Monthly Synopsis

Synopsis of all major changes detailed on Mapping Mountains during the last calendar month.  These can include new, confirmation and retrospective changes

 

Hill Reclassifications: 

Eldon Hill Quarries (SK 115 815) - Sub-Four addition

Cefn y Bryn (SN 705 429) - 400m Sub-Pedwar addition

Cae Cefn Issa (SH 692 009) - Welsh P15 addition

Carreg Rhoson (SM 67343 25747) - 30-99m Double Sub-Twmpau addition

Brand Side (SK 041 687) - Sub-Four exclusion

Newry (SO 048 504) - Welsh P15 reclassified to Welsh Sub-P15

Carreg Rhoson (SM 67173 25624) - 30-99m Double Sub-Twmpau addition

Ffridd Defaid (SN 663 983) - 100m Sub-Twmpau addition

Chwarel Penrhyn (SH 621 658) - 200m Twmpau addition

Pt. 417.5m (SK 047 700) - Sub-Four exclusion

Mynydd Mallaen (SN 741 437) - 400m Sub-Pedwar addition

 

Significant Height Revisions: 

Coed Llwyn Owen (SN 703 402) - Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales

Eldon Hill Quarries (SK 115 815) - The Fours - The 400m Hills of England

Gib Torr Rocks (SK 018 647) - The Fours - The 400m Hills of England

Yarnspath Law (NT 887 135) - Deweys

Summit Relocations: 

Cwmcroyddir (SN 736 409) - Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales

Significant Name Changes: 

Cae Fron (SN 635 716) - 200m Twmpau

Cae Cefn Issa (SH 692 009) - The Welsh P15s

Ffridd (SN 662 982) - 100m Twmpau

Moel Hiraddug (SJ 063 781) - 200m Twmpau

Lan Tir Hen (SO 023 506) - The Welsh P15s 

Mynydd Mallaen (SN 722 455) - Y Pedwarau - The 400m Hills of Wales

Brand Side (SK 041 687) - The Fours - The 400m Hills of England

Newry (SO 048 504) - The Welsh P15s

Ffridd Lan (SH 793 696) - The Welsh P15s

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Pendle

 

22.10.25  Nab Hill (SE 033 323) 

Nab Hill (SE 033 323)

Nab Hill can give an easy ascent, however if not for the aid of LIDAR, Abney Level and hand-held GPS equipment you could wander the summit area visiting a multitude of lumps and bumps trying to determine which in fact is the highest.  This is due to the debris of old mine workings.  Outside of these, the upper hill is typical of the area with heather dominating on an open moor.  Nowadays it also has a number of scattered wind turbines beyond its trig pillar, with the latter positioned on one of the lumps eastward from where LIDAR indicates the high point of the hill is situated.

When we set out flashes of sunlight enhanced the opposing moor across the minor road where John had parked.  The rusted colours of autumn were on grand display as the sun highlighted slithers of green amongst the golden yellows and oranges.  Although delightful to look at, it also looked horrifying to walk through as patches of standing water led the eye toward Warley Moor Reservoir, which added stillness to the scene. 

Autumnal colours beside Warley Moor Reservoir

Our way up was in the opposite direction to the reservoir, either over or under an intervening blue barred metal gate that led to a wide green track that took us in to the upper hill.  Ahead and on the near horizon was a forlorn looking wire fence with an immediate drop in front of it, no doubt an abandoned hole from the various workings hereabouts. 

The green track leading to the hill

I left before John and Mark, slowly gaining height as flashes of sunlight struck the land.  This time of year can give dramatic effect when on the hill with low light and succulent colour the order of the day.

Prior to visiting John’s, I had noted the LIDAR position for each of our planned summits, but on this particular small walk I only got the Trimble out to zero in to the summit location as I crested the upper moor, having walked past the quickest route to the top whilst aiming for what looked like a good possibility which vied for high point.

Having crested the moor I took a series of photos as John followed by Mark roughly followed my inward route.  As I did so the grey murk behind us and to our west looked rather foreboding, it was almost black and no doubt heralded the next heavy patch of incoming rain. 

Mark on the way to the summit of Nab Hill

Before leaving this spot I checked the LIDAR co-ordinates for the summit against what the Trimble was showing as my current position, and then continued following the dilapidated fence around the rim of moor to what was becoming evident as the high point of the hill.  This consisted of a welcome patch of greened grass situated amongst the debris of old mine spoil and the heather of the moor. 

