Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru

 

Craig Ysgafn (SH 659 443) – Welsh Highland Sub addition 

There has been an addition to the listing of the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Aled Williams. 

Craig Ysgafn (Photo: Aled Williams)

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

Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru – Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 15m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Highland Subs, the criteria for which is all Welsh hills at or above 500m in height with 10m or more and below 15m of drop.  This list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams with the Introduction to the list published on Mapping Mountains in November 2015 and the latest update relating to the list published on Mapping Mountains in January 2023.

Welsh Highlands - Uchafion Cymru by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The name the hill is listed by is Craig Ysgafn and it is adjoined to the Moelwyn Mawr group of hills, which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A2), and it is positioned with the A4085 road to its west, the A487 road to its south and the A496 road to its east, and has the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog towards the north-east. 

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

Prior to the survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 this hill was listed with 9.9m of drop, based on a 687.7m summit height and a 677.8m bwlch height, with both heights derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams, with a previous basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 18.04.98 giving 10.0m of drop.

Due to the marginal nature in the drop ascertained from LIDAR analysis, this hill was prioritised for a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey and it is this result that is being prioritised.

Therefore, the addition of this hill to Welsh Highland Sub status is due to a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey, resulting in a 688.3m summit height and a 678.0m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 10.3m of drop, which is sufficient for it to be classified as a Welsh Highland Sub. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Moelwyn Mawr

Name:  Craig Ysgafn

OS 1:50,000 map:  124

Summit Height:  688.3m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 65973 44394

Bwlch Height:  678.0m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 65960 44382   

Drop:  10.3m 

 

For the additions, deletions and reclassifications to the Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru reported on Mapping Mountains please consult the following Change Registers:

 

Welsh Highland P15s

 

Welsh Highland Subs

 

Aled Williams and Myrddyn Phillips (March 2023)

 

 

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

 

Cefn Mawr (SM 978 352) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop, dominance and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Cefn Mawr (SM 978 352)

The criteria for the two listings that this name change 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

Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales – Welsh P30 hills whose prominence equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.  With the criteria for Lesser Dominant status being those additional Welsh P30 hills whose prominence is between one third and half that of their absolute height.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the start of the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015, and the list is now available in its entirety on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format. 

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Preseli group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with the B4313 road to its north, the A40 road to its west and a minor road to its south, and has the town of Abergwaun (Fishguard) towards the north-west.

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 100m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the invented and transposed name of Pen Cronllwyn, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the South-East.

Pen Cronllwyn

133m

SM978353

157

35

Name from buildings to the South-East.

During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them.  This is not a practice that I now advocate as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historic documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found. 

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

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales. 

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 324 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is named as Cefn Mawr in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named Fishguard and in the county named as Pemroke. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 100m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Cefn Mawr, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Preseli

Name:  Cefn Mawr

Previously Listed Name:  Pen Cronllwyn   

OS 1:50,000 map:  157

Summit Height:  133.9m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SM 97857 35211 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  73.6m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SM 97599 34681 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  60.3m (LIDAR) 

Dominance:  45.04% (LIDAR)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2023)

 

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales

 

Cnuach Twndwn (SN 704 622) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales, 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 Cnuach Twndwn (SN 704 622)

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales – Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017, and the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of the list appearing on the 1^st January 2022. 

Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Esgair Wen group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with the B4343 road to its west and a minor road to its south, and has the town of Tregaron towards the south-west.

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was not included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this sub category.

After the sub list was standardised, and interpolated heights and drop values also included the details for this hill were re-evaluated and it was listed under the point (Pt. 311m) notation with 20m of drop, based on the 311m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map and the 291m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales. 

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 795 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is transcribed as Cniach Twndwn in the apportionments, with the assumed name being Cnuach Twndwn, with details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Caron and in the county named as Cardigan. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Cnuach Twndwn and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Esgair Wen 

Name:  Cnuach Twndwn 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 311m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  146, 147

Summit Height:  310.3m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 70475 62297 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  290.2m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 70717 62333 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  20.1m (LIDAR) 

 

My thanks to Aled Williams for advise relating to the listed name of this hill 

Myrddyn Phillips (March 2023)

 

 

 

New Welsh LIDAR - Twmpau, Simms and Dodds

 

New Welsh LIDAR – Twmpau, Simms and Dodds 

The release of new Welsh LIDAR has generated a number of status changes, including the following hills in the listing of Twmpau: 

 

500m Twmpau

Group	Name	Summit (m)	Summit GR	Bwlch (m)	Bwlch GR	Drop (m)	Change
Moelwyn Mawr	Pt. 511.7m	511.7	SH 69325 48552	491.7	SH 69253 48542	20.0	Sub-Twmpau addition
Y Llethr	Pt.551.8m	551.8	SH 66588 32216	531.65	SH 66333 32260	20.1	Sub-Twmpau addition

700m Twmpau

Group	Name	Summit (m)	Summit GR	Bwlch (m)	Bwlch GR	Drop (m)	Change
Arenig Fawr	Pt. 714.3m	714.3	SH 82741 35938	693.6	SH 82725 36128	20.7	Sub-Twmpau addition

The release of these new data has also generated a number of proposed status changes in the listings of the Simms and Dodds, including the following hills:

Simms

Group	Name	Summit (m)	Summit GR	Bwlch (m)	Bwlch GR	Drop (m)	Change
Yr Wyddfa	Y Lliwedd	893.2	SH 62402 53249	872.9	SH 62297 53267	20.3	Subsimm addition
Yr Wyddfa	Lliwedd Bach	819.0	SH 62750 53229	798.5	SH 62695 53204	20.5	Subsimm addition
Arenig Fawr	Pt. 714.3m	714.3	SH 82741 35938	693.6	SH 82725 36128	20.7	Subsimm addition

 

Dodds

Group	Name	Summit (m)	Summit GR	Bwlch (m)	Bwlch GR	Drop (m)	Change
Moelwyn Mawr	Craig Stwlan	568.7	SH 66736 44654	548.65	SH 66695 44714	20.0	Subdodd addition
Moelwyn Mawr	Pt. 511.7m	511.7	SH 69325 48552	491.7	SH 69253 48542	20.0	Subdodd addition
Arenig Fach	Y Ro Lwyd	534.3	SH 76110 50527	513.6	SH 76066 50598	20.7	Subdodd addition
Y Llethr	Garn Fach	559.8	SH 69782 22770	537.95	SH 69894 22881	21.8	Subdodd addition
Y Llethr	Pt.551.8m	551.8	SH 66588 32216	531.65	SH 66333 32260	20.1	Subdodd addition

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (March 2023)