Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales

Mynydd Fforest (SO 086 389) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Mynydd Fforest (SO 086 389)

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales – Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017, and the Introduction to the Mapping Mountains publication of the list appearing on the 1^st January 2022. 

Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Epynt group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with minor roads to its west and south, and the A470 road to its east, and has the small community of Erwyd (Erwood) towards the north north-east.

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was not included in the Hills to be surveyed sub list, as it was considered not to meet the criteria then used for this sub category.

After 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 under the point (Pt. 376m) notation with an estimated c 20m of drop, based on the 376m summit spot height that appears on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 356m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 350m – 360m. 

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

Since the original publication of the Welsh P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website there have been a number of maps made available online.  Some of these are historic such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website.  Whilst others were digitally updated such as the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the interactive mapping on the Magic Maps and WalkLakes websites.  One of the historic maps now available online is the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map which formed the basis for the first publicly available Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map, and it is the Draft Surveyors map along with the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map that has instigated the change in the listed name of this hill. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map

The Draft Surveyors maps consist of the preliminary drawings made by the Ordnance Survey surveyors between the 1780s and 1840 and formed the basis for the first publicly available One-Inch map.  They were drawn at scales of six inches to the mile for areas considered of particular military significance and down to two inches to the mile for other areas.  Fair copies were then produced from these preliminary drawings to one inch to the mile and then copper plates were prepared for printing.  The Draft Surveyors maps for the whole of Wales are now available online and they form an important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names as they bridge the time frame between the late 18^th century and the mid-19^th century when the Ordnance Survey produced their first One-Inch maps, and importantly for this hill and its listed name, it is this map that places the name Mynydd Fforest across what is now open access land and which takes in the summit of this hill.

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Mynydd Fforest and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map in conjunction with the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Epynt 

Name:  Mynydd Fforest 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 376m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  160

Summit Height:  375.6m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 08614 38958 & SO 08615 38959 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  353.55m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 09049 38950 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  22.0m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (August 2024)