Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

No Name Stack (SR 975 932) – Dominant deletion

There has been a deletion to the listing of Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, with the criteria for this list being:

Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales - Welsh P30 hills whose prominence equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.

Prior to LIDAR analysis this hill was listed with 30m of drop based on the 30m spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, with the height of the bwlch accepted as that for Ordnance Datum Newlyn (sea level), however map data indicates that this hill is adjoined to the mainland and is not tidal, indicating that its status as a P30 was debatable.

When the original Welsh P30 lists were compiled I contacted Dave Viggers in relation to sea stacks positioned around the Pembrokeshire coast, regarding their height, location and name.  Dave is now a Vice President of the Climber’s Club and gave me invaluable information including the location of this hill, its approximate height and its name, which he advised was known as No Name Stack.

Although the name of this hill implies that it is a sea stack, it is adjoined to the mainland.  The hill is adjoined to the Brandy Hill group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B4), and is positioned with the coast to its immediate south-east and has St Govan’s Head to its south and Broad Haven towards its north north-east, and has the village of Bosherston towards its north-west.

If wanting to visit this hill permission to do so should be sought as it is not a part of designated open access land, for those wishing to do so caution is advised as the easiest approach will necessitate some form of climbing.

The deletion of No Name Stack from Dominant status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales. 

LIDAR image of the bwlch of No Name Stack

LIDAR image of the summit of No Name Stack

The 2m DSM LIDAR analysis gives the hill the following details:

Name:  No Name Stack

Summit Height:  31.1m

Summit Grid Reference:  SR 97567 93273

Bwlch Height:  2.6m

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SR 97553 93308

Drop:  28.5m

Dominance:  not applicable as under 30m prominence

Therefore, the 31.1m LIDAR analysis for the summit position at SR 97567 93273 and the 2.6m LIDAR analysis for the bwlch position at SR 97553 93308 gives this hill 28.5m of drop, which is insufficient for Dominant status.

LIDAR image of No Name Stack

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Brandy Hill

Name:  No Name Stack

Dominance:  not applicable as under 30m prominence

OS 1:50,000 map:  158

Summit Grid Reference:  SR 97567 93273 (LIDAR)

Summit Height:  31.1m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SR 97553 93308 (LIDAR)

Drop Summit to Bwlch:  28.5m (LIDAR)

Drop Bwlch to ODN:  2.6m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (September 2018)

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Fours - The 400m Hills of England

Penn Moor (SX 602 645)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the The Fours – The 400m Hills of England, with the summit height, col height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from subsequent LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Penn Moor (SX 602 645)

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

The Fours – The 400m Hills of England.  English hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 30m minimum drop, accompanying the main list are three categories of sub hills, these are the 400m Sub-Fours, the 390m Sub-Fours and the 390m Double Sub-Fours.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams and the 2^nd edition of the booklet containing this list was published by Mapping Mountains Publications on the 24^th April 2018.

The Fours - The 400m Hills of England by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The hill is adjoined to the Ryder's Hill group of hills, which are situated in Dartmoor in the south-west of the country, and it is positioned with a minor road to its west and south, and the B3417 road to its south-west, and has the port city of Plymouth towards the south-west.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

When the listing that is now known as The Fours – The 400m Hills of England was originally compiled by Myrddyn Phillips this hill appeared under the name of Penn Moor; which is a prominent name that appears to the south of the summit on the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps and to the south-east of the summit on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, and this was also the name the hill appeared as when the list was uploaded to the RHB Yahoo group file database, with the caveat that it included a name in brackets; Pen Moor (Langcombe Hill). 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

When the 1^st edition of the The Fours now co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams was published by Europeaklist in December 2013 the listed name of this hill was given as Lee Moor, which is a prominent name that appears on a variety of Ordnance Survey maps to the west of its summit.

However, when the 2^nd edition of The Fours – The 400m Hills of England was published by Mapping Mountains Publications in April 2018, the listed name of this hill was reverted back to Penn Moor.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in The Fours - The 400m Hills of England is Penn Moor and this was derived from studying contemporary and historic Ordnance Survey maps. 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Ryder’s Hill

Name:  Penn Moor

Previously Listed Name:  Lee Moor 

OS 1:50,000 map:  202

Summit Height:  493.0m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SX 60297 64596 (LIDAR) 

 

Col Height:  451.6m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SX 61825 66697 (LIDAR)

Drop:  41.4m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (September 2018)

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – 30-99m Twmpau

No Name Stack (SR 975 932) – 30-99m Twmpau reclassified to 30-99m Sub-Twmpau

There has been a reclassification to the 30-99m Twmpau list due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, with the criteria for this list being:

30-99m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 30-99m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 30m and below 100m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward.

Prior to LIDAR analysis this hill was listed with 30m of drop based on the 30m spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, with the height of the bwlch accepted as that for Ordnance Datum Newlyn (sea level), however map data indicates that this hill is adjoined to the mainland and is not tidal, indicating that its status as a P30 was debatable.

When the original Welsh P30 lists were compiled I contacted Dave Viggers in relation to sea stacks positioned around the Pembrokeshire coast, regarding their height, location and name.  Dave is now a Vice President of the Climber’s Club and gave me invaluable information including the location of this hill, its approximate height and its name, which he advised was known as No Name Stack.

The name of this hill is No Name Stack, and although its name implies that it is a sea stack, it is adjoined to the mainland.  The hill is adjoined to the Brandy Hill group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B4), and is positioned with the coast to its immediate south-east and has St Govan’s Head to its south and Broad Haven towards its north north-east, and has the village of Bosherston towards its north-west.

