Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – 100m Twmpau

Bron y Gaer (SN 699 326) – 100m Sub-Twmpau reclassified to 100m Twmpau

There has been confirmation of a reclassification to the list of 100m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Bron y Gaer (SN 699 326)

The criteria for the list that this reclassification applies to are: 

100m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 100m Sub-Twmpau with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

The 100m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The name the hill is listed by is Bron y Gaer and this was derived from the Tithe map, and it is adjoined to the Mynydd Mallaen group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with minor roads to its west and south, the A40 road farther to its south and the A482 road to its east, and has the town of Llanymddyfri (Llandovery) towards the east north-east. 

When the original 100m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list that accompanied the main P30 list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for the main P30 category. 

When the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included the details for this hill were re-assessed and it was listed with an estimated c 30m of drop, based on the 198m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 168m bwlch height based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 160m – 170m. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

However, it was not until LIDAR became available that the details for this hill could be accurately re-assessed.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales.  

Therefore, the confirmation of the reclassification of this hill from 100m Sub-Twmpau status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 199.7m summit height and a 166.5m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 33.2m of drop, which is sufficient for it to be classified as a 100m Twmpau. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Mallaen 

Name:  Bron y Gaer 

OS 1:50,000 map:  146, 160

Summit Height:  199.7m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 69948 32662 & SN 69950 32662 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  166.5m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 69362 32822 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  33.2m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2022)