Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – 100m Twmpau

Bryn Bach (SS 903 875) – 100m Sub-Twmpau reclassified to 100m Twmpau

There has been confirmation of a reclassification to a hill that is listed in the 100m Twmpau, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill confirmed by LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

LIDAR image of Bryn Bach

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

100m Twmpau - Welsh hills at or above 100m and below 200m in height with 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 name of the hill is Bryn Bach, and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map and it is this name that the hill is now listed by, and it is adjoined to the Cymoedd Morgannwg group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region C, Sub-Region C2), and is positioned with the A4063 road and the Afon Llynfi to its south-west and the A4064 road and the Afon Garw to its south-east, and has the small community of Betws towards the south. 

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 did not meet the criteria then used in this list. 

When 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 with an estimated c 31m of drop, based on an estimated summit height of c 164m and an estimated bwlch height of c 133m, with both heights based on interpolation of 10m contouring on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map.

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

The details for this hill were re-assessed when the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website became available online; this mapping is entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  This mapping gives a 164m summit spot height and as it has 5m contour intervals it enabled a better assessment for an interpolated value for the height of the bwlch.  It also has a 133m spot height at a junction of roads at the area of this hill’s bwlch, with interpolation favouring a different position for the critical bwlch and an estimated height of c 133m, with these values giving this hill c 31m of drop.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website

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.  

The confirmation of the reclassification of Bryn Bach to 100m Twmpau status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 167.0m summit height and a 135.2m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 31.9m of drop which is sufficient for it to be classified as a 100m Twmpau.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Cymoedd Morgannwg

Name:  Bryn Bach

OS 1:50,000 map:  170

Summit Height:  167.0m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SS 90364 87531 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  135.2m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SS 90511 87849 (LIDAR)

Drop:  31.9m (LIDAR)

Myrddyn Phillips (June 2019)