13.06.18 Llan Fawr (SO 252 664) and Hoddell Top (SO
238 653)
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| Llan Fawr (SO 252 664) |
With a forecast for dry
conditions, albeit a little muggy, and with the weather predicted to break the following
day I decided to take advantage and visit two hills on my way home from
Worcester that are situated above Whitton, which is a small hamlet to the south
of Knighton, between each is the Cascob Brook, which is a tributary of the
River Lugg.
It was already muggy
when I set off at just before 8.40am following a paved road to the Rectory Farm
where I spotted someone in the kitchen and so I waved a wave that signalled I
wanted to talk with them, Ron Phillips’ wife opened the door and soon her
husband was standing outside and we were talking about the hills. As with many, if not all of these encounters
with local farmers Ron proved a delight to talk with, he is now aged 82 and yet
looked at least ten years younger, he’d lived at the Rectory farm since 1939
and after telling me about the names of the two hills I was heading for, he
suggested I should also talk with Raymond Thomas who lives in a bungalow which
was conveniently placed on my descent route.
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| Llan Fawr from the approach to the Rectory farm |
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| Ron Phillips of the Rectory farm |
Having thanked Ron for
his time I continued from the farm up a track that led on to open hillside. Llan Fawr looks like a great steep bulk of a
hill from the valley below, rising uncompromisingly above, but as with most
hills if a path exists it usually eases passage. The majority of the south-eastern flank of my
first hill; Llan Fawr was covered in fresh shooting fern, however there were
large patches of land consisting of just cropped grass and these gave an easy
passage toward the trig pillar on the summit.
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| The route to the hill |
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| Llan Fawr from the east |
I set the Trimble up on
what I judged to be the high point of the hill about two metres from the base
of the trig pillar and waited patiently for ten minutes of data to be gathered.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Llan Fawr |
As I left the summit
intermittent bursts of sunshine would strike out from an otherwise dulled and
cloudy scene. A path through the fern
led down toward this hill’s connecting bwlch, on the way I stopped and took a
few photos of brightly marked sheep lying in shade under small stunted trees,
their faces attentive looking back at me.
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| Resting |
I did not have much hope
of gathering data from the connecting bwlch as maps suggest the critical point
to be just within forestry, but as I approached I quickly got the Trimble out
and set it up as the bwlch lay beside a green track with ground behind rising
steeply through fern to the forest above.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Llan Fawr |
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| The Trimble set-up position at the critical bwlch of Llan Fawr |
Having taken another ten
minute data set I packed the Trimble away and continued on the green track down
toward the renovated buildings of Pentre, before continuing up a paved lane
toward Sprigs Cottage, I knocked on the door hoping to make more place-name
enquiries, but there was no answer.
The paved lane stopped
at the cottage with a narrow enclosed footpath continuing up in the same
direction. I hoped that a gate would
give access to a field on my left from where I could make my way to the summit
of the hill known locally as Hoddell Top, however the footpath left its narrow
confines and headed up a field which gave access toward the hill’s high point,
this has a small fenced compound with scrub undergrowth on it which almost
hides the water tank below its concrete and flat top.
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| Llan Fawr from the approach to Hoddell Top |
I positioned the Trimble
on top of one of the fence posts and took a measurement offset to what I judged
to be the highest natural ground at its base and gathered another ten minute
data set, during which I examined the map for the best route down, and stood in
the warmth and quietness where nothing seemed to stir and the world seemed at
ease with itself.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Hoddell Top |
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| The small fenced compound which has a covered water tank at the high point |
My downward route took
me around the periphery of a recently ploughed field to the Ackwood Lane, this
track headed down toward Dyffryn farm where I met Ithel Thomas, the son of
Raymond, who Ron Phillips had suggested I should talk with.
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| Llan Fawr from the descent toward Dyffryn farm |
I chatted with Ithel for
a number of minutes, he was spraying sheep and had 300 to do, and seemed happy
enough to take a break, Ithel explained that the land of Dyffryn goes up as far
as the Ackwood Lane and beyond is Hoddell Top which takes in the summit of the
hill that I had just visited, with the farm of Hoddell situated further east
toward Beggar’s Bush.
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| Ithel Thomas of Dyffryn farm |
My next call was further
down the paved lane where I met Ithel’s father; Raymond Thomas, we talked at
length and he also knew the hill I had just visited as Hoddell Top, his wife
was cooking lunch and kindly gave me a glass of water as I must have looked
thirsty.
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| Raymond Thomas |
Thanking Raymond for his
time I turned left outside his bungalow and left again for a short walk on the
lane to my awaiting car.
Survey Result:
Llan Fawr
Summit Height: 386.8m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 25266 66473
Bwlch Height: 299.0m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 24478 67037
Drop: 87.8m
Dominance: 22.70%
Hoddell Top (significant name change)
Summit Height: 377.0m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 23857 65354
Bwlch Height: 338.4m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 23173 64973 (LIDAR)
Drop: 38.6m (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Dominance: 10.25% (Trimble summit and LIDAR bwlch)
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