Mark and John joining me on the summit of Nab Hill

The summit was a tranquil spot to wait for my two colleagues who quickly joined me.  Before leaving I positioned the Trimble atop my rucksack which would normally form the survey position.  Today however, with the heavy rain fast approaching I had no intention of gathering summit data, LIDAR would have to suffice. 

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the summit of Nab Hill

As I packed the Trimble away and gathered up my rucksack the first drops of rain skidded our way.  My brolly, which I carry on most small hills when weather dictates, was soon up shielding my camera equipment, the Trimble and the majority of myself.  It was only a short walk back to the car and when we arrived the heaviest part of the shower was over, affording a semblance of dryness to sort gear and head off to the next hill. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Nab Hill 

Summit Height:  451.4m (LIDAR)  

Summit Grid Reference:  SE 03374 32372 (LIDAR)

Col Height:  405.6m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SE 02781 32247 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  45.7m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  10.13% (LIDAR)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

 

Ffridd Las (SH 793 696) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in 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 Ffridd Las (SH 793 696)

The criteria for the list that this name change 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 hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Hiraethog group of hills, which are situated in the northern part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A2), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads with the A470 road farther to its west, and has the town of Llanrwst towards the south. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was listed under the point (Pt. 226m) notation, with 19m of drop, based on the 226m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map and the 207m bwlch spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map. 

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 963 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 Ffridd Las in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Eglwys-fach and in the county named as Denbigh. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the The Welsh P15s is Ffridd Las, and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Hiraethog 

Name:  Ffridd Las 

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 226m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  227.2m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 79386 69692 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  207.85m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 79406 69469 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  19.4m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (December 2025)

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales

 

Mynydd Mallaen (SN 741 437) – 400m Sub-Pedwar addition

There has been confirmation of a retrospective addition to the listing of the Y Pedwarau – The 400m 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 Mallaen (SN 741 437)

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

Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales.  Welsh hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 30m minimum drop, accompanying the main list are five categories of sub hills, with this hill being included in the 400m Sub-Pedwar category.  The criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams and is published on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format.

Y Pedwarau - The 400m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The name the hill is listed by is Mynydd Mallaen, and it is adjoined to the Mynydd Mallaen group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north, west and east, the A482 road farther to its south-west, and the A483 road farther to its south-east, and has the village of Llanwrda towards the south.

When the original 400m height band of Welsh P30 hills compiled by Myrddyn Phillips was 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 with 24m of drop, based on the 437m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and the 413m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, and these are the details adjoined to the hill when the 1^st edition of the Y Pedwarau, now co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams was published by Europeaklist in May 2013. 

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 confirmation of the addition of this hill to 400m Sub-Pedwar status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 437.4m summit height and a 412.6m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 24.8m of drop, which is sufficient for it to be classified as a 400m Sub-Pedwar.                                         

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Mallaen

Name:  Mynydd Mallaen

OS 1:50,000 map:  146, 147, 160

Summit Height:  437.4m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 74126 43705 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  412.6m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 73863 44207 (LIDAR)   

Drop:  24.8m (LIDAR) 

 

For the additions, reclassifications and deletions to Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales reported on Mapping Mountains since the May 2013 publication of the list by Europeaklist please consult the following Change Registers:

 

Y Pedwarau

 

Y Pedwarau – 400m Sub-Pedwarau

 

Y Pedwarau – 390m Sub-Pedwarau

 

Y Pedwarau – 390m Double Sub-Pedwarau

 

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (December 2025)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Ward’s Stone

 

21.10.25  Bowland Knotts (SD 727 606) 

Looking toward the old summit location of Bowland Knotts

Recent trips to the moors above Burnley have given a mixture of blue sky, warmth and autumnal colours.  All trips have been dry, with not a speck of the wet stuff falling from the sky.  This scenario changed on our latest visit to John Kirk’s.  The weather forecast warned to expect fast moving showers with rain in between, and it didn’t disappoint.

John had planned our two day stay with easy ascents and numerous meals out, which seemed a good combination, and especially so as any prolonged walk would involve getting well and truly soaked.  It was a matter of getting out and trying to time our ascents for a spell between the frequent showers and hoping to remain relatively dry in the process.  However, hoping to do so is one thing and what was encountered is another. 

