Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Pellennig - The Remotest Hills of Wales and Yr Uchafion

Bwa’r Llyn (SN 798 214)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Pellennig - The Remotest Hills of Wales and the Yr Uchafion, with the following details relating to a hill that was surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the 14^th April 2014.

The criteria for the two listings that this name change affects are:

Y Pellennig –The Remotest Hills of Wales comprise all Welsh hills whose summit is 2.5km or more from the nearest paved public road and which have a minimum 15m of drop.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams.

Yr Uchafion - All Welsh hills at or above 500m in height that have 15m minimum drop.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams. 

The hill is situated in the Y Mynydd Du, which is a range of hills forming the western part of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) in south Wales, and is relatively remote for a Welsh hill with the nearest towns being Ystradgynlais to the south and Llanymddwfri (Landovery) to the north.

Bwa'r Llyn (SN 798 214)

The hill first made an appearance in a hill list in the late 1920’s when Arthur St George Walsh listed it as Bannau Sir Gaer, and it was also included by Ted Moss under the name of Banau Sir Gaer Point W in The Two-Thousands of Wales which was published in the 1940 Rucksack Club Journal.

Unfortunately these early listings are now almost forgotten, but their use of 50ft, either as a prominence value or as a single ring contour, has been used in more recent times in its 15m whole numbered metric equivalent, one example being by John and Anne Nuttall within their guide to The Mountains of England and Wales Volume 1 Wales.  However, this hill was not included in their first edition to the Welsh mountains and was only later included due to details sent them after a rudimentary survey of the hill had taken place.

This hill’s prominence was surveyed using a rudimentary staff five times over four visits, with the details forwarded to John and Anne Nuttall who subsequently surveyed the hill using their own rudimentary method.  Importantly the details of the surveys were sent to John and Anne under the hill name of Waun Lefrith, which is the name that appears closest to this hill’s summit on contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger maps.

This hill’s inclusion as a Nuttall was confirmed via a letter and it made its appearance under the name of Waun Lefrith in the 2^nd Edition of their guide which was published in 1999.

Hill list authors are prone to list a hill by the name that appears nearest to its summit on Ordnance Survey maps, without much consideration for its local or historical confirmation.  However, place-name data can be improved by asking local people and examining historical documents and since this hill’s inclusion as a Nuttall extensive place-name research has taken place for this hill range, and the subsequent details are included in the Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills of Wales list. 

The name used for this hill in Y Pellennig – The Remotest Hills of Wales (Europeaklist, Haroldstreet, v-g.me and Mapping Mountains 2015) is Bwa’r Llyn.  This name is based on local enquiry and historical Ordnance Survey maps.

   

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Y Mynydd Du

Name:  Bwa’r Llyn

Previously Listed Name:  Waun Lefrith 

Summit Height:  676.2m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

OS 1:50,000 map:  160

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 79820 21451 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

 

Drop:  16.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

For details on the survey of Bwa’r Llyn

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (June 2016)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Y Mynydd Du

14.04.14  Bwa'r Llyn (SN 798 214), Picws Du (SN 811 218), Fan Brycheiniog (SN 824 220) and Fan Hir (SN 830 209)

Fan Brycheiniog (SN 824 220) and Picws Du (SN 811 218)

What stunning hills we visited today!  I first ventured south to the delights of Y Mynydd Du in July 1989; I’ve visited many times since, but not to the higher hills since March 2003.  I’ve rather neglected the beauty of these hills over the last few years.

It was another celebratory day as it was Ed’s first hill walk since taking early retirement.  We discussed the possibilities yesterday with a number of hills mentioned, but with a forecast of fine weather we decided upon a two hour drive south to the tranquil realms of the south Wales old red sandstone giants.

There is now a gravelled car park at the end of the track at SN 799 238, from here we walked up the continuation of the track as it makes its way toward a small fish farm marked as Filter Beds on the OS 1:25,000 map.  There was a slight chill in the breeze and the forecast blue skies had not yet materialised.  But these soon developed as we joined the path that leaves the track and heads west above Llyn y Fan Fach.

The first hill we visited was Bwa'r Llyn at SN 798 214 which is named in the Nuttalls list as Waun Lefrith.  This was one of the new entries to their list of Welsh 2,000ft mountains as it was surveyed using a basic levelling technique and found to have the required 15m of rise to enter the list.

The path up to this summit is a good gradient and gives ever expansive views down on to the lake and the sublime beauty of the sandstone cliffs.  Usually etched in their greens and reds when the sun is out, with darkened shadows accentuating their rippled effect; this view never disappoints.

