levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 26.06.05, this survey was to the top of the ancient standing stone that adorns the summit of this hill and therefore its previous inclusion could be viewed as contentious.  This hill’s deletion from Uchaf status is due to analysis of LIDAR data by Aled Williams, with the resulting heights being 543.2m summit and 529.9m bwlch, giving this hill only 13.3m of drop which is insufficient to retain its Uchaf status.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 629.

  

Cefn Onneu    530.0m at SO 17112 15692

The reclassification of this hill was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 31.01.17, with the hill previously listed as an Uchaf with c 15m of drop based on an estimated summit height of c 530m and an estimated bwlch height of c 515m.  This hill has been reclassified from an Uchaf to a 500m Sub-Uchaf from LIDAR data analysed by Aled Williams, with the resulting heights being 530m summit and 515.6m bwlch, giving this hill 14.4m of drop which is insufficient to retain its Uchaf status.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 630.  

Cwar yr Ystrad    572.7m at SO 08211 14086

The summit of Cwar yr Ystrad (SO 082 140)

This hill’s new classification was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 07.01.17, and to the authors knowledge the hill had not been included in any known hill list before.  The hill has been included as an Uchaf due to LIDAR data analysed by Aled Williams and a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey, the results of which give the hill a 572.7m summit and 555.2m bwlch height, resulting in this hill having 17.5m of drop which is sufficient for its classification as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 631.

Cwar yr Ystrad    579.3m at SO 08445 14278

Cwar yr Ystrad (SO 084 142)

The new classification for this hill was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 04.01.17, prior to this the hill had not appeared in any hill list known to the authors.  The hill’s inclusion as an Uchaf is due to LIDAR data analysed by Aled Williams with a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey, the results of which give the hill a 579.3m summit and 558.8m bwlch height, these values are sufficient for this hill’s classification as an Uchaf with 20.5m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 630.

Esgair y Llyn    528.6m at SN 84116 70174

Esgair y Llyn (SN 841 701)

The addition of this hill to Welsh Highland P15 status was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 08.12.16, prior to this the hill remained unlisted.  Its addition is due to the 529m summit and 513m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which is entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  Subsequent LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams and a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams confirmed its addition, resulting in a 528.6m summit height and a 513.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 15.6m of drop.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 629.

Pt. 637.1m    637.1m at SO 26709 32261

Pt. 637.1m (SO 267 322) is now reclassified to a 500m Sub-Uchaf

This reclassification was announced on the Mapping Mountains site on 30.11.16, with the hill previously listed as an Uchaf with c 15m of drop based on the 637m summit spot height on Ordnance Survey maps and an estimated bwlch height based on contour interpolation of c 622m.  This hill was reclassified from an Uchaf to a 500m Sub-Uchaf from LIDAR data analysed by Aled Williams, who had analysed this hill’s data independent of Joe Nuttall who was the first person to scrutinise this hill with LIDAR data, both found that the hill was given less than 15m of drop with Aled’s analysis producing a 637.4m summit and 622.7m bwlch height, with these values giving the hill only 14.7m of drop.  This hill has subsequently been surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the 28.09.17 resulting in a 637.1m summit height and a 622.5m bwlch height, with these values confirming that this hill has less than 15m of drop which is insufficient to retain its Uchaf status.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 628.  

   

Carnedd y Ddelw    686.0m at SH 70810 70531

Carnedd y Ddelw is now deleted from the ranks of the Yr Uchafion

The first Uchaf to be reclassified from analysis of LIDAR data, with the status change being announced via the Mapping Mountains site on 25.11.16, having been previously listed as an Uchaf with 15m of drop based on the 688m summit and 673m bwlch spot heights on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.  This hill was reclassified from LIDAR data analysed by Aled Williams, this analysis gave the hill a 685.6m summit and 672.0m bwlch height, with these values giving the hill only 13.6m of drop which is insufficient even for 500m Sub-Uchaf status, this deletion was subsequently confirmed by a line survey for drop and a Leica GS15 survey for height conducted by John Barnard and Graham Jackson on the 05.05.17, with 13.97m drop and 686.0m summit and 672.0m bwlch height respectively.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 629.  

  

Craig Gwaun Taf    826.4m at SO 00548 20720

Craig Gwaun Taf emerging out of the mist

Confirmation of promotion via the Mapping Mountains site on 04.11.16, this hill had been analysed by Joe Nuttall who relayed the information that LIDAR data gave it 15.783m of drop and asked Myrddyn Phillips if he could survey it with his Trimble, the resulting Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey was conducted on 25.10.16 and confirmed that with 16.1m this hill has sufficient drop to qualify as a Nuttall as well as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total increases by one and confirmed as 630.

Graig Fach    513.5m at SN 821170 93069

Graig Fach is now reclassified to a 500m Sub-Uchaf

The first Uchaf to have been reclassified by surveying with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 since details of the list were made public in November 2015.  This status change was announced via the Mapping Mountains site on 21.05.16, the hill had been previously listed as an Uchaf based on the 514m summit spot height appearing on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps coupled with a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on 22.05.04 resulting in 56ft 6″ (17.2m) of drop.  This hill was subsequently surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 by Myrddyn Phillips on 05.05.16, with a second Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted on the 22.02.19, resulting in the hill having 14.7m of drop, which is insufficient for qualification as an Uchaf.  Uchaf total decreases by one and confirmed as 629.

4^th November 2015 – Mapping Mountains first publishes details to ‘The Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru’. 

Uchaf total confirmed as 630.

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (January 2017)