Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Humps

Moel Maenefa (SJ 087 744) – proposed Subhump reinstated to Hump

This is the fourty first in a series of Hill Reclassification posts that detail hills whose status has either been altered in the listing of the Humps (HUndred Metre Prominences) through map study, surveys or LIDAR analysis that I have been involved in, or it is the recommendation that their status is altered.

LIDAR image of Moel Maenefa (SJ 087 744)

Many preceding posts detailing these hill reclassifications are retrospective as they were initiated from studying the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, or from surveying with the Trimble GeoXH 6000, or from LIDAR analysis, and for this proposed reinstatement that affects the Humps the email I posted on the pedantic@groups.io forum in relation to this hill was dated 09.01.25.

The listing of Humps was published in book format by Lulu in 2009 and entitled More Relative Hills of Britain, its author; Mark Jackson gives credit to a number of people who contributed toward the formation of this list, these include; Eric Yeaman, Alan Dawson, Clem Clements, Rob Woodall, Bernie Hughes, Pete Ridges and others.  When the list was published in book format there were 2987 Humps listed with their criteria being any British hill that has 100m or more of drop, irrespective of their height.  Accompanying the main list is a sub category entitled Subhumps, with the criteria being any British hill that has 90m or more and below 100m of drop.

More Relative Hills of Britain by Mark Jackson

The details for this proposed reinstatement appear below:

The name the hill is listed by is Moel Maenefa, and it is adjoined to the Moel y Gamelin group of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of Wales, and it is positioned with minor roads to its north, north-west and east, with the A55 road farther to its north and the B5429 road farther to its west, and has the small community of Rhuallt towards the north-west. 

Summit extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

When the list was first published this hill was classified as a Hump with 100m of drop, based on the 290m summit height adjoined to an old trig pillar and which appeared on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer maps of the day, and a 190m bwlch height, which upon first compilation was probably based on interpolation of 10m contouring.  The triangulation pillar stood on a plinth and this has now been removed from the summit, with the contemporary online Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map giving an erroneous 286m summit height.

Bwlch extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

This hill was subsequently reclassified to Subhump status in January 2013 and listed with 98m of drop, based on the natural col being on the old minor road south of the A55 road cutting, which was supported by old maps.  This was also supported by a 191m spot height appearing on this minor road on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage 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.

In 2023 the team in charge of the listing of Humps first analysed this hill with LIDAR and it remained classified as a Subhump with 98.8m of drop, based on a 289.5m summit height and a 190.7m bwlch height, with a note stating; Natural col extant.

The hill was subsequently analysed using LIDAR by Myrddyn Phillips and his findings posted on the pedantic forum, this post appears below:   

 

I haven’t posted one of these in quite some time, so if not interested in numerical detail or Humps I’d suggest you skip this post.

Many years ago the status of Moel Maenefa (SJ 087 744) was under debate.  It’s currently listed as a Subhump with 98.8m of drop, having once been listed as a Hump.  However, its current status is dependent upon its natural col being intact. 

If prioritising an intact natural col over a cutting, and if the natural col of this hill is no longer intact, the hill would be listed as a Hump with 103.2m of drop due to the A55 road cutting to the north of the summit.

Having driven this road a few days ago in slushy conditions I thought it time to have a look at this hill’s details with LIDAR.  Something I’d been meaning to do for a long time.

A col just south of the A55 road cutting does exist and LIDAR gives this as 190.690m positioned at SJ 08701 75852.  This coupled with the LIDAR summit of 289.470m at SJ 08711 74413, gives its current listed drop of 98.8m.

But does the natural col still exist?

Old Six-Inch maps give a variety of bench mark heights just to the south-west of where LIDAR places the 190.690m col.  These include documented heights of 623.5ft, 626.43ft, 625.1ft and 625.2ft.  These were probably positioned on or near an old building and are periphery in deciding whether the natural col still exists.

Before the A55 road cutting, the area of the col consisted of minor roads forming a diagonal crossroad.  These ran north, south, north-east and south-west.  Three of these roads still exist, with the northerly now swallowed by the cutting.

The 190.690m position at SJ 08701 75852 is placed in the centre of the north-easterly and south-westerly roads as they are intersected by the southerly road.  LIDAR contouring hereabouts is stretched following the course of these minor roads.  This indicates terra-forming and therefore the natural col cannot exist at this point.  On a subjective note; these LIDAR col contours do not look natural, which isn’t surprising as the land hereabouts is terra-formed. 

Now you could argue that this doesn’t really matter as this road col is near enough.

Importantly LIDAR contouring also indicates that the 190.690m col is not where the natural col once lay, as the 191m contour is flattened from SJ 08711 75856 to SJ 08769 75878.  This indicates that prior to the A55 road cutting this contour would have extended and culminated at the old natural col.  The north-easterly road hereabouts has cut into the 191m contour, only slightly, but it still has.  This position is approximately 40 – 45 metres eastward from the SJ 08701 75852 position currently taken as the col for Moel Maenefa.

Conclusion; the natural col no longer exists and therefore this hill should be listed as a Hump with 103.2m of drop.

A LIDAR image is attached.  The thick yellow contour is at 200m.  The blue and green contours are at 1m intervals.  The thick red contours are at 10m intervals.  The thin red and white contours are at 0.1m intervals.  The intersection of one of the thin red contours is where LIDAR places the 190.7m position that is currently taken as the col. 

LIDAR bwlch image of Moel Maenefa

Therefore, the proposed reinstatement of this hill from Subhump to Hump status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 289.5m summit height and a 186.3m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 103.2m of drop.

 

The full details for the hill are:

Name:  Moel Maenefa

OS 1:50,000 map:  116

OS 1:25,000 map:  264, 265

Summit Height:  289.5m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 08713 74418 (as listed in the Humps, with LIDAR analysis giving SJ 08711 74413)

Bwlch Height:  190.7m (as listed in the Humps, as the natural bwlch no longer exists, LIDAR analysis gives 186.3m to the A55 road cutting bwlch)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 0870 7585 (as listed in the Humps, as the natural bwlch no longer exists, LIDAR analysis gives SJ 08948 76019 and SJ 08949 76019 to the A55 road cutting bwlch)

Drop:  98.8m (as listed in the Humps, as the natural bwlch no longer exists, LIDAR analysis gives 103.2m of drop to the A55 road cutting bwlch)

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2025)

 

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – The Fours – The 400m Hills of England

 

Pt. 497.7m (NY 307 075) – Sub-Four addition

There has been an addition to the listing of the The Fours – The 400m Hills of England, with the summit height, col height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Pt. 497.7m (NY 307 075)

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

The Fours – The 400m Hills of England - English hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 30m minimum drop, accompanying the main list is a sub list entitled the Sub-Fours, the criteria for which are all English hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 15m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams and is available to download in Google Doc format from the Mapping Mountains site.

The Fours - The 400m Hills of England by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The hill is listed by the point (Pt. 497.7m) notation, and it is adjoined to the High Raise group of hills, which are situated in the English Lake District, and it is positioned with the B5343 road to its south, and has the village of Grasmere towards the east.

When the Introduction to the first group of hills for the updated and revised listing of the The Fours – The 400m Hills of England was published by Mapping Mountains on the 10^th September 2022, it was announced that the accompanying sub lists were being revised with the two 390m categories dispensed with and the criteria and name of the 400m Sub-Fours revised.  The one accompanying sub list is now named the Sub-Fours with its criteria being all English hills 400m and above and below 500m in height that have 15m and more and below 30m of drop.

Prior to this revision this hill was not listed, with subsequent interpolation giving it an estimated c 14m of drop, based on the 500m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 486m col height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 480m – 490m. 

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 addition of this hill to Sub-Four status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 497.7m summit height and a 482.2m col height, with these values giving this hill 15.5m of drop, which is sufficient for it to be classified as a Sub-Four.