If wanting to visit this hill permission to do so should be sought as it is not a part of designated open access land, for those wishing to do so caution is advised as the easiest approach will necessitate some form of climbing.

The reclassification of No Name Stack to 30-99m Sub-Twmpau status is due to LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales. 

LIDAR image of the bwlch of No Name Stack

LIDAR image of the summit of No Name Stack

The 2m DSM LIDAR analysis gives the hill the following details:

Name:  No Name Stack

Summit Height:  31.1m

Summit Grid Reference:  SR 97567 93273

Bwlch Height:  2.6m

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SR 97553 93308

Drop:  28.5m

Therefore, the 31.1m LIDAR analysis for the summit position at SR 97567 93273 and the 2.6m LIDAR analysis for the bwlch position at SR 97553 93308 gives this hill 28.5m of drop, which is insufficient for continued 30-99m Twmpau status.

LIDAR image of No Name Stack

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Brandy Hill

Name:  No Name Stack

OS 1:50,000 map:  158

Summit Height:  31.1m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SR 97567 93273 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  2.6m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SR 97553 93308 (LIDAR)

Drop:  28.5m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (September 2018)

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau

White Park (SN 158 091)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is now listed in the 100m 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 name change applies to are:

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward.

LIDAR image of White Park

The hill is adjoined to the Brandy Hill group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of Mid and West Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B4), and is positioned between the coast to its south and the A 47 road to its north, and has the small community of Ludchurch to its north-west.

The hill appeared in the accompanying sub list to the 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Craig-y-borion, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the North-West.  During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them or as in this instance, just use the name of a farm situated close to the summit of the hill.  This is not a practice that I now advocate as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historical documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found.

Craig-y-borion

137m

SN159091

158

36

Trig pillar. Name from buildings to the North-West.

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales.

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 321 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is named as White Park in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the county named as Pembroke and in the parish of Amroth.

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau is White Park, and this name was derived from the Tithe map.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Brandy Hill

Name:  White Park

Previously Listed Name:  Craig-y-borion 

Summit Height:  138.1m (LIDAR)

OS 1:50,000 map:  158

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 15867 09111 (LIDAR) 

 

Drop:  31.0m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (September 2018)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

03.07.18  Cefn Llanbister (SO 116 733)

Cefn Llanbister (SO 116 733)

Cefn Llanbister is one of those hills that nestles in its place in the world, not making a dramatic fuss like higher hills, or wanting attention from the masses, it stands quietly with its summit a part of common land, visited by local dog walker’s and the occasional passing hill bagger.  It is not a hill that stands out, but it is one of many that is peaceful to visit and gives tranquil surrounds and contentment, and especially so on such a beautiful morning, where blue skies predominated and the early morning warmth was to be savoured, whereas what would become the mid afternoon heat would be soul sapping.

I approached from the village whose name the hill takes on and headed over a roughed field where cattle had marked the ground with gauged hoof prints amongst high summer grasses, this led to a still stream and an opposing grassed bank leading to a gate and a narrow lane in to the hills.

Leaving the lane a track headed east toward what now looked like holiday homes at Upper Caerfaelog, crops swayed in the morning light breeze, delicately being turned this way and that, I stopped beside a gate and luxuriated myself in the colour of green and blue with this delicate movement almost mesmeric.

Blues and greens of summer

Reaching Upper Caerfaelog a rusted tractor stood under a tree, abandoned and now a fixture planted in place and time.

Tractor outside Upper Caerfaelog

The track I was on is just one of many in Radnorshire that lead purposely but gently in to the county’s hills, these are wondrous to find and tell of a time long gone, but still there if necessity calls.

I continued following the track east, only diverging from it to bi-pass a herd of cattle, who inquisitively approached when I was on the their other side, their eyes bright, big and invitingly beautiful, they stood and looked my way, I did likewise, but at them.

The track led toward the critical bwlch adjoined to Cefn Llanbister which is placed off the common land in a forgotten field under a small tree.  As the Trimble slowly ebbed down to its 0.1m accuracy level before data should be logged I sat beside another tree in the sunshine and immersed myself in the wonders of life, where little stirred and no other person knew where I was, this I found a lovely feeling of abandonment, with little outside stress or pressure and where the it and the now were prerequisites to my immediate life.  I spent over 30 minutes in this field as the Trimble took about 20 minutes to attain its accuracy level and I then decided to gather a ten minute data set, and all of this time was one of quality.

Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Cefn Llanbister

Leaving the bwlch I re-joined my inward track which led up toward the continuation of the lane where I had earlier parked.  The lane led toward another track that swung left across the common land making up the summit of this hill.

I had LIDARed this hill the previous day and the ten figure grid reference produced for its summit led me to the hill’s high point, which was on a narrow green path amongst a mass of gorse. 

LIDAR image of Cefn Llanbister

I set the Trimble up and waited for another ten minute data set to be gathered and stored.  A breeze blew lightly during data collection, and I stood, without much care, looking, enjoying, and happy.

Gathering data at the summit of Cefn Llanbister

Once the allotted data were gathered I closed the Trimble down, packed it away and followed the green path to an earthen track back on to the lane, and then down to Llanbister where I stopped and chatted with a couple who were finishing building there new house, ten or so minutes later I walked the few metres to my car and thought what a lovely way to spend a morning, being undisturbed on a hill. 

Survey Result:

Cefn Llanbister

Summit Height:  377.5m (converted to OSGM15) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 11690 73303 (summit relocation confirmed)

Bwlch Height:  335.3m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 12399 74601

Drop:  42.2m

Dominance:  11.17%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet