04.02.21 Pen y Foel
(SJ 179 058) and Y Golfa (SJ 182 070, previously Trimbled)
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Y Golfa (SJ 182 070) |
Hill walking is a wonderful way to spend a few
hours. I rarely arrive back home
unfulfilled. It gives solace and with
good company can bring laughs a plenty with stunning countryside as a
backdrop.
Today I was out with Linda, with two hills
planned to visit; Pen y Foel and Y Golfa.
The former is a small, unobtrusive hill squeezed between the higher
Upper Park to its south-east and Y Golfa towards its north, with the latter proving
a delightful hill to visit during lock down.
One that gives excellent extended views and a variety of routes for its ascent
and descent.
We met at 8.30am outside The Raven and followed
public footpaths across muddied fields parallel with the Llanfair Caereinion
road, from where the hum of morning traffic meandered across the land.
It was only after an hour or so of our walk up
valley that we emerged in to morning sunshine.
The sun had been lost behind the Upper Park ridge with us walking in
shade whilst it tantalised us across the intervening brook springing out of the
Black Pools with bright coloured conditions on the opposing hillside. The sunshine highlighted the rusted winter
colour of brackened slopes on Y Golfa and accentuated those wonderful winter
greens of grazed pasture.
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The beautiful morning gave way to increasing cloud and patchy rain in the afternoon |
The footpath soon turned to a track making its
way toward Talyrnau and Upper Talyrnau farms, where slurried walkways led past
ever so cute calves looking out at us from their pens.
Blue skies dominated the horizon, but with
forecast cloud banks and the possibility of rain later in the day we enjoyed
the fresh colour that was now with us.
Beyond Upper Talyrnau we wandered across expansive greened fields to a
lane that gave access to the track leading to Pen y Foel. We used this for a short distance before
contouring the upper hillside to the area of the summit.
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Pen y Foel (SJ 179 058) |
Prior to our visit I had LIDARed this hill for height
and position of both summit and bwlch, and this gave an indication for Trimble
summit placement. The summit of Pen y
Foel looked impressive and especially so to a person that due to lockdown
restrictions was now used to the gentle mid Wales landscape having kept my
walks local. The remains of its ancient
hill fort circled the upper hill, and whilst Linda relaxed sitting beside a
fence I set the Trimble up on the highest part of its earthen embankment. This was the first hill that I had surveyed
during any of the three lock downs that Wales has experienced over the last 11
months. I wondered if this constituted
work, recreation or exercise. As I felt
knackered at the end of the walk I decided it couldn’t be classified as
recreation!
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LIDAR image of Pen y Foel |
I took two data sets, the first from the high
point of the ancient embankment and the second from what I judged to be the
high point beside the fence, with each looking similar in height.
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Gathering data at one of two positions surveyed for the summit of Pen y Foel |
From here we skirted the near wood using its
periphery to make our way around to a sharp, steep decline and a barb wired
fence, which gave access down a large field to a gate. Ahead of us over a couple of intervening
fields was the small community of Castell Caereinion, which nestled into the
landscape against the surrounding green pastured hills.
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Castell Caereinion |
From here we had a rail and road crossing before
the next uphill. Once we had gained a
semblance of height we sat on brackened slopes and enjoyed the last throngs of
winter sunshine, as the westerly and southerly emerging cloud banks were
forever pushing our way.
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Winter greens |
Leaving the sun behind us we continued uphill
following a public footpath toward the Golf Club. Here we sat at a picnic table where Linda
thoughtfully produced two beakers for a welcome warmed coffee each.
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Approaching Y Golfa from Pen y Foel |
Beyond the Golf Club the skies turned grey and
by the time we arrived beside the trig pillar atop Y Golfa the first windblown
flecks of rain were falling. We didn’t
linger and headed down the easterly ridge toward Llanerchydol. The rain increased and kept with us for 30
minutes or so, never too much for me to put my Goretex on, but sufficient to
dampen proceedings.
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Heading for the summit of Y Golfa |
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At the summit of Y Golfa with the weather closing in |
We sheltered under a number of trees and
continued our conversational topics. By the
time we set off again the last of the rain had blown northward leaving dulled
skies but dry conditions. It was only a
short distance down Llanerchydol drive to The Raven passing banks of white
dotted Snowdrops on the way.
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Snowdrops beside the Llanerchydol drive |
After washing our wellies I left Linda with an
elbow bump and waved my bi bi’s. All
that remained was a slow plod back through the empty streets of Welshpool and
the ever welcome canal tow path leading me home. The walk proved a wonderful way to spend a
few hours.
Survey Result:
Pen y Foel
Summit Height: 284.1m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000) (two points surveyed giving 284.137m and 284.136m respectively, with only
1mm difference both positions are given below)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 17893 05893 and SJ 17916 05895 (Trimble
GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 194.2m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 18505 05867 (LIDAR)
Drop: 89.97m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 31.66% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Y Golfa
Summit Height: 341.4m (converted to OSGM15, from previous
Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 18247 07086 (from previous Trimble GeoXH
6000 survey)
Bwlch Height: 175.1m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 16645 06017 (LIDAR)
Drop: 166.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 48.72% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
For details on the survey of Y Golfa
For details on the 2nd
visit to Y Golfa
For details on the 3rd
visit to Y Golfa
For details on the 4th
visit to Y Golfa
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
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