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  High Raise

Name:  Pt. 497.7m

OS 1:50,000 map:  90

Summit Height:  497.7m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  NY 30773 07598 (LIDAR)

Col Height:  482.2m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  NY 30766 07676 (LIDAR)

Drop:  15.5m (LIDAR)

 

For the additions, deletions and reclassifications to The Fours – The 400m Hills of England reported on Mapping Mountains since the December 2013 publication of the 1^st edition of this list by Europeaklist please consult the following Change Registers:

 

The Fours

 

Sub-Fours

 

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (February 2025)

 

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Cae Tŷ Cefn Ysgubor (SJ 111 080) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, 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 Cae Tŷ Cefn Ysgubor (SJ 111 080)

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

200m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Esgeiriau Gwynion group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A3), and it is positioned with the B4382 road to its north, the A495 road to its north-west and the A458 road to its south, and has the town of Llanfair Caereinion towards the south-west.

When the original 200m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, this hill was included in the main P30 list under the invented and transposed name of Moel Penybryn, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the South.

Moel Penybryn

233m

SJ112080

125

215/239

Clem/Yeaman. Twin top. Name from buildings to the South

During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day, with little consideration for the meaning of the name and where it was appropriately applied to.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them.  This is not a practice that I now advocate as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historic documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found. 

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

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales. 

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 1219 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is named as Cae Tŷ Cefn Ysgubor in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish of Llanfair and in the county named as Montgomery. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Cae Tŷ Cefn Ysgubor, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Esgeiriau Gwynion

Name:  Cae Tŷ Cefn Ysgubor

Previously Listed Name:  Moel Penybryn   

OS 1:50,000 map:  125

Summit Height:  233.0m (LIDAR) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 11158 08048 & SJ 11173 08045 (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Height:  160.2m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 09294 08676 & SJ 09295 08677 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  72.7m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2025)

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Summit Relocations – The Welsh P15s

 

Cae Plu (SN 562 035) 

There has been a Summit Relocation to a hill that is listed in the The Welsh P15s, 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 Cae Plu (SN 562 035)

The criteria for the list that this summit relocation applies to are:

The Welsh P15s – Welsh hills with 15m minimum drop, irrespective of their height, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Sub-P15s, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills with 14m or more and below 15m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 10^th May 2019. 

The Welsh P15s by Myrddyn Phillips

The name the hill is now listed by is Cae Plu, and this was derived from the Tithe map, and it is adjoined to the Mynydd Sylen group of hills, which are situated in the southern part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B5), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north, the A4138 road to its south and the M4 motorway to its east, and has the town of Llanelli towards the south-west.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the accompanying sub list with an estimated c 14m of drop, based on the 106m summit spot height that was positioned at SN 56242 03523 and which appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, and an estimated c 92m bwlch height based on interpolation of 5m contouring between 90m – 95m. 

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.

LIDAR analysis gives the highest ground on this hill as 107.6m positioned at SN 56243 03507.  However, this is to the top of a raised field boundary and protocols dictate that as this is deemed a relatively recent man-made construct such ground is discounted from the height of a hill. 

LIDAR summit image of Cae Plu (SN 562 035)

The height produced by LIDAR analysis to the natural summit of this hill is 106.65m and is positioned at SN 56249 03517, and this comes within the parameters of the Summit Relocations used within this page heading, these parameters are:

The term Summit Relocations applies when the high point of the hill is found to be positioned; in a different field, to a different feature such as in a conifer plantation,  within a different map contour, to a different point where a number of potential summit positions are within close proximity, when natural ground or the natural and intact summit of a hill is confirmed compared to a higher point such as a raised field boundary or covered reservoir that is judged to be a relatively recent man-made construct, or a relocation of approximately 100 metres or more in distance from either the position of a map spot height or from where the summit of the hill was previously thought to exist.

Therefore, the summit height produced by LIDAR analysis is 106.65m and is positioned at SN 56249 03517, this position is relatively close to where the 106m spot height appeared, and is approximately 10 metres north-eastward from the high point of the raised field boundary. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Sylen 

Name:  Cae Plu 

OS 1:50,000 map:  159

Summit Height:  106.65m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference (New Position):  SN 56249 03517 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  91.5m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 56274 03613 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  15.15m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (February 2025)