Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Fours - The 400m Hills of England

Burway Hill (SO 440 942)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in 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 a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey and subsequent LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams.

Burway Hill (SO 440 942)

The criteria for the list that this name change 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 are three categories of sub hills, with this hill being included in the 400m Sub-Four category, the criteria for which are all English 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, with the 1^st edition of the booklet containing this list published by Europeaklist in December 2013 and by Haroldstreet in January 2014, with the 2^nd edition of this list due for publication by Mapping Mountains Publications in April 2018.

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

The hill is adjoined to the Stiperstones group of hills, which are situated in the county of Shropshire close to the Welsh border, and it is positioned with a minor road to its immediate north and the B5477 road and A49 road to its south-east, and has the town of Church Stretton towards the east south-east.

When the listing that is now known as The Fours - The 400m Hills of England was originally compiled this hill appeared under the transposed name of Devils Mouth, which is a prominent name that appears near the summit of this hill on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

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

During my early hill listing I paid little regard to name placement on a map, or the meaning of names and to what feature the name was appropriately applied to.  Therefore I prioritised names for listing purposes that are now considered inappropriate or where another name is viewed as being more appropriate, and Devil’s Mouth is such an example as this name has been consistently applied by Ordnance Survey on maps that are viewed as being good for name placement such as the series of Six-Inch maps and the 1:25,000 Historical map, to land immediately above the Devilsmouth Hollow, which is a steep stream valley to the north-east of this hill, with the Devil’s Mouth the narrow neck of land where an ancient cross-dyke is situated with Burway Hill to the east of this point and the main Long Mynd plateau to the west.  Consequently this hill was listed as Burway Hill in the 1st edition of The Fours when the list was published by Europeaklist in December 2013.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in The Fours - The 400m Hills of Wales is Burway Hill and this was derived from historical Ordnance Survey maps. 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Stiperstones

Name:  Burway Hill

Previously Listed Name:  Devil’s Mouth 

OS 1:50,000 map:  137

Summit Height:  402.8m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 44061 94220 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

 

Col Height:  372.9m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43980 94263 (LIDAR)

Drop:  29.85m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (January 2018)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

17.09.16  Burway Hill (SO 440 942, previously Trimbled)

Burway Hill (SO 440 942)

Sometimes it’s amazing what can be fitted in to a day, especially so when not really planned, just follow the old adage and go with the flow and see where it takes you.  Saying that, we did have a rough plan as a browse around Church Stretton followed by a visit to the Green Dragon in Little Stretton for a lunchtime meal had been planned, after that and if the weather was favourable a small wander to the top of Burway Hill and down the other side of the Long Mynd had been discussed, but again; it’s amazing what can be done in a day.

I picked Huw and Debs up in Welshpool and continued to Oswestry to pick Lou up and it was then onwards to Church Stretton, a quaint market town in Shropshire that nestles below the Long Mynd.  The day was beautifully warm with late summer blue skies and vivid colours.

After our browse around a few shops we headed to the pub where Lou had booked a table, the day out was a part of Lou’s birthday weekend and unbeknownst to her a celebratory cake and bubbly were sneaked in to the pub’s kitchen to be delivered to our table after our meal; the surprise seemed to go down well.

Cake and bubbly

Burway Hill is a convenient view point as the minor road known to cyclists as The Burway climbs to within a few metres of the hill’s col where two or three cars can be parked.  It is only a short detour from the col to the summit and well worth the visit as the views are expansive. 

I’d visited this hill twice before, once with Charlie Leventon when it was Trimbled, and a few weeks ago with Lou, it seemed to have left an impression as she wanted to visit again.

Once appropriate foot wear had been donned I led the budding mountaineers over the col to a sheep track that skirted the hill’s south-western slopes, these are steep and plunge down in brackened fashion to the Townbrook Valley below.

One of the budding mountaineers was not happy at all with the thought of imminent death caused by the steep terrain and refused to go any farther, Huw offered to head back and take the standard route to the summit with the panicking mountaineer in tow.

That's steep and it's full of snakes and I'm not going any farther

This left me and Debs to investigate the sheep track, I thought this would skirt the steep upper southerly slopes and wind its way around the picturesque crags that cling to the upper part of the hill, it didn’t, it just stopped where the crags shot upward, I looked back at Debs and asked if she was OK with going up the rock, she was all for it, and therefore up we went.  It felt good to get hands on rock with warm sunshine cascading down on the land. 

