Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Moel y Gamelin

18.06.14  Pt. 420.9m (SJ 189 456) and Cyrn y Brain (SJ 208 488, only bwlch surveyed)

Pt. 420.9m, SJ 189 456

This evening’s walk was suggested by Mark and planned for a few weeks ago, then the weather was foul, now it was sunny and hot and the plan was to meet at the top of Bwlch Oernant (Horseshoe Pass) outside the Ponderosa café at SJ 192 480.  I arrived earlier than our planned meeting time as I wanted to gather data from the bwlch of Cyrn y Brain (summit SJ 208 488) which is conveniently situated behind the café.  Once I’d picked my spot and gathered five minutes of data I headed back to the car and waited for Mark to arrive.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the back of the Ponderosa Cafe at the bwlch of Cyrn y Brain

Mark had driven direct from work and suggested eaties before the walk; this seems to be a quickly developing routine on the walks we do together, one which I’m all in favour of.  We left one car at the top of the road pass and drove south toward Llangollen for an early evening meal sitting outside the Abbey Grange pub, soaking up the sun and catching up with news.

The plan was to visit a Pedwar first, this is listed as Pt. c 422m in Y Pedwarau and Aled had already hoped that we would bump in to a local farmer whilst on the hill, which would enable enquiries relating to the locally known name for the hill.  Even though we had an option for setting off up the Pedwar from a bend high on the A542, Mark suggested setting off much lower, from a point where there were houses marked on the map, I could then saunter off and knock on a few doors hopefully finding someone that had lived in the area all their lives and who knew a name for the hill.

We parked at SJ 188 449 where one or two cars can be squeezed to one side of the narrow lane, as Mark got his boots on I visited the first house and met David and Elen Morris; a lovely couple, aged 89 and 87 respectively.  I practiced an odd Welsh word with them, which brought a smile to David’s face.  They were both extremely helpful and with a name given for the hill I thanked them and re-joined Mark.  The name of the hill still appears under the Pt. notation in this blog post as we are awaiting the second edition of Y Pedwarau to be published where all updated information; place-name and numerical, will appear.

We set off at 6.40pm on a footpath that gained height around the southern flank of our first hill, it was still scorchio and I suffered a bit as the path soon turned in to the vestiges of a vehicle track amongst the copious amounts of grass and low growing gorse.

On the path that crests the southern flank of the Pedwar

Mark approaching the summit of the Pedwar with the rocks of Mynydd Eglwyseg in the background

About an hour after setting out we were on the first of three planned summits.  The highest point was easily identifiable and as the Trimble gathered its customary ten minutes of data we enjoyed the rest (well I did, I was absolutely knackered!) and looked out across the Vale of Llangollen to the high Berwyn beyond.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of the Pedwar

The view west from the summit of the Pedwar

Soon we were at the bwlch picking our spot for Trimble placement in a small clearing amongst a mass of fern.  After five minutes of data had been gathered the Trimble was packed away for the day as the next two summits had been previously Trimbled whilst doing a ridge walk with Aled earlier in the year.

The continuation from the Pedwar at SJ 189 456 to the next summit; Moel y Gamelin (SJ 176 465) was on a narrow path that gained height toward the disused Berwyn Quarry, beyond the quarry the hillside steepened, by now we were in shade as the evening’s sun sank lower in the western horizon.

I seldom hill walk in the evening as I would prefer an early start to gain height before the heat of the day hits, therefore I am rarely on the hill in the light of late day, sometimes an extended winter walk gives late afternoon light to be savoured, but I was looking forward to this evening’s walk with the prospect of watching the sun set.

By the time we arrived at the summit cairn atop Moel y Gamelin the late evening’s light was aglow, we stopped for a few minutes, looked out toward the higher Eryri peaks all lined up from the Carneddau giants in the north to the Glyderau and Yr Wyddfa with its distinct profile when viewed from the east.

Mark beside the summit cairn on Moel y Gamelin (SJ 176 465)

The continuation on the ridge toward our third and last summit of the evening; Moel y Faen (SJ 184 475) was on the badly eroded and broad path that takes in many of the summits above Bwlch Oernant.

Moel y Faen (SJ 184 475)

Mark on the final bit of up hill towards the summit of Moel y Faen

We stood at the top of Moel y Faen and waited for the sun to set with it casting its many varied hues in to a subtly coloured sky.  The smoothness of blue greyed hill outline blended in to the shaded green of pasture as the sun sank ever lower.  Orange merged with red as yellow and magenta mixed.  However beautiful the scene it was also mightily chilly, so much so that we laughed at the thought of two walkers being treated for hypothermia on one of the hottest days of the year.

Watching the sun set from the summit of Moel y Faen

L-R; Yr Wyddfa, Glyderau and the Carneddau

The walk down to the awaiting car beside the Ponderosa only took a few minutes; the sky was now darkened with slender tinged pink slithers of colour as the silhouetted shape of Moel Fama cast down on the ground below. 

Moel Fama bathed in evening light

The view from beside the car at Bwlch Oernant

We arrived back at the car at 10.05pm for boots off and the drive home happy in the knowledge that a Pedwar had now got a listed name and an accurate height to supersede an estimated one, great walk and really good to see Mark again.

Survey Result:

Cyrn y Brain

Summit Height:  564.6m (converted to OSGM15, from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 20820 48875 (from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Height:  400.7m (converted to OSGM15, from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 19348 48168 (from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Drop:  163.9m (from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Dominance:  29.02% (from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey) 

Pt. 420.9m

Summit Height:  420.9m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 18921 45682

Bwlch Height:  386.5m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 18965 45880

Drop:  34.4m

Dominance:  8.18%

For details on the summit survey of Cyrn y Brain

For details on the 2nd bwlch survey of Cyrn y Brain 

For further details please consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet click {here}