26.08.20 Sixteen Acres (SO 120 987), Moel y Lump (SO
120 997), Pt. 275.1m (SO 131 995), Pen y Gaer
(SO 139 976, summit previously Trimbled, only bwlch surveyed), Field Above The
House (SO 135 990), Pt. 218.8m (SO 122 978), Henfaes Common (SO 120 974), Cow
Pasture (SO 110 977) and Crasty Frain (SO 109
983, previously Trimbled)
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| Sixteen Acres (SO 120 987) with Pt. 275.1m (SO 131 995) in the background on the left |
The area around the
small communities of Tregynon and Betws Cedewain drew me back again, the third
time since the five mile local restriction due to the Covid-19 pandemic was
lifted in Wales. This area takes in
other villages and hamlets, including Llanwyddelan, Adfa, New Mills and
Llangugan, all are nestled amongst farming land, with stream valleys below and
grazing fields above. This land is
typical mid-Walian; it has a pleasantness and quietness to it and is seldom
visited by the hill walker.
Today I planned on
visiting eight summits and had examined each via LIDAR, some weren’t covered,
but the details for each that were, were noted.
The hills comprise a variety of classifications with four being P30s,
two being subs and two about to be confirmed via the Trimble what LIDAR was
stating as deleted subs. With two bwlch
surveys also included, with one adjoined to Pen y Gaer (SO 139 976) which had
previously been Trimbled and a few farms to call at en route, the circular walk
would give lots of variety for hills, surveys and place-name enquiries.
The forecast predicated
better weather as the day progressed, although with the possibility for a
shower mid-afternoon. I was parked and
walking up the continuation of the narrow lane that heads eastward out of
Tregynon by 10.10am. Patches of blue
mingled with the white cloud as glimpses of sunlight pieced through
highlighting the green pastured fields dotted with white specks of sheep.
The lane led to a small
cross roads where I turned left heading up toward the farm of Moel y Wigoedd,
as I did so a quad bike towing a trailer appeared, I flagged it down and then spent
ten minutes chatting with Paul Marsh who rents land on the first hill I planned
on visiting. Paul told me the names he
uses for the high field where the summit of this hill is situated and suggested
I should call at Alan Jones’s house, which was further up the lane, as he owned
the land and would doubtless know the proper field name. Before leaving Paul, I asked his permission
to visit the summit and this was duly given.
Thanking Paul I
continued toward the first hill using a gate to access the upper field and a
few minutes later the Trimble was set up, beeping away gathering data. From this vantage point I could follow my
planned route over the high field tops as it headed eastward before doubling
back south-westward. As long as the rain
kept off I was in for a treat!
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| Gathering data at the summit of Sixteen Acres |
Another gate gave access
back to the lane and I followed this up to Alan Jones’s house, where I met his
son; Ryan. We stood outside with the
field that I had just surveyed behind us and Ryan told me it is known as
Sixteen Acres. These high fields that
comprise summits of what hill bagger’s refer to as hills are seldom known by
individual names as local residents and farmers alike would not necessarily
recognise them as hills, they are just high fields and therefore using the name
of the upper field where the summit of the hill is situated is an appropriate
naming protocol for listing purposes and one that is more in tune with
historical and also contemporary usage when compared to the transposed use of
farm names that may have no direct association with the respective hill, or the
use of invented or directional names.
Thanking Ryan, my next
port of call was Moel y Wigoedd where I met Ian Jerman and his sister. We chatted for a number of minutes in the
farmyard and soon afterward I was sitting in a vehicle as Ian drove to the top
of the next hill. He knows this hill as
Moel y Lump or The Lump and it was the highest on the day’s walk and a fine
viewpoint looking out toward the distant Aran and a part of the Cadair Idris
range just poking above the intervening land.
I showed Ian the Trimble
and quickly explained the set-up procedure and then assessed the lay of land
for the hill’s high point, which was not too difficult a process on this
particular hill. Ian told me of the
jovial competitiveness between himself and his neighbour at Bryncaemaeshir relating
to whose hill was highest. Soon the
Trimble was gathering its allotted data whilst we were joined just below the
summit by two of Ian’s sheep dogs.
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| Ian Jerman at the summit of Moel y Lump |
Afterward Ian drove us back
down the hill and through his farmyard and down the continuation of a track
toward my onward route. I’d spent about
40 minutes in Ian’s company and he was extremely generous with his time and
imparting knowledge of the hill.
