Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant

Teisen Priodas (SN 820 108)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant, with the summit height, drop and status of the hill being confirmed by a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey which took place on the 13^th June 2017. 

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

Y Trichant - These are the Welsh hills at and above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop,  with the introduction to the re-naming and publication history of this list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017.

The hill is adjoined to the Fforest Fawr range, this group of hills is situated in the north-western part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and it is positioned above the small community of Abercraf (Abercrave) to the north and Blaendulais (Seven Sisters) to the south. 

Teisen Priodas (SN 820 108)

The hill forms a part of the ridge known as Mynydd y Drum, this ridge has been extensively mined in its north-eastern section with the remaining highest natural summit positioned at SN 80718 09753 and listed as a 200m Sub-Twmpau under the name of Mynydd y Drum.

The hill is a part of the Nant Helen Opencast Mine and consists of landscaped waste spoil and its detection was dependent upon LIDAR data analysed by Kevin McGovern and then independently by Aled Williams and also by George Gradwell.  Prior to analysis of LIDAR data the hill had not appeared in any list, due to these analyses it was subsequently included in the Y Trichant.  

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map with the expended ridge name of Mynydd y Drum and the extent of the Nant Helen Opencast Mine

When this hill was listed as a Trichant it appeared under the name of the extended ridge it is a part of; Mynydd y Drum, however after surveying it with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 I had the opportunity to discuss its name with workers at the Nant Helen Opencast Mine.

After visiting this hill I entered the workings of the Nant Helen Opencast Mine hoping to visit the adjacent north-easterly P30 and also make place-name enquiries, I was approached by two mine employees in separate vehicles, after apologising for being where I was I asked them about the name of the two new P30s, each of which is the result of mine spoil, both knew the higher hill as Teisen Priodas, this is translated into English as the wedding cake, an apt name as the hill consists of three tiers and is relatively flat on top.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant is Teisen Priodas, with this name being prioritised over that of Mynydd y Drum as the former is a locally known name for an individual hill and the latter is the name given to the extended ridge that now consists of three individual hills; two of them being P30s and one being a sub P30. 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Fforest Fawr

Name:  Teisen Priodas

Previously Listed Name:  Mynydd y Drum 

Summit Height:  337.9m (converted to OSGM15)

OS 1:50,000 map:  160

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 82013 10833  

Drop:  93.3m (converted to OSGM15)

For details on the survey of Teisen Priodas

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2017)