Not my favourite weather conditions

Our first hill of the visit was Bowland Knotts.  The summit of this hill was relocated in December 2013 when the 1^st edition of the The Fours was published by Europeaklist.  This was at a time before LIDAR was being used to analyse numerical data.  This relocation was subsequently confirmed when LIDAR became available for this hill.

The summit relocation eased its ascent, if indeed that is what is wanted, and today it certainly was.  Its old listed summit is positioned beside the trig pillar and south-west from where a narrow road crests these hills.  It’s an easy ascent from here to the trig via a couple of small lumps on the way, following in the main a solid stone wall that keeps to the crest of the ridge.  However, its highest point is even closer and just eastward of the high point of the road.  A brisk walk up and down wouldn’t take more that ten minutes and that’s stopping on the summit to take the customary photographs of extended views whilst bathing in the delights of blue sky and warmth.  In all it took us 41 minutes to visit the high point and get back to the relative dryness of John’s car.  Only two of us made it this far as the third was the sensible one and remained in the car after we realised that our initial endeavours had taken us in the wrong direction, and even then we didn’t get to the high point of this section of ridge.  We thought we had reached the summit; having set out in wet and windy conditions following our confidently striding local guide, who unbeknownst to the two incomers was going in completely the wrong direction. 

Following our local guide toward the trig pillar

Navigational errors can easily be made, but you would think that three experienced hill walkers who between them have completed the Munros, English and Welsh 2,000ft’ers, and in the case of one of the incomers the Welsh ones on multiple occasions, the Deweys for two of them, the other one didn’t venture into England and just completed the Welsh ones, for one of them the Welsh Humps and between the three numerous other lists, would have enough gumption to realise that following the ridge in the direction of the trig pillar was in fact incorrect, and that the true summit was in the opposite direction on the other side of the road.  Well, they eventually did, but it took them a while to fully comprehend this. 

Heading toward what we thought was the high point of the hill

The realisation of our incorrect wander only happened when back in the car having got wet from the initial endeavours.  When the error of our ways was realised I laughed, only a bit mind, as this now meant another journey out in to the particularly inclement weather conditions.  Thankfully it was only a short distance to the summit via a small section of road, a cattle grid, a wet bit of ground and an attractive rising lump that took me and Mark to the high point.  John was sensible and remained back in the car.

I had just enough time to try and take a photo with the inconvenience of ‘memory card full’ flashing on my camera screen.  I could of course stand and fiddle about finding a new one and inserting it in the camera for a couple of quickly taken photographs, but it was wet, it was windy and although my brolly had done an excellent job of keeping me relatively dry it was also cumbersome to try and do anything else except for walking with it when it was up.  However, I did take a couple of Mark on the summit with his mobile phone. 

Mark Trengove on the summit of Bowland Knotts (SD 727 606)

I arrived back at the car feeling unusually invigorated and with a broad smile on my face.  Still wet though! 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Bowland Knotts 

Summit Height:  430.7m (LIDAR)  

Summit Grid Reference:  SD 72767 60678 (LIDAR) (summit relocation)

Col Height:  343.4m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SD 71799 60697 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  87.3m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  20.27% (LIDAR)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

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

Pt. 417.5m (SK 047 700) – Sub-Four exclusion

There has been an exclusion from 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. 417.5m (SK 047 700)

The criteria for the list that this exclusion 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 being listed by the point (Pt. 417.5m) notation, and it is adjoined to the Axe Edge group of hills, which are situated in the Peak District, and it is positioned with minor roads to its north and south, the A53 road to its west, and the A515 road to its north-east, has the town of Buxton towards the north north-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 listed with an estimated c 15m of drop, based on the 418m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 403m col height, based on interpolation of 5m contouring between 400m – 405m. 

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 exclusion of this hill from Sub-Four status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 417.5m summit height and a 404.3m col height, with these values giving this hill 13.2m of drop, which is insufficient for it to be classified as a Sub-Four. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Axe Edge

Name:  Pt. 417.5m

OS 1:50,000 map:  119

Summit Height:  417.5m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SK 04744 70003 (LIDAR)

Col Height:  404.3m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SK 04626 69980 (LIDAR)

Drop:  13.2m (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 (December 2025)