I waved my goodbye’s to
Ian as he headed back up the track toward his farm leaving me to slowly plod up
steepening ground toward the edge of a small wood, which when followed upward
would take me to the first bwlch survey of the day. This bwlch connected with my third hill of
the day and another which is unnamed on contemporary Ordnance Survey maps and
one which is positioned just above the old farmhouse of Fachir.
Assessing the area of
the bwlch from a number of directions I eventually chose the spot for the
Trimble and stood back as it gathered data, enjoying the quietness of the scene
as a westerly cloud bank edged ever nearer.
This was commented on with Ian whilst on top of Moel y Lump and I wondered
if it heralded an unwelcome spell of rain.
Thankfully when it did arrive it was no more than 30 minutes of
breeze-blown drizzle and a quick shower.
But before this I still had more summits to visit and the next one was
placed above Fachir.
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| Gathering data at the bwlch of Pt. 275.1m |
Rising ground led me to
the next summit and as the Trimble gathered its allotted data I stood as the grey
cloud heralding the incoming rain edged ever closer, and waited for the
customary five minutes of data to be stored whilst munching on a boiled egg.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Pt. 275.1m |
I’d been told by Ian
that Fachir is no longer occupied but after the summit survey was finished and
the equipment packed away I made my way down to its front door. Having knocked and received no reply I
continued down its access track to the bwlch that connects with Pen y
Gaer. I’d surveyed the summit of this
hill with Mark Trengove in January 2015 and it was now good to do likewise with
its bwlch. LIDAR analysis shows that the
track heading over the bwlch is elevated and that a natural bwlch still exists
on its eastern side. The elevation of
the track was easily confirmed by eye as I approached it, and the area of the
natural bwlch could also be distinguished and followed as it headed up over
grazing fields to the point where I now stood.
I took two data sets, with each only a few metres apart. During this the first breeze-blown flecks of
drizzled rain fell from what was now a grey sky.
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| Gathering data at the bwlch of Pen y Gaer |
Leaving the bwlch I
headed up the continuation of the track and joined a footpath leading toward my
next and fourth summit of the day. The
natural high point of this hill is on the southern side of a raised hedge which
is a field boundary. As I set up the
Trimble the drizzle quickly progressed to rain.
I stood beside the hedge as data were gathered and stored, expecting to
get quite wet, but thankfully the rain soon relented.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Field Above The House |
I wanted to call at
Penyffridd to make place-name enquiries; this farm is just below the summit of
the hill I had just surveyed. Descending
a couple of fields took me down to the farm house where I met Gareth Jones and
his daughter Katie. Having explained my
interest in hill and field names Gareth and I happily discussed the merits of
the name he knows the high field as; Field Above The House. The conversation progressed to other subjects
and after ten minutes or so he asked if I wanted a drink. Soon afterward I was sitting in his
conservatory with nibbles prepared by his wife; Glenys, who also served up a
large mug of very welcome tea. I spent
about an hour in the company of Gareth, chatting and laughing until the cake
that was then served filled me up and I joked that if I didn’t leave soon I’d
be getting back to my car when it was dark.
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| Gareth Jones outside Penyffridd |
Over the years that I
have made place-name enquiries the farming community have proved wonderfully
hospitable and ever generous with their time, being only too willing to impart
the knowledge of their local land to a complete stranger. Gareth and Glenys were no different and I
left having thanked them for the tea and cake and their hospitality.
The access track to
Penyffridd took me down to a lane which would take me toward the last four
summits of the day. I had been with
Gareth so long that the grey sky that had deposited its rain had been replaced
by afternoon sunshine and lightening skies.
I called at Manor Farm
on my way to the next hill, unfortunately no one was in. My route now led through an access gate up a
long field as the lowering sun cast accentuated colour across the land. This field as many others visited on the walk
is used for grazing sheep, and as I walked up it they gathered in an
inquisitive line slowly approaching until they realised I had no feed and then
wandered away. The grid reference
produced by LIDAR analysis led me to the high point and soon the Trimble was
set-up gathering data.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Pt. 218.8m (SO 122 978) |
This hill and the next
are two that will be confirmed as deleted subs, with the following hill given
as a part of Henfaes Common on the Tithe map.
