Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Tap y Botel (SH 646 066)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that was considered for inclusion in the 200m Twmpau, with the summit height, drop and status of the hill being confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

The criteria for the list that this hill was considered for are:

200m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height with a minimum 30m of drop, with an accompanying sub category entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau consisting of all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  With the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

The hill is adjoined to the Tarennydd range of hills which are situated in the south-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A3), and it is positioned between two river valleys with the Afon Dysynni to its north-west and the Afon Fathew to its south, and has the small community of Abertrinant towards the south-west and Abergynolwyn towards the east. 

Tap y Botel (SH 646 066)

Although the hill remains unclassified as it does not have the minimum 20m of drop required for 200m Sub-Twmpau status, it is worth categorising under the Significant Name Changes heading as the name this hill is now documented by comes from local enquiry.

When visiting this and adjoining hills I met a number of local farmers, including Joanne Redman who was out on her quad bike taking photos of her father’s farm from just below the summit of Coed Uchaf (SH 649 055), we talked about the hills and their names and Joanne recommended that I contact her father; Tomos Lewis who farms from Nant-y-mynach (SH 644 048) and she kindly gave me his telephone number.

Tomos Lewis of Nant-y-mynach

The following day I contacted Tomos and two days later then visited him, Tomos is aged 60 and a Welsh speaker, and has lived at Nant-y-mynach for 54 years, having moved there from the council houses in Abertrinant.  During our conversations Tomos proved very knowledgeable and gave me many hill names that do not appear on any Ordnance Survey map, and one of them was the name for this hill which he knows as Tap y Botel, telling me that as a child he used to go to this area to play.

Therefore, the name this hill is now documented by is Tap y Botel and this was derived from local enquiry.

 

LIDAR image of Tap y Botel

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Tarennydd

Name:  Tap y Botel 

Previously Listed Name:  not previously listed 

Summit Height:  216.2m (LIDAR)

OS 1:50,000 map:  124

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 64609 06678 and SH 64612 06679 (LIDAR)

  

Drop:  16.0m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2018)