Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Axe Edge

27.06.19  Booth Top (SK 054 680)

Booth Top (SK 054 680)

Occasionally the journey to the hill can be as uplifting as the hill itself and with blue skies overhead and summer warmth I set off toward the Peak District with a survey of a 400m Sub-Four listed with an estimated c 29m of drop planned.

The journey through small towned border country and then eastward through Congleton was a delight, beyond the road gradient increased as greened countryside opened as I entered the Peak.

Minor roads led me toward Booth Farm where the tarmac ends.  I parked just above the farm next to a number of large barns where a flurry of activity was in progress with a number of tractors and diggers at work.

A fine stone sign for Booth Farm

I approached the first yellow jacketed person I saw; Percy Mycock was the owner of the farm and had lived here all his life, he was only too happy to talk about the hill and afterward kindly posed for a few photographs.  Percy told me the hill is known as Booth Top and having explained my interest in surveying he said that visiting the neighbouring ground of the farm and the summit shouldn’t be any problem, with no one currently in at the former, although the land where the summit is situated was not on his land.  After thanking him I spent the next hour at the area of the col taking a series of data sets.

Percy Mycock with Booth Top in the background

The col comprises Percy’s home and the farm, which is rented.  I’d come prepared with ten figure grid references produced from Ordnance Survey 5m contouring and quickly found that my preferred grid reference was on the downward slope of the valley to valley traverse.  Having the reassurance that no one was in at the farm and permission to investigate the surrounds and take however many data sets deemed necessary put me at ease as I set the Trimble up at the side of the farm building on wrought iron railings over the corner of a rough grassed field.

As the Trimble gathered its first data set I stood in the sunshine and then examined the route of the valley to valley traverse as it heads steeply up from the southern valley to the end of the paved minor road and continues toward the corner of a building before emerging between the building and farm.  It was the latter position where the Trimble was now set up gathering data.

Between the farm on the left and Percy's house on the right, the col is near the comfy chairs and table!

I gathered further data from the surrounds of the building before positioning the equipment atop my rucksack on the edge of the minor road to confirm that this latter position is lower on the valley to valley traverse.  My conclusion was that the critical point of the col is either under the building beside the farm or at its rear.  Happy with my col endeavours I walked to the track which continues from the end of the minor road and heads up the hill.

The last col data set taken at the edge of the minor road

A welcoming cooling breeze blew from the south as I walked up the track which helped in the increasingly warm conditions on the hill.  The track led to a gate which gave access to the field where on first inspection I thought the summit was positioned.  As I assessed the lay of land a small herd of cows frisked there way this way and that, forever inquisitive, but thankfully always keeping their distance.

Looking down on the area of the col from the ascent of Booth Top

The high point of the hill is placed on the periphery of what to my eye is an artificially raised embankment which has a partly collapsed wall straddling it.  I again collected data from a number of points, and these coupled with the col data sets will confirm this hill’s status and whether it should be classified as a fully-fledged Four.

The raised embankment and wall 

The first of three summit data sets was taken from the highest ground immediately below the partly collapsed wall; this position was on the raised embankment.  The second set-up position was on the edge of the raised embankment in the field to the south of the ridge fence which was adjacent to the partly collapsed wall and the third and last summit data set was taken in the opposing northerly field adjacent to the edge of the raised embankment.

Gathering data on the summit area of Booth Top

During each data set I stood in the sunshine admiring the view and watched as the small herd of cows frisked their way in to and then out of the field.  Once all necessary data were gathered and stored I followed the ridge fence down to a gate and re-joined my inward route back on the track down to the col and my awaiting car.

Taking Alpacas for a walk with Chrome Hill in the background

  

Postscript:

Since the Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey, LIDAR coverage is now available for this hill and analysis of both its summit and col via LIDAR is being prioritised for its numerical and positional data.

Survey Result:

Booth Top (significant name change)

Summit Height:  407.6m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SK 05481 68091 (LIDAR) (summit relocation)

Col Height:  379.1m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SK 05720 68021 (LIDAR)

Drop:  28.6m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  7.01% (LIDAR)

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet