25.03.21 Cefn Cyfronydd (SJ 144 082), Cae’r Block (SJ
115 067) and Cae Coch (SJ 137 066)
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| Cae Coch (SJ 137 066) |
I met some lovely people today. Colin; who was tending new born lambs and
kindly gave me permission to use a rack to access the first hill of the day,
Gail; who cared for her mother and was out walking a friend’s dog on the
delightful old green lane leading to Llanfair Caereinion, the woman from
Gelli-gason who I’m afraid I didn’t note her name, she came out and we talked
about my second hill of the day and she kindly gave directions toward Clyniarth
where I met Anya and Eric and Carl the plasterer. I stopped here for quite some time talking
with Anya and Eric, who moved here 13 years ago and set up the Strawberry Skys
Yurts business. They then directed me
onward toward Bryn Heolog where I met Meirion Davies; again we stopped and
chatted for 20 minutes or so, such a lovely person, as indeed they all
are. To me, especially so in the times
of Covid, human contact when on a hill walk can be a welcoming experience, and
today on quiet tracts and forgotten footpaths each encounter was savoured.
Today’s walk was planned the previous evening
and as is the norm each hill was examined via LIDAR resulting in ten figure
grid references for each summit and connecting bwlch with accurate heights also
ascertained. I’d visited these hills
before, but these were quick hill bagging expeditions. Today I wanted to explore the land combining each
hill and in the process investigate some of the footpaths above Cyfronydd.
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| LIDAR image of Cae'r Block (SJ 115 067) |
I parked beside the A458 adjacent to the B4392 road
heading toward Guilsfield. From where I
had parked, my first hill of the day; Cefn Cyfronydd was hidden from view but
as I made steady progress up the B road its steepening slopes rose initially in
manicured green pasture where lambs frisked in the morning sunshine and then
brackened higher slopes with stunted woodland interspersed.
When I’d previously visited this hill I asked a
farmer if I could visit the summit and if so where would be best to park, he
directed me up the access track to a house that sits just below the summit,
telling me that the hill is known as Cefn Cyfronydd, which is also the name of
a farm. This hill has two tops vying for
its high point and from where I had parked it took me nine minutes to visit
both and arrive back at my car. Today
was a more leisurely experience.
I contemplated accessing the hill from the same
track which heads westward from the B road, but as I rounded a corner I decided
to call in at Garth Vaughan farm where I met Colin Owen. He was in a large barn looking after newly
born lambs and we chatted for a number of minutes, I asked if I could use the track
which shot straight up toward the higher part of the hill from the side of the
barn and a few minutes later I was steadily plodding uphill.
According to LIDAR the high point of Cefn
Cyfronydd is positioned in its south-westerly 200m small ring contour, however
LIDAR also gives the summit as just below this height. I’ll have to wait for the Trimble result to
confirm whether this hill is a 200m or a 100m Twmpau. By the time I arrived at the high point a
brisk breeze blew across its upper slopes.
I’d converted my walking trousers to shorts prior to setting out but was
glad that I hadn’t discarded my spring fleece.
The summit overlooks a house which is the property at the end of the
westerly heading access track. As I set the
Trimble up to gather data wafts of music from a radio slowly meandered across
the hill with a workman outside the property, I didn’t want to disturb him or
the occupant so stood downhill of the Trimble as its allotted data were
gathered and stored.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Cefn Cyfronydd |
Having retraced my inward route back to Garth
Vaughan I called over to Colin who confirmed the name of the hill and invited
me in to the barn to see the lambs. He
had 800 ewes lambing and this morning one gave birth to four lambs, the second
to do so during this season. It was a
pleasure meeting Colin ad I had to drag myself away as the walk had only just
started and I had a few more miles to cover and two other hills to visit.
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| Colin Owen |
My next hill lay south-westward and I used
footpaths and quiet country lanes to reach its lower slopes. Each proved a delight, especially the
footpaths, these wandered across greened fields, over trickling brooks,
following an occasional old track and always connecting the land from one point
to another. Many are probably rarely
used nowadays, but the stories they could tell from times long gone can only be
imagined.
I left the lane at the start of an old green
track that headed up at a steady gradient.
I was later told that this track was a part of the old drover road
between Llanfair and Welshpool. It was
slightly sunken and hemmed in by avenues of stunted trees. It was a pleasure to be on it. Sunshine, blue skies, distant views and
solitude make a heady concoction and today whilst on this old green lane I
mesmerised at its beauty.
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| Looking down the old green lane |
I met Gail and her friendly dog that she was
walking for a friend toward the higher part of the old green lane. We stopped and chatted for ten – fifteen
minutes. Away in the distance the Aran
and Y Berwyn dominated the horizon whilst the intervening land rolled in ridges
and valleys. Before parting Gail stuck
out her hand and I shook it. This was
the most natural thing to do and I did it without a thought of the last year
and the encouragement not to do so. It
was only the second handshake that I had had in the last year.
The high point of this hill, which the Tithe
names the nearest enclosed field as Cae’r Block, is on the green lane. As the Trimble gathered its allotted data I
stood beside a tree and just enjoyed being there. Life can become enriched my simple things and
again blue skies, solitude, a friendly breeze and a hill can give comfort and
contentedness beyond measure.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Cae'r Block |
From the summit of Cae’r Block I could simplify
things and head for the near B road and use this toward the last hill of the
day, but a number of footpaths led across country and these would no doubt be
more pleasurable. Therefore, I headed
away from the summit on an earthen track leading down to the large house of
Gelli-gason where I met the occupant. We
chatted outside for ten minutes or so, unfortunately she couldn’t help me with
either a name for the hill or confirm its highest field name; ‘Glyn’s your man,
he’s the farmer, he may know’ she said.
I left with more directions toward a track and a gate as I set off
toward the Yurts at Clyniarth.
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| The track leading down to Gelli-gason |
Old public footpaths can become interesting
things to try and follow and the onward route toward Clyniarth proved fun with
a number of barb wired fences blocking any semblance of notion of a remaining
public footpath. However, with a little
map study and field boundaries and hedges to use as indicators I eventually
found my way to the gate giving access to Clyniarth.
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| Cae'r Block from the footpath leading to Clyniarth |
As I closed the gate I could hear a lot of
knocking from inside the old house, I called out a few ‘hello’s’ and out came
Anya, she was as surprised to see a walker as I was glad to see her and have
another lovely conversation. She was
amazed that someone had tried to follow the footpaths from Gelli-gason telling
me that in the 13 years that her and her husband; Eric, had been there she had
only known of one other person who had used them.
We were soon joined by two dogs and a cat and
Carl the plasterer, we chatted about all manner of things. It was a pleasure to just converse and enjoy
the time spent with people, however fleeting.
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| Anya and Carl the plasterer |
Anya walked with me beyond Cryniarth to where
the footpath continued toward Bryn Heulog and the upper field where Eric was
building the foundation for another Yurt.
Anya and Eric had moved from London 13 years ago and set up Strawberry
Skys Yurts. The Yurts were placed in a
beautiful place, amongst silver birch and other mixed trees. Covid had struck the business severely as it
has for all hospitality and tourism, but they are fully booked for when the
current restrictions are lifted.
I left Anya and Eric with directions to a gate
which gave an onward route toward Bryn Heulog where I met Meirion Davies who
was reversing his Landranger in the farm yard when I arrived. He stopped, got out and we chatted. He touched upon the history of Bryn Heolog
and the adjacent Upper Bryn-Elen before we talked about the farm of Hafod
Seller, where Meirion was born. I could
have stopped and chatted with Meirion forever, but I still had one last hill to
visit and as I walked through the farm yard and up the adjacent lane, Meirion
drove up and waited for me, parked and opened the near gate to direct me toward
a stile and the continuation of my walk.
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| Meirion Davies |
By now I was in a contented state. I’d met and chatted with so many people. All were unexpected encounters, and all were
delightful. My onward route took me past
a small deciduous wood with sheep scampering across the blazed green fields
with the dark silhouetted profile of my last hill; Cae Coch rising impressively
to my east.
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| The darkened silhouette of Cae Coch |
I veered right just before Rhos Fawr, this was
advised me by Meirion who said that the route from this farm now had a section
with barb wire over it. Rhos Fawr is
where my descendants used to farm from; with Richard Phillips, my Great Great
Great Grandfather there at the time of the Tithe.
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| My Great Great Great Grandfather; Richard Phillips, farming from Rhos Fawr at the time of the Tithe |
In time I made it onto an access track which led
toward the B4385. I was glad I hadn’t
followed this from the summit of Cae’r Block.
I slowly plodded my way on its tarmac before skirting left up a
steepening road which led to Pen-yr-herber and Hafod Seller.
The lane was steep and I rested occasionally and
whilst doing so savoured the spring warmth and colour. Bi-passing Pen-yr-herber I followed what my
Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map gives as a yellow road indicating it to
be paved, when in fact it is now no more than a track.
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| Approaching Cae Coch |
Accessing the upper slopes of Cae Coch through a
gate I headed up with the old wood beside this hill’s higher slopes looking
invitingly proud in the afternoon sunshine.
Cresting the edge of the wood the summit was just over a fence, by now
the breeze was almost fierce as it skimmed across the upper hill. This was invitingly welcome, it added
intensity to an otherwise slumbered scene.
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| The wood adjacent to the summit of Cae Coch |
The Trimble was soon quietly beeping away
collecting its data. I stood beside the
fence, checked my downward route on the map, took photographs and stared down
at the buildings of Hafod Seller which were just below this part of the hill. Once I closed the Trimble down and packed it
away I stood and took more photos with high whitened cloud skidding across an
otherwise blue sky. It was a marvellous
spot to be on such a day.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Cae Coch |
Leaving the summit I sauntered down the hill’s
southern slopes and used a gate instead of the fence to gain access into the
field which took me down to my initial access gate. Once back on the track I followed this down
to where it became paved and shortly left it to use footpaths across fields and
the railway track to rejoin this morning’s inward route.
Survey Result:
Cefn Cyfronydd (significant name change)
Summit Height: 199.1m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000) (200m Twmpau reclassified to 100m Twmpau)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 14459 08297 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) (summit relocation confirmed)
Bwlch Height: 150.6m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 14997 08587 (LIDAR)
Drop: 48.5m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 24.37% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Cae’r Block (significant name change)
Summit Height: 232.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 11567 06755 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 199.0m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 11283 06315 (LIDAR)
Drop: 33.6m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 14.43% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Cae Coch (significant name change)
Summit Height: 263.3m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 13715 06610 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 193.7m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 13757 06183 (LIDAR)
Drop: 69.6m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
Dominance: 26.44% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
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