To get from one summit to the other involved gates, public footpaths, a
quiet wander through a field grazed by cattle until the small open wooded
summit was reached. I was nearing the
end of the day’s journey but still had two summits to visit beyond this one. The summit of this hill is positioned below
mature trees and the Trimble struggled to achieve the 0.1m accuracy level
before data should be logged. I spent a
long time enjoying the small open wooded summit area. Setting the Trimble up to gather data on four
separate occasions, closing down on each as the accuracy level was not obtained
and eventually pressing ‘Log’ just to see what would happen, not surprisingly
it screeched and closed itself down after two seconds of data were
gathered. I’ll process this just to
compare its position and height against that produced by LIDAR.
The western ridge of
this hill glinted green against the late afternoon sunshine as I left the
hill. Following the ridge downward I
headed toward where the map indicates a public footpath follows the edge of a narrow
wooded area. This proved a delight as an
old earthen track amongst open trees led down to a stream, this was at a
contrast to the openness on each side where greened grazing fields shone.
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| The western ridge of Henfaes Common |
The continuation of the
track led toward a rising field and this in time took me up to the summit of
the penultimate hill of the day, with the upper field named on the Tithe map as
Cow Pasture. Today the field was full of
sheep and they inquisitively approached as the Trimble was being set-up and
then conveniently headed away as it was gathering data.
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| Surveying companions at the summit of Cow Pasture |
As I sat on the grass
below the Trimble I examined the map. I
had a chose; either follow a footpath to the edge of Coed y Brain which was
directly opposite across two grazing fields and head from there toward Red
House Farm, or walk directly to the eastern edge of Coed y Brain and up the
opposing hillside to visit the summit of Crasty Frain, which when height was
regained would give an easier route back to my car, I opted for the latter.
Packing the Trimble away
I headed down the field and crossed a fence in to the opposing grazing field
and slowly plodded uphill to the track which constituted the public footpath
following the edge of Coed y Brain. Cattle
lay in the late afternoon sunshine in an adjacent field whilst a tractor worked
another. Just one summit remained
between me and the car and this had previously been Trimbled.
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| Cow Pasture from the ascent toward Crasty Frain |
It proved a slow plod
uphill to gain the summit of Crasty Frain, which was the first I had visited
after the five mile keep local restriction was lifted in Wales a number of
weeks ago. It was now bathed in
afternoon light and except for the piercing cry of a circling overhead buzzard,
all was quiet.
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| The summit of Crasty Frain |
From its high point I
looked out at part of the day’s route, it had proved an excellent circular walk
with lots of variety. All that was now
left was a wander down the adjacent field to the gate which I had used on my
previous visit to then access the hill.
The gate led to the narrow lane I had started to walk up earlier in the
day, and my car was parked just a couple of minutes’ walk away. The walk had taken 8 hours 40 minutes with
eleven data sets taken and tea and cake enjoyed!
Survey Result:
Summit Grid Reference: SO 12005 98756 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 199.1m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 11953 98547 (LIDAR)
Dominance: 9.15% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Summit Height: 276.3m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 12003 99753 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: c 221m (interpolation)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 11982 00152 (interpolation)
Drop: c 55m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated
bwlch)
Dominance: 20.01% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated
bwlch)
Pt. 275.1m
Summit Grid Reference: SO 13195 99523
Bwlch Height: 241.3m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 12737 99457
Drop: 33.8m
Dominance: 12.28%
Pen y Gaer
Summit Height: 300.0m (converted to OSGM15, from previous
Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey) (200m Twmpau reclassified to Trichant)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 13997 97677 (from previous Trimble GeoXH
6000 survey)
Bwlch Height: 214.8m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 13170 99222
Drop: 85.2m
Dominance: 28.40%
Summit Height: 264.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000)
Bwlch Height: 220.0m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 13331 98643 (LIDAR)
Drop: 44.8m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 16.93% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Pt. 218.8m
Summit Grid Reference: SO 12216 97806 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 205.3m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 12899 97950 (LIDAR)
Dominance: 6.17% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Summit Height: 215.2m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 12003 97409 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 198.8m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 12171 97587 (LIDAR)
Dominance: 7.62% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 11094 97769 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 190.2m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 11043 97985 (LIDAR)
Drop: 25.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 11.72% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Bwlch Height: 226.1m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 10787 98754 (LIDAR)
Dominance: 11.79% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
