Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Humps

Way Stone Edge (SD 999 140) – proposed Subhump deletion

This is the fourtieth in a series of Hill Reclassification posts that detail hills whose status has either been altered in the listing of the Humps (HUndred Metre Prominences) through map study, surveys or LIDAR analysis that I have been involved in, or it is the recommendation that their status is altered.

LIDAR summit image of Way Stone Edge (SD 999 140)

Many preceding posts detailing these hill reclassifications are retrospective as they were initiated from studying the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local that was hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, or from surveying with the Trimble GeoXH 6000, or from LIDAR analysis, and for this proposed deletion that affects the Humps the email I posted on the pedantic@groups.io forum in relation to this hill was dated 20.06.23.

The listing of Humps was published in book format by Lulu in 2009 and entitled More Relative Hills of Britain, its author; Mark Jackson gives credit to a number of people who contributed toward the formation of this list, these include; Eric Yeaman, Alan Dawson, Clem Clements, Rob Woodall, Bernie Hughes, Pete Ridges and others.  When the list was published in book format there were 2987 Humps listed with their criteria being any British hill that has 100m or more of drop, irrespective of their height.  Accompanying the main list is a sub category entitled Subhumps, with the criteria being any British hill that has 90m or more and below 100m of drop.

More Relative Hills of Britain by Mark Jackson

The details for this proposed deletion appear below:

The name the hill is listed by is Way Stone Edge, and it is the highest hill in its own group of hills, which are situated in the southern Pennines, and it is positioned with the M62 motorway and the A672 road to its north-west, and the A640 road to its south-east, and has the village of Denshaw towards the south south-west. 

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

This hill is currently listed as a Subhump with 94m of drop based on the 418.6m summit height ascertained from LIDAR analysis and a 388m col height, based on the spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.  The proposed deletion of this hill in the listing of the Humps (HUndred Metre Prominences) was instigated by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

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

The col height of 388m for the listed drop value of 94m is taken to the A62 cutting.  The protocol followed in the listing of the Humps specifies that the height of an extant natural col is favoured over that of the height in the depth of a cutting, even if the latter is lower on the hill to hill traverse.  As LIDAR contouring implies the natural col for this hill is intact, it is this height value that should be taken for the listing of the Humps within the drop of this hill.

LIDAR col image of Way Stone Edge

Therefore, the proposed deletion of this hill from Subhump status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 481.6m summit height and a 399.6m col height, with these values giving this hill 82.1m of drop.

 

The full details for the hill are:

Name:  Way Stone Edge

OS 1:50,000 map:  109

OS 1:25,000 map:  21

Summit Height:  481.6m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SD 99953 14049 (as listed in the Humps, with LIDAR analysis giving SD 99956 14046)

Col Height:  388m (as listed in the Humps, with LIDAR analysis giving 399.6m to the natural col)

Col Grid Reference:  SE 019 095 (as listed in the Humps, with LIDAR analysis giving SE 02035 09664)

Drop:  94m (as listed in the Humps, with LIDAR analysis giving 82.1m using the natural col)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (July 2023)