29.10.17
Gallt y Gog (SH 751 012)
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| Gallt y Gog (SH 751 012) |
Gallt y Gog is a
conifered summit that looks horrendously wooded from a distance but which
proved easily accessible. It rises on
the northern periphery of Machynlleth and looks down on the town which nestles
beside the Afon Dyfi as it continues its downward flow to the coast.
I got lost trying to
find where I wanted to start the walk from, and asked directions having driven
up a road beyond a housing estate. I was
directed up a near road with pre-warning that it was rough and that it led to a
number of houses, its description as ‘the high road’ sounded good, as even
though this hill is not great in height the higher the better for my starting
point.
I found a parking place
beside two cars next to one of the houses and continued up the rough road after
spotting a dead Robin on the grill of my car, it was spread like a trophy, its
poor little legs dangling down from its feathered breast, with its head trapped
in the grill. I levered it off and gave
it an improvised burial before continuing up the rough road.
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| An unfortunate consequence of driving |
The road led past
another house before contouring around a bungalow and near barn before what
seemed to be the last house on its journey.
This rough road led up and around the north-east of the hill and
continued around the northern part of the summit, which bulged up before me in
planted conifers.
I left the road to walk
over a field toward the forest’s perimeter fence which was conveniently
collapsed above steep ground, when in the wood a narrow path led beside the
perimeter fence to a small bench, to my right and amongst the conifers was the
summit and the ground between me and it looked horrendously brambled, I hoped
that a path led from the bench to the area of the summit, and thankfully one
did.
It was only a short walk
to the high point from beside the bench, over one felled tree and beside a mass
of unwelcoming brambles. The summit is
close to a concrete and graffitied structure that looks decidedly at odds with
where it is placed.
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| The concrete structure near the summit of Gallt y Gog |
The Trimble was soon set
up and after a short wait I activated it to gather data, as it quietly beeped
away collecting its minimum of 300 allotted datum points the sun occasionally
broke through high cloud casting extended shadows through the trees, otherwise
all remained quiet in the wood.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Gallt y Gog |
Once I closed the
Trimble off and packed it away I retraced my route back to the bench and out of
the trees and down the road to my car. I
then drove down the rough road back through the housing estate and on to the A
489 road and east heading out of the town stopping beside a track giving access
toward the town’s golf course where the critical bwlch of Gallt y Gog is
placed.
I’d assessed this spot
using OS Maps and a Google car and had enough space to reverse my car on to the
pavement and yet for the Trimble when placed on the roof of my car to still be
aligned with where I deemed the critical bwlch of this hill to be positioned.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Gallt y Gog |
I quickly measured a
1.45m offset to the road below and activated the Trimble when the 0.1m accuracy
level had been attained and stood away from my car as a multitude of vehicles
past it heading this way and that. I’ve
learnt my lesson with roadside surveying and if it’s safe to do so it is always
best to position the Trimble on top of the car roof.
Once five minutes of
data were stored I closed the equipment off, packed it away and headed off to
survey the critical bwlch of Coed Pant y Glo before continuing my journey home.
Survey Result:
Gallt y Gog
Summit Height: 87.5m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) (significant height revision)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 75169 01223 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 24.7m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 75589 00921 (LIDAR)
Drop: 62.8 (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Dominance: 71.74%
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