Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Welsh Highlands – Uchafion Cymru

Graig Fach (SH 792 249) – Welsh Highland Sub deletion 

There has been a deletion 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 LIDAR analysis conducted by Aled Williams. 

LIDAR image of Graig Fach (SH 792 249)

The criteria for the list that this deletion 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 Graig Fach and it is adjoined to the Arenig Fawr group of hills, which are situated in the central part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A2), and it is positioned with a minor road to its south south-east and the A494 road farther to its south-east, and has the small community of Rhyd-y-main towards the south south-east.

When the initial P10 sub list was completed in June 2020 this hill was listed with 10.2m of drop, based on a basic levelling survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips on the 10.04.06, and listed with a 510m summit height and a 500m bwlch height, with an accompanying note stating that analysis of numerical data on various scales of Ordnance Survey maps give this hill an estimated c 9m of drop.  Therefore, it was included as a Welsh Highland Sub when the drop value of the subs was agreed upon and revised in July 2020. 

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

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.

Therefore, the deletion of this hill from Welsh Highland Sub status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 511.3m summit height and a 501.4m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 9.9m of drop, which is insufficient for it to be classified as a Welsh Highland Sub. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Arenig Fawr

Name:  Graig Fach

OS 1:50,000 map:  124

Summit Height:  511.3m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 79263 24920 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  501.4m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 79277 24975 (LIDAR)   

Drop:  9.9m (LIDAR) 

 

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 (August 2023)