Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

04.05.18  Callow Hill (SO 460 850)

Callow Hill (SO 460 850)

Today was spent in the company of Bob Kerr with a few hours Marilyn bagging in the vicinity of Craven Arms, we met in the town’s car park and Bob then drove north-east toward our first hill; Callow Hill which forms the southern extremity of the extended limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge.

The forecast was good and Bob had already bagged one or two Marilyns by the time we met including visiting the top of The Wrekin earlier in the morning.

The northern and western part of the upper section of Callow Hill consists of conifer plantation and the summit has an imposing 24m (80ft) high stone tower known as Flounders’ Folly, after Benjamin Flounders who built the structure in 1838.

Flounders' Folly

We approached from the north-west parking just off a corner of the minor road where it intersects an earthen track that gives access to the path through the woodland.

Bob just about to set off for Callow Hill, one of seven Marilyns he visited during the day

From this direction the tower thrusts upward similar to a venetion battlement, its stone sides rising out of mixed woodland that today were embracing new greened growth.

The earthen track soon gives way to a steep grassed section followed by a narrower path heading right through undergrowth toward the skyline ridge.

Bob on the diagonal path leading toward the skyline ridge

Once out of the wood a path either side of a fence heads northward toward a trig pillar nestled in the open field beside the woodland, usually a trig is a beacon, a high point breaking the horizon on many a hill, however this particular trig is overshadowed by the tower which rose in a grand fashion dominating the ridge.

The view south-west from Callow Hill

As the trig is not at the high point of the hill we pressed on toward the tower and found the highest land to be about nine metres and north-eastward from the base of the stone structure, however as this was a part of an old stunted tree boundary hedge I dismissed this as man-made and concentrated on land at its base and also further north-east, with the latter visually the highest natural part of the hill.

Out of the wood with the summit of Callow Hill just beyond the tower

The trig is dwarfed by the tower

Two data sets were taken, the first beside the narrow path that follows the ridge away from the tower and which is about 30 metres from its base, and the second at the base of the risen ground constituting the old hedgerow.

Gathering data at the first position surveyed for the summit of Callow Hill

The Trimble set-up position at the first survey

Whilst data were gathered I sat with Bob and chatted, it had been 19 months since we last saw one another and he and Sarah now have a young daughter; Keeva, to join Seumas, their young son.

Gathering data at the second position surveyed for the summit of Callow Hill

Once the second data set were stored we left the top of Callow Hill and headed on the narrow path beside the wood and down through the trees back to Bob’s car, next stop View Edge.

 

On the descent back through the wood

Survey Result:

Callow Hill

Summit Height:  339.1m (converted to OSGM15) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 46075 85060

Col Height:  182.2m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 53251 95161 (LIDAR)

Drop:  157.0m (Trimble summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  46.28%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet