Mapping Mountains - Summit Relocations – The 500-Metre Tops of England and Wales – Deweys

 

Yarnspath Law (NT 887 135) 

There has been a Summit Relocation to a hill that is listed in the The 500-Metre Tops of England and 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 Yarnspath Law (NT 887 135)

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

The 500-Metre Tops of England and Wales are affectionately known after their hill list compiler; Michael Dewey.  This list mixes metric and imperial height in its criteria to bookend up to the 2000ft height band and takes in all hills in England, Isle of Man and Wales that are 500m and above and below 2000ft (609.6m) in height that have 30m minimum drop. 

Mountain tables by Michael Dewey

Michael Dewey died on the 5^th November 2022.  His wife; Gillian wished for this list to be carried on and made provision for it to be co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips.  Michael will always be the compiler and originator, it’s just that he’s now got a co-author to safeguard this list and carry this list on.

The name the hill is listed by is Yarnspath Law and it is adjoined to the The Cheviot group of hills, which are situated in the north-eastern part of England, and it is positioned with the A68 road to its south-west and the A697 road to its east, and has the town of Wooler towards the north-east.

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

When the original list of Deweys appeared in the Mountain tables book published by Constable in 1995, this hill was listed with a summit height of 543m, based on the spot height positioned at NT 88409 13238 that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map. 

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 summit image of Yarnspath Law (NT 887 135)

LIDAR analysis gives the summit of this hill as 540.7m positioned at NT 88720 13549, as opposed to 540.6m positioned at NT 88425 13238 and compared to its originally listed summit position 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 either on Ordnance Survey maps or interactive mapping, 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 considered a relatively recent man-made construct, or the listing of a new twin summit or de-twinning of a summit, 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 new summit height of this hill is 540.7m and this is positioned at NT 88720 13549.  This position is not given a spot height on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and is approximately 300 metres north-eastward from where the previously listed summit is positioned. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  The Cheviot

Name:  Yarnspath Law

OS 1:50,000 map:  80

Summit Height:  540.7m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference (New Position):  NT 88720 13549 (LIDAR)  

Col Height:  506.4m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  NT 89366 13893 (LIDAR)

Drop:  34.3m (LIDAR)

 

My thanks to Ronnie Bowron for suggesting to LIDAR this hill with the prospect of its summit relocation. 

Myrddyn Phillips (January 2026)