Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Carnedd Wen

30.07.20  Fridd Bryn Mawr (SH 981 065), Pen Coed (SH 985 090) and Moel Ddolwen (SH 988 078)  

Moel Ddolwen (SH 988 078)

These three hills are positioned to the west of Llanerfyl and had been on my radar for a number of years, but until today I had not visited.  Each summit and connecting bwlch is covered by LIDAR and an image of each will appear adjoined to this post.  I contemplated surveying two of the bylchau, with the third bwlch which is connected to Ffridd Bryn Mawr, just in, or on the edge of forestry.  I’m finding that bwlch surveys are usually a pleasure, as many take you off the beaten track to places that otherwise would not be visited, but the conditions today proved warm and as I laboured up the lower slopes of the second hill of the day; Pen Coed, I decided that the diversion to its bwlch was one bwlch survey too many.

The early morning proved as forecast, with an overcast greyness to the sky.  As I set off at 8.30am walking up the lane leading toward the farms of Sychtyn and Hafod the conditions were still pleasant, however the sun would all too soon break through the greyness and bring excessive warmth to proceedings.

LIDAR image of Ffridd Bryn Mawr

My planned route toward the first hill of the day; Ffridd Bryn Mawr, was on a footpath avoiding the farmyard at Hafod and continuing up a track toward its summit.  If the footpath was signed, I missed it, and found myself in the farmyard.

I was soon chatting with John Cadwalader Jones whose family had farmed from Hafod since 1918.  John was very helpful naming a number of Ffriddoedd higher on the hill and confirming that the field where the summit of my first hill of the day is situated is named Ffridd Bryn Mawr, which substantiates information on the Tithe.  He was concerned about my planned route as he had cattle and calves in a number of fields and advised I take a route further up the lane and then following the edge of forestry, he even offered to give me a walking staff to use just in case I was approached by any frisky cow, a kind gesture indeed.

John Cadwalader Jones of Hafod farm

Thanking John I left Hafod, walked further up the lane and accessed a field through a gate and then aimed for the edge of a small conifer plantation.  By now the grey early morning skies had been replaced by a warming blue and what at times was a fierce sun.  The plod toward the summit of Ffridd Bryn Mawr proved slow, but as ever progress was made.  I soon lapsed in to the usual mentality of just putting my head down and doing a little bit more, followed by more of the same, however it was becoming increasingly warm and the onward route from this hill to my next; Pen Coed, looked wearisome, and I knew I was going to suffer.

The lower slopes of Pen Coed

The summit of Ffridd Bryn Mawr comprises grassed over rocks with a small depression in their centre.  This looks like the remains of an ancient cairn, although it isn’t marked as such on the map.  Soon the Trimble was set up and the allotted data gathered and stored.

Gathering data at the summit of Ffridd Bryn Mawr

I used part of my ascent route on my way down and side-tracked from the remainder on a greened path through fern down to a track that entered the near forestry.  From here I needed to get back on to the lane which at this point conveniently crosses the Afon Gam.  I was tempted by a vehicle track on the opposing bank and wondered if this indicated a ford, thankfully I contoured further on the hill and found a way down on to the lane adjacent to another small conifer plantation.  The warmth was quickly sapping my energy and by the time I reached the entrance to Dolwen farm I sat and rested.

Blue skies and sunshine are to be enjoyed, but I’ve learnt over many years of hill walking what excessive heat does to my body, but I’ve also learnt how to manage it and had come prepared with extra water for today’s little foray.

Part of Glyndwr’s Way goes through the farm of Dolwen and as I headed out on it the calling of cows reverberated across the stream valley.  Almost in harmony they called out, one followed by another, and with the hum of a tractor working in a near field and the all-pervading greenish emanating from hedgerow, field and hillside, it was a summer scene that would not go amiss in a country more used to warmer conditions than ours.

Ffridd Bryn Mawr from just beyond the farm of Dolwen

I left Glyndwr’s Way and followed a green track gaining height above the lower reaches of the Nant Ffridd y Castell, by now I needed frequent rests as the going was steep and the heat was sapping.  I gasped as I rested bent over with a hand on my knee until I recovered and then did a little bit more of what was proving torturous uphill.  Eventually I reached a track that makes its way around the southern perimeter of Pen Coed, following this for a short way I then headed toward a gate that gave access to the common land of the hill.  I now sat, rested, ate a cereal bar, took on water and rested again.  It was ever so pleasant to sit and recover with the sun beating down and a heat-induced quietness across the land. 

The land leading toward the summit of Pen Coed looked uninviting with copious amounts of tussocks and moor grass between me and its summit, I hoped a path existed otherwise I may have had to collapse.  As I gathered myself after my rest I found a sheep track that joined a path and this could be seen across the moor heading confidently toward the eastern end of the hill’s summit area.  I was ever so thankful that a path existed.

Pen Coed from my rest spot

Approaching the summit of Pen Coed I looked at my watch and it had taken two hours to get here from Ffridd Bryn Mawr, I smiled and thought that gone are the days when it took the same amount of time to get from the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen in the Carneddau to the summit of Tryfan in the Glyderau during my successful attempt on the Welsh 3’s in under 24 hours.  Oh how the passage of time ages!

LIDAR image of Pen Coed

I took three data sets from the summit area of Pen Coed, this gave me more time to rest and recover, and as the Trimble quietly beeped away collecting its individual data I stood and peered out across a sun scorched land down valley toward the Breiddin.  It was good to be here, a point that looked an awful long way away from earlier in the morning and a point I had wondered may be too far to reach in the warming conditions.  However, now I was here, I was glad of it.  My route onward was heading back toward my car and I knew that I just had to do a little bit at a time and eventually I would get there.

Gathering data at the summit of Pen Coed

Packing the Trimble away after its third data set was gathered and stored I reversed part of my inward route and then opted for the continuation of the good green track I was on, this soon disappeared as it entered a reed infested wet area.  However, a few sheep paths headed through the reeds and soon I was back on a part of Glyndwr’s Way and sitting on a large rock beside the vehicle track that makes its way up from the farm of Dolwen.  This gave me another needed rest.

My last hill of the day; Moel Ddolwen rose in a steepened profile, greened in summer growth which was being happily harvested by numerous white dots of sheep.  Below me on the field comprising the hill’s bwlch was a tractor, working its way this way and that.  I had hoped to survey this bwlch as it was the only one of the three connecting to each of the hills I planned on visiting that was on my direct route.  However, with the land being worked and the bwlch having been LIDARed I decided to aim directly for the summit.

LIDAR image of Moel Ddolwen

This proved another slow plod on steepening grass with views opening up as I crested its westerly ridge.  As I set the Trimble up and waited for it to achieve its 0.1m accuracy level before data should be logged I looked out across the moor toward the summit of Pen Coed, a fine area squeezed against the grazing fields of Ffridd Bryn Mawr and Moel Ddolwen.

Ffridd Bryn Mawr from the westerly ridge of Moel Ddolwen

I took two data sets from the summit area of Moel Ddolwen each about 30 metres apart.  I favoured the first position as the highest.  As data were being gathered and stored I stood 100 metres or so away from the equipment and looked at my route from earlier in the day and even if the walk only amounted to seven miles I wondered why I had done this, as I had promised myself on many an occasion that when conditions are unduly warm just stick to one small hill and savour the experience. 

Gathering data at the summit of Moel Ddolwen

Even though I had savoured today’s experience I had found it uncomfortably warm and at times my energy levels were on freefall.  Leaving the summit of Moel Ddolwen I wandered down its eastern ridge and then steeply down its southern flank to join a track leading through the farm of Moel-Ddolwen, before joining a narrow lane that took me back to my car, accompanied on the way by a friendly farm dog who until I wandered past was happily snoozing in the afternoon heat.

Survey Result:

Ffridd Bryn Mawr (significant name change)

  

Summit Height:  372.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 98152 06576 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  303.8m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 97875 05991 (LIDAR)

Drop:  69.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  18.53% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Pen Coed

  

Summit Height:  359.3m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 98566 09088 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  303.2m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 97703 09141 (LIDAR)

Drop:  56.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  15.62% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Moel Ddolwen

  

Summit Height:  323.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 98894 07825 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  282.3m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 98669 07967 (LIDAR)

Drop:  41.2m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  12.74% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet