Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Carnedd Wen

 

02.07.21  Dôl Gron (SJ 171 137) 

Dôl Gron (SJ 171 137)

I’d often wondered about visiting this hill, it isn’t great in height and relatively easy to visit if opting for the convenience of a minor road that ends just to the east of its summit.  I’d been saving it for a murky winter’s day when the higher tops were cloaked in clag, but the opportunity to visit and combine it with other hills during a pleasant and unrushed morning’s bagging could not be missed. 

Prior to visiting I’d analysed the hill’s numerical data with LIDAR.  Building up the contours until an accurate summit and bwlch height and position were ascertained.  Each position was noted, but I only planned on surveying the summit. 

LIDAR image of Dôl Gron (SJ 171 137)

Dôl Gron; a name later given me by the local farmer, was the third of a planned five hills to visit during the morning.  Afternoon commitments meant that I wanted to get home by 1.00pm and this also fitted nicely with the weather forecast, which gave the prospect of afternoon showers and the possibility of thunder. 

I parked at the end of the paved minor lane that winds its way up toward Clolyn.  By now the early morning blanket of cloud had been replaced by high white cloud and patches of blue sky giving increasing warmth.  A gate led to the start of a vehicle track which emerged on to a large field, this was my way up the hill.  The track continued around the lower base of the hill, I soon left it and followed dried hoof prints up a steep rising bank. 

The ground levelled off beside a fence which had an open gate giving access to another field and rising ground leading toward the high point of the hill.  Beside the fence the remains of a dead tree poked up from the earth, it made an attractive addition to the foreground with the summit of the hill beyond. 

The summit is just beyond the rounded field in the background

When building up the contours with LIDAR it was evident that the upper part of this hill had two tops, the farther being the higher and also the one that gives the better view.  I was soon at the summit, which even without the aid of the ten figure grid reference produced by LIDAR would be easy to pinpoint.  Soon the Trimble was set up gathering its allotted data. 

Gathering data at the summit of Dôl Gron

During data collection I stood downhill of the equipment to its west taking in the view across the Afon Efyrnwy to the small community of Meifod with Gallt yr Ancr rising beyond.  I’d visited this hill when the stay at home restrictions became keep local, which enabled exercise to be taken approximately five miles from one’s home.  It proved an excellent last hill to visit after combining a number on a good circular walk.  Today it rose above Meifod with its easterly forested slopes hiding the delightful wooded path leading to its steep summit cone.  The hills in this area are certainly good, with my second hill of the morning; Broniarth Hill (SJ 168 128) across the intervening valley to the south catching flashes of sunlight which highlighted its upper forested slopes. 

The Afon Efyrnwy and Gallt yr Ancr rising above the small community of Meifod

I could have easily remained on the summit of Dôl Gron for a while longer, at least waiting for the Trimble to gather data gave opportunity to linger and savour the view, but I still had two hills to visit and so once data were gathered and stored, I closed the equipment down, packed it away and followed my inward route down the hill to my awaiting car.  The walk and survey had taken 35 minutes and by the time I’d arrived back at my car the temperature was increasing giving warm and humid conditions, an ideal combination for those predicted thunder storms later in the day. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Dôl Gron (significant name change)

Summit Height:  165.8m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 17143 13703 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  109.7m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 17539 13499 (LIDAR)

Drop:  56.2m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance: 33.87% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet