Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Y Berwyn

26.01.18  Ffridd (SJ 038 121) and Mynydd Bach (SJ 051 123)

Mynydd Bach (SJ 051 123)

Dolanog is similar to many small communities in Wales as a quiet peacefulness pervades its realm, with this peaceful tranquillity also edging to the tops above the hamlet, which is nestled beside the Afon Efyrnwy (River Vyrnwy).  Today the river gushed eastward with grey waters, with this seemingly the only thing that stirred in Dolanog.

Dolanog

I hadn’t been out on the hill with Charlie for nine months and it was good to see him again, the hills we planned on visiting were ones that he had investigated a few weeks ago and having enjoyed them he wasn’t averse to re-visiting.

Having parked and walked across the old bridge we followed the paved road heading west which soon turned in to a vehicle track beside fields recently planted with trees, these new plantations continued on the northern side of the road and track all the way from the valley below toward the higher tops above.

The route to the hills

There was a slight freshness in the air with blue skies predominating above; both were welcome as the preceding days had been damp and grey.  The track avoids the first hill skirting it on its southern side, and heads toward the connecting bwlch between the two hills; here we heard a tractor chugging up from the south, smiling at Charlie I ran off to stop it.  Its occupant; Trefor Jones, farms from Maescelynog and it was his hill that we had just passed and which we planned on visiting after the higher westerly summit had been surveyed.  Trefor told us that the hill is named Mynydd Bach, with it being purchased from Neuadd-wen a number of years ago.  After thanking him for his time we carried on following the track toward Ffridd; the first and highest hill of the day.

Trefor Jones

The track led round the northerly part of the upper section of Ffridd and so we left it to walk to the summit, which is marked by a small, old cairn.  I set the Trimble on top of my rucksack, measured the offset between its internal antenna and the highest part of the hill and once the 0.1m accuracy level had been attained, pressed ‘Log’ and joined Charlie a few metres away.  During the five minute data collection we stood and admired the late morning’s light as sun and greying cloud added atmosphere to the scene.

Gathering data at the summit of Ffridd

As the Ordnance Survey Interactive Coverage Map hosted on the Geograph website gives a second top as 1m lower than the cairned summit, we headed over to it once the Trimble had gathered its allotted five minutes of data.

Gathering data at the 328m map heighted lower summit of Ffridd

Although this second top didn’t have the sweeping westerly views of the cairned summit it was crowned by an attractive small rock outcrop and as the Trimble quietly beeped away gathering its data, Charlie headed off to investigate the southerly outlying top which we both concluded was lower than where the Trimble was presently gathering its data.

Charlie admiring the view to the west

The 330.6m cairned summit of Ffridd from the 328.5m rock outcrop summit

Once the Trimble was packed away I joined Charlie and we then headed toward the inward vehicle track back toward the connecting bwlch between the two hills.  We’d assessed this from the track on our inward route and its southerly part was decidedly watery, enough so that even with wellies it would be a treacherous undertaking attempting to gather data from its depths, thankfully the ground slowly rose to the north and we followed the minor paved road that heads over this bwlch from south to north, to where dryer ground existed indicating that this was the higher part of the area of the bwlch. 

Looking east from the hills above Dolanog

With the Breiddin beyond

I took two data sets at this bwlch, both from its northern periphery, one amongst rough grass beside its bog and the other on the edge of the minor road, once data were stored we continued toward the summit of Mynydd Bach.

Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Mynydd Bach

As we ascended over closely cropped grass toward the summit of Mynydd Bach I occasionally turned around and looked back at the expanse of bog that makes up the connecting bwlch and even though eyesight alone is not ideal for judging either height difference or the upward / downward lay of land, the upward motion of this bwlch headed northward toward where the Trimble had been placed.

Thankfully the summit of Mynydd Bach is easily found as rising ground leads to a small embedded rock whose uppermost part just breaks the soil and grass, and with the area of the summit having no other discernible bump I aligned the Trimble with the highest part of the small rock and waited for the allotted five minute data set to be gathered.

Gathering data at the summit of Mynydd Bach

Before re-joining the vehicle track we headed further east to the end part of the upper ridge of Mynydd Bach, by now the predicted cloud build up had materialised and the sunlight that had given us striking colour had dulled.  The vehicle track led on to the upper part of paved road which took us down toward the Afon Efyrnwy and the car park in Dolanog.

   

Survey Result:

Ffridd

Summit Height:  330.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 03897 12140 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  c 253m (interpolation)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 03041 12323 (interpolation)

Drop:  c 78m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated bwlch)

Dominance:  23.48% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and interpolated bwlch)

Mynydd Bach (significant name change)

Summit Height:  324.9m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 05100 12325

Bwlch Height:  296.4m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SJ 04661 12268

Drop:  28.5m