Debs proving to be an enthusiastic scrambler

Within a few minutes we’d popped out on the summit ridge and made it to the top just before Lou and Huw joined us.  After the customary summit photos we headed down the eastern ridge toward the minor road and back to the car.

Lou and Huw nearing the summit

With Lou at the summit of Burway Hill

Huw, Debs and Lou at the summit of Burway Hill

It was lovely to be out on a hill in such fine weather, we didn’t really have much of a plan for the rest of the day but quite fancied visiting the Midland Gliding Club which is situated high on the southern flank of Pole Bank; the high point of the Long Mynd.

We spent about 45 minutes at the gliding club watching gliders being shot in to the air and gently using the thermals on the west facing ridge of the Long Mynd.  The club was officially set up in 1934, with the first recorded flights as early as 1930.  Today the members were very welcoming and within a few minutes Huw was seated in one of the gliders and being shown the instruments, I soon followed.  The last time Lou and I had visited the gliding club a darkening sky heralded heavy rain pushing in from the west which overcame up as we drove over the Striperstones road, today the sky was settled with blue radiating above and stunning views west to the Stiperstones, which looked invitingly becalmed with their nobbled rock outcrops following the skyline.

Huw in one of the gliders at the Midland Gliding Club high on the Long Mynd

The view of the Stiperstones from the gliding club

Leaving the gliding club we retraced our route back on the minor road and descended north-west toward Ratlinghope and the Bridges, here we stopped as the Horseshoe Inn looked too tempting to drive past. 

The Horseshoe Inn at the Bridges

The late summer’s sun was now low in the sky casting long shadows and giving succulent colour.  There was still warmth and we sat with drinks and an assortment of crisps and peanuts whilst an eclectic mix of customers drank and played outside.

Late summer in a wine glass

Lou, Debs and Huw at the Horseshoe Inn at the Bridges

I pottered about for a few minutes beside the River East Onny, which gently flows beside the minor road next to the pub, children played in the water whilst parents soaked in the sun and drank beer, whiling away an hour in good company with good conversation is sometimes the best thing in the world to do.

The River East Onny

It wasn’t that far to continue to Bishop’s Castle which is a haunt for many a person living around this part of border country.  As we drove in to the town cars were parked on every spar bit of tarmac, we were fortunate to find parking close to the centre of town and could hear the music blasting out as we opened the car doors; we’d arrived during the celebrations for the town’s Michaelmass Fair.

There was a great atmosphere in the town with a band playing beside the Town Hall, and a multitude of people on the street dancing, smiling and drinking.  Rarely does Bishop’s Castle disappoint and tonight it was in full swing. 

People on the street at the Michaelmass Fair in Bishop's Castle

As the light slowly ebbed from the sky we listened to the band before heading for a drink in the Three Tuns.  Leaving the others with their drinks I ventured out to indulge myself in the atmosphere as traction engines chugged up the street and the lantern procession made its way through the town.

All that remained were visits to The Dragon in Montgomery followed by more drinks in The Oak in Welshpool.  A great day and thanks to Lou, Huw and Debs for the company.

Survey Result:

Burway Hill (significant name change)

Summit Height:  402.8m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 44061 94220 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  372.9m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43980 94263 (LIDAR)

Drop:  29.85m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  7.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

For details on the survey of Burway Hill

For details on the 2nd visit to Burway Hill

For further details please consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

28.08.16  Burway Hill (SO 440 942, previously Trimbled))

Burway Hill (SO 440 942)

Burway Hill is easily accessible if wanting a relatively quick ascent as it is positioned beside the minor road that makes its way west from Church Stretton over the Long Mynd to the East Onny valley.

The closeness of this minor road does not detract from the appeal of the hill, as its northern and southern slopes are steep sided plunging down to the Carding Mill and Townbrook Valley’s respectively.

Its eastern ridge descends to the outskirts of Ashbrook and Church Stretton, whilst its western slopes are sharp and steep leading down to its connecting col, from here the land continues toward the highest part of the hill range; Pole Bank.

Today the Long Mynd was a hive of activity with a multitude of cars squeezing past one another on the steep minor road; mountain bikes were either being pushed or their riders were struggling uphill whilst walkers were dotted on distant horizons seemingly on each and every path and summit.  We were a part of the car influx, and as the day was beautifully warm with sunshine highlighting the purpled heather we stopped and Lou and I took the opportunity to visit the summit of Burway Hill.

