Sunday 22 July 2018

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Cadair Idris



17.05.18  Fegla Fawr (SH 629 146) and Fegla Fach (SH 638 153 [only bwlch surveyed SH 636 151])

Fegla Fawr (SH 629 146)

Over the preceding few weeks I had been drawn to this area when analysing LIDAR and had created a multitude of cascading shaped colour highlighting the intricacies of Fegla Fawr, Fegla Fach and near hills as they stood in what is now reclaimed land from tidal surge from the Afon Mawddach which is positioned to their immediate north.  It had proved a fascinating area to LIDAR, but now I wanted to visit and Trimble as many points adjoined to these two hills as the landlocked bog and wooded summits would allow.

These two hills can be easily combined via the Mawddach Trail which is an eight mile cycle path connecting Dolgellau with Morfa Mawddach railway station, I walked this route many years ago but had not had the pleasure of visiting Fegla Fawr and Fegla Fach.

Heading toward the hill over one of many footbridges that span drainage ditches in the Arthog Bog

I left my car in the large car park adjoined to the railway  station and headed toward the higher of the two hills on a wide green path that on this morning was bathed in early sunshine, it was a pleasure to be out heading toward what for me were two new hills.

The wide path continued on the upper side of the hill with a narrower path skirting from it on what I presumed to be a route toward the summit.  I soon reached the high point which consists of a large rock with a lump of thin metal a few metres away sticking up from the ground.

Gathering data at the summit of Fegla Fawr

After positioning the Trimble aligned with the high point of the hill I left it gathering data and succumbed to the watery view, as dappled sand banks and the forever tide ebb of the Afon Mawddach dominated a tranquil scene below.  Beyond the Mawddach the southern bulk of the Rhinogydd rose out of the Victorian houses of Abermaw (Barmouth) and all was bathed in the blue of early summer.

Abermaw (Barmouth) with Pen Llŷn beyond

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 set-up position at the summit of Fegla Fawr with the Afon Mawddach in the background

Once the Trimble had gathered its allotted data I followed the wide path down through beautiful woodland to the Mawddach Crescent, with its lined houses looking northward on to the inland estuary and the depths of the near river below.  It seemed a tranquil scene set and lived at a leisurely pace where life somewhat stood still.

Looking across the Afon Mawddach to Fegla Fach

The Mawddach Crescent

A public footpath connects Fegla Fawr with the lower slopes of Fegla Fach where a caravan park is placed, this footpath skirts a large bull rushed area of watery bog.  Sea defences have created this, as once the surge of the river would have cast these hills as tidal islands, they are now landlocked with drainage ditches and bog and raised tarmacked and gravel inroads as embankments.

I wanted to take at least two data sets from the area that now constitutes the connecting bwlch between these two hills and chose my first spot at the base of a paved road embankment leading to one of the secluded houses to the east of the Mawddach Crescent, and proceeded to set my rucksack down on a clump of reed grass amongst a watery bog, the Trimble was positioned on top of it to give it a semblance of elevation and I waited for the allotted data to be gathered.

Gathering data in the Arthog Bog

The next point to survey was where extensive LIDAR analysis led me to believe the natural connecting bwlch between Fegla Fach and Fegla Fawr was once positioned, this land now has a flat bedded foot bridge that crosses one of many drainage ditches in the area, as the Trimble gathered data I sat on the lower slopes of another and smaller grassed and rocky and tree covered lump just to the west of the foot bridge, I’d studied this connection in depth with LIDAR and it felt unusual to now put an image and reality to landscape, that I had only previously looked at in computer software whose detail had been generated from the LIDAR technique.

Gathering data at the bwlch of Fegla Fach

Fegla Fach from its connecting bwlch

During this time I watched a number of people in the adjacent caravan site going about their early morning business and wondered if I could just walk up through the wooded slopes of Fegla Fach to its summit, signs proclaiming the caravan site to be private were not encouraging.

The signs are not encouraging to any budding visitor

After packing the Trimble away I asked a small group of people on the caravan site if I could visit the summit in the wood and was told that I would have to get permission to do so as it was private land, they kindly directed me to the Fegla Fach Farm where I met the local farmer and the warden of the site, we chatted about the name of the hills, the history of the land, the sea defences and the summit of the hill.  I asked for permission to visit the summit and left after thanking them for their time.

A number of paths lead toward the top of Fegla Fach, some are narrow and others broad and gravelled.  The upper part of the hill has a variety of structures on top, including a wooden hut, rope-bridge, a large awning resembling a tipi and a high climbing wall.  I judged the summit to be a large rock embedded amongst stunted trees.

The summit of Fegla Fach is amongst the trees on the left

The large rock at the summit of Fegla Fach

I spent a number of minutes walking between the various structures close to the summit and visited all high points before descending one of the broad paths and then coming across the high climbing wall; all were unexpected and rather surreal.

Rope-bridge

Just one of many things in the Fegla Fach wood

Climbing wall

Leaving the wooded surrounds I re-entered the caravan site and followed the land beside the river for a short distance westward, watching a wind-surfer float in to a tiny bay and enjoying a different perspective of Fegla Fawr.  I felt a little sad that such a beautiful place had to place private signs on gates and the residents were cautious in relation to me, as even when emerging out of the wood and greeting a man beside one of the caravans with a cheery; ‘good morning’ I was greeted back with ‘who are you and what are you doing here’.

Windsurfer with Fegla Fach in the background

Fegla Fawr with the Mawddach Crescent as foreground

After taking a number of photographs I headed back to my awaiting car on the continuation of the public footpath and then on the tracked section of the Mawddach Trail, it was then time to visit a number of farmers in the Abertrinant and Dysynni area making further place-name enquiries of hills I had visited a few days earlier.     


  
Survey Result:


Fegla Fawr

Summit Height:  59.5m (converted to OSGM15) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 62966 14665

Bwlch Height:  1.9m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 62599 14119 (LIDAR)

Drop:  57.6m (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  96.81%




Fegla Fach

Summit Height:  31.5m (LIDAR) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 63818 15311 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  1.5m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 63692 15129

Drop:  30.0m (LIDAR summit and Trimble bwlch) (Double Sub-Twmpau reclassified to 30-99m Twmpau)

Dominance:  95.37% (Dominant addition)





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