We passed many large hessian bags full of gravel for path repairs; it wasn’t the only repair to the path we came across during the days walk.  We rested at the summit after testing our powers of observation with trying to determine which blade of grass is the highest; we then rested at the bwlch with two quad bikes appearing over the horizon with local farmers driving the sheep on to more fertile pasture.

The last uphill toward the first summit of the day, past sacks of gravel, presumably for use in path repair

Ed beside the summit cairn on top of Bwa'r Llyn

Sheep gathering on Y Mynydd Du

The continuation on the escarpment edge from here toward the remaining summits of the day is one of my favourite stretches of hill country in the whole of Wales as the going underfoot is good and views even better.  To our left the ground plunged downward toward the expanse of Llyn y Fan Fach with the great cirque of cliff framing the lake.

Looking back toward our inward route with Llyn y Fan Fach nestling below

The second summit of the day was Picws Du which is part of the collective Bannau Sir Gaer.  We both had a good look at the cairn as we tried to establish the highest point.  The ground below the central rocks seemed the highest, but it is probably made up of the detritus of the cairn so I opted for a small embedded rock beside the cairn and gathered 11 minutes of data.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Picws Du

One or two people visited the summit as the Trimble gathered data, including the remarkable Brian Cooper, who was on a 20 mile wander around the hills, having done 26 miles yesterday and 24 miles the previous day, and no doubt more tomorrow.

The remarkable Brian Cooper who walks 4,500 miles per year and said 'The longest spell without a good walk I've had since 2006 is three days, and that was when my wife died, for her funeral'.

By now the sun was out and shone brightly down upon a land of bleached hill grass, not yet luxuriantly green.  The eastward route down to Bwlch Blaen Twrch passed a number of staked out hurdles, all running parallel down the hillside toward the bwlch.  All regimentally put in place to discourage walkers from using the slightly eroded path.  I suppose erosion management is an important factor is such a fragile environment, but we both thought the wooden barricades to be a little over the top.

Keep off the path!

More data was collected at the bwlch before we contoured around the south-western bulk of Fan Brycheiniog, the going was pathless and a little rough in places, but not uncomfortably so.  Our next stop was at Bwlch Giedd, the connecting bwlch between this ranges high point and that of Fan Hir.  By now Ed was well and truly in relaxing mode and as the Trimble gathered its data he flopped out in the sun.

Picws Du (SN 811 218)

The same happened on the summit of Fan Hir, this proved relatively easy to identify, and as another ten minutes of data was collected Ed took full advantage and lay out on the summit soaking up the sun and the prospect of stress free life outside the confines of the work ethic.

Fan Hir (SN 830 209)

We retraced our steps to Bwlch Giedd and continued north-west up to the high point of the day, not the summit that I’d visited many times before, which is the land beside the trig pillar at SN 825 217, but the relatively newly crowned high point of Y Mynydd Du, which is at Tŵr y Fan Foel at SN 824 220.  The high point was established by using a level and staff in 2011 by the DoBIH team whilst on their first annual meet.  The trig position and that of Tŵr y Fan Foel are both given the height of 802m on Ordnance Survey maps.

Looking toward the trig atop Fan Brycheiniog with the hill's high point; Tŵr y Fan Foel, in the background

The Trimble was placed on the highest bit of grass beside the summit cairn and as 12 minutes of data was gathered we relaxed and looked at the map.  We had a couple of options for our descent and decided on the northern route directly down from the 781m Fan Foel at SN 821 223.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at Tŵr y Fan Foel

Tŵr y Fan Foel (SN 824 220)

As height was lost we picked up sheep paths amongst the land that led down toward the car.  During the last few minutes we could look to our left at the majestic sweep of Y Mynydd Du, a truly wonderful place.


For those contemplating early retirement I think Ed can recommend it:

Survey Result:

Bwa'r Llyn (significant name change)

Summit Height:  676.2m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 79820 21451 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  660.2m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 80083 21357 (LIDAR)

Drop:  16.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  2.37%




Picws Du

Summit Height:  749.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 81171 21858

Bwlch Height:  655.9m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 81635 21728

Drop:  93.2m (Subhump status confirmed)

Dominance:  12.44%

Fan Hir

Summit Height:  760.0m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 83090 20921 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  717.0m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 82898 21275 (LIDAR)

Drop:  43.0m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  5.66% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Fan Brycheiniog

Summit Height:  802.7m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 82435 22060 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  378.5m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 87056 19547 (LIDAR)

Drop:  424.2m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  52.84% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

For details on the bwlch survey of Fan Brycheinig

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