We parked beside the col, which along with the hill’s summit had previously been Trimbled whilst on a walk with Charlie Leventon in February 2014.  A grassed path leads from the col to the attractive rocky summit, and although steep it is no more than a head down and a bead of sweat on brow ascent.

Lou - ready for all eventualities

As I followed Lou up the rubbled path I smiled as she stopped and expressed concern that there may be snakes in the heather, between my smiles I encouraged her onward.

Looking out for snakes

The summit was soon reached and we stayed on top for ten minutes or so admiring the view, away to the north-east the distinct profiles of Caer Caradoc Hill and The Lawley bulged up from the greenness of the valley below, their profiles led the eye toward the distant Wrekin, which is an outlier of the Shropshire hills.

Lou at the summit of Burway Hill

The view north with Caer Caradoc, The Lawley and The Wrekin

As we descended we looked beyond Pole Bank where he sky was massing grey, its darkened colour foretelling heavy rain, and yet on the Long Mynd the walkers, picnickers and cyclists were out, bathed in sunshine.

The descent proved fun; thankfully we didn’t encounter any snakes and made it down to the car in one piece.  Our drive continued eastward toward the Stiperstones where the rain seemed embedded for the remainder of the afternoon, looking back the upper part of the Long Mynd was now cloaked in grey cloud and decidedly wet, we’d timed our visit well.

Survey Result:

Burway Hill (significant name change)

Summit Height:  402.8m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 44061 94220 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  372.9m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43980 94263 (LIDAR)

Drop:  29.85m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  7.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

For details on the survey of Burway Hill

For details on the 3rd visit to Burway Hill

For further details please consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

19.02.14  Burway Hill (SO 440 942), Yearlet (SO 436 935), Pole Bank (SO 415 944), Grindle (SO 430 926) and Callow (SO 431 919)

Callow (SO 431 919)

What an absolutely wonderful day!  For many years I’d wanted to investigate the hills of the Long Mynd and especially their eastern ridges.  The OS map portrays a land of deep carved steam valleys with steep sided rounded hills rising to a relatively flat topped plateaux.  It was these eastern ridges I wanted to visit and the opportunity to do so presented itself when Charlie Leventon suggested a number of alternative routes we could do on the first available fine weather day.

Charlie Leventon on the way from Grindle (SO 430 926) toward Callow (SO 431 919)

We met in Little Stretton next to a bin at a junction of lanes (SO 441 919) where two or three cars can be squeezed to the edge of the road.  We then drove through Church Stretton and gained height above the Carding Mill Valley and made our way up to a pull in spot (SO 439 942) beside the col of Burway Hill.

The forecast for the day was good with sun breaking through high cloud cover in the afternoon.  As we left the car to investigate the col there was a slight breeze with freshness in the morning’s air.  The position of the critical col was easy to find as it was one of two places, each a few metres apart, we looked, judged, decided, and walked to the same spot.  Ten minutes of data later and we were heading up to the summit of Burway Hill (SO 440 942). 

This is a hill that Aled had prioritised for a Trimble survey and it was also a hill that Charlie was interested in, as the OS enlarged Geograph map gives a 373m spot height on the high road adjacent to where one would imagine the critical col to be placed and a 402m spot height on the summit.  Could Burway Hill be a new ‘Four’ with 30m of drop or with its current 29m of drop could it be deleted from the Sub-Fours in to the ranks of Double Sub-Fours as its absolute height is below 400m?

Burway Hill (SO 440 942)

From the aspect of the col the hill is pyramidal as it rises up to a pointed summit, its southern side plunges down to the Townbrook Valley, and with small crags and a rock outcrop at its upper section it is an excellent little hill.

We debated which of two possibilities was the highest, each only an inch or so different in height, once the Trimble had been balanced on our favoured chose and wedged in place with a few small rocks we wandered down the eastern side of the hill to look down its continuing ridge.  Once 11 minutes of data had been safely stored we descended to the car and drove a little way up the road to park in a better spot.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the summit of Burway Hill

We then followed a contouring green path around the upper part of the Townbrook Valley that brought us to the col area of Yearlet (SO 436 935).  We took data at two points at the col and then headed up to the summit.  The hill has a steep graduated profile reminiscent of some Howgill fells in the Yorkshire Dales.

The summit of Yearlet (SO 436 935)

Charlie then led the way on another good path toward the high point of the Long Mynd; Pole Bank (SO 415 944).  This was the only hill of the Long Mynd that I had visited, the first time I have no recollection beyond the knowledge that I did visit, and the second time was with Bob Kerr in July 2012.  The summit has a trig pillar and a panoramic viewfinder; we again judged the ground for the high point and gathered another ten minutes of data.  During this time we struck up conversation with two couples, one about Munros and the other about the height of the hill.

At the summit of Pole Bank, the highest point of the Long Mynd (SO 415 944)

To the north-west was the Stiperstones, a dark jagged profile of rock outcrops and away to the south-west beyond Heath Mynd were ominous rain showers, quite distinct with lighter hued grey verging on white and spreading up valleys either side of dark low hills.  The wind direction came from these showers and unless steadfast in their current position they would soon inch their way toward us.

Leaving the summit of Pole Bank we passed cars on the high road that goes over the Long Mynd and thought about a lunch stop at Pole Cottage, which is no more than a dilapidated hut.  We decided to press on in the hope that if the rain did head our way we would at least have our back to it as we headed south-east past Round Hill toward the col of Grindle.

At this stage sustenance was needed, and as the Trimble gathered data at two points on the col, we settled down for sandwiches and chat next to the ancient Cross Dyke that passes over the hill.

Lunch break on the Cross Dyke at the col of Grindle

Charlie had told me that Grindle is his favourite Long Mynd hill as it has few visitors, the main paths of the ridge it stands on bi-pass its heathery summit, leaving it for the investigative by nature and the hill bagger.  The high point was chosen by Charlie and I proceeded to do a little gardening and cleared the area of heather.  During our time between Pole Bank and Grindle the sky had threatened rain but thankfully none had materialised and as the Trimble gathered its data the sun quickly broke through the cloud and illuminated colour started to appear.  Charlie then found an Ordnance Survey metal stud placed near to the summit cairn.  An opportunity to take data at this point with the Trimble could not be missed and by the time it was set up for more data gathering the sun was out and colour was bouncing out of the land.

The Trimble positioned on the OS metal stud beside the cairn on the summit of Grindle

Sometimes words are not enough to describe scenes of beauty, so hopefully the following images will do justice to the half hour of luxuriant colour we experienced whilst near the summit of Grindle.

The summit of Yearlet

The Trimble positioned on the OS metal stud beside the cairn on the summit of Grindle with Yearlet in the background

The Wrekin, The Lawley and Caer Caradoc

Looking down on Church Stretton

Charlie admiring the light on Yearlet

Looking down on the summit of Callow

Our last hill of the day was Callow (SO 431 919) and as we made our way around the top of Small Batch we stood and looked out on delicate subdued greens as the sun sank lower in the sky, casting lengthy blacks and greys on the landscape.  The half hour on Grindle and the walk to the col of Callow was quite magical.  But these moments do not last as the play of sun and cloud only give enhanced colour for limited periods and as the Trimble gathered more data at the col the magical element of the colour disappeared and the winter stillness returned.

The summit of Callow has a small cairn and high ground about 25 metres from it, we gathered data at these two points and left the hills of the Long Mynd, descending eastward down to the awaiting car in Little Stretton.  What a wonderful day!

The Trimble beside the small cairn on the summit of Callow

Charlie documents his walks on his Summitsup blog, please visit and enjoy his beautiful images. 

LIDAR image of Yearlet (SO 436 935)

Postscript:

Since the survey of these hills full LIDAR coverage is now available.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height and positional data that is now freely available for England and Wales.  Consequently the numerical details for these hills have been analysed using this technique, resulting in the LIDAR height and position for some of these hills being prioritised over that produced by the Trimble GeoXH 6000.

Survey Result:

Burway Hill (significant name change)

Summit Height:  402.8m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 44061 94220 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  372.9m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43980 94263 (LIDAR)

Drop:  29.85m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  7.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Yearlet

Summit Height:  466.1m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 43644 93518 (LIDAR)

Col Height:  413.7m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43412 93672 (LIDAR)

Drop:  52.5m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  11.25% (LIDAR)

Pole Bank

Summit Height:  516.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 41517 94440 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  324.1m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 40094 99560 (LIDAR)

Drop:  192.5m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  37.26% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Grindle

Summit Height:  460.5m (LIDAR) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 43009 92663 (LIDAR)

Col Height:  406.6m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 42581 92764 (LIDAR)

Drop:  53.9m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  11.71% (LIDAR)

Callow

Summit Height:  412.3m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 43113 91917

Col Height:  369.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 43050 92161

Drop:  43.2m 

Dominance:  10.47%

For details on the 2nd visit to Burway Hill

For details on the 3rd visit to Burway Hill

For further details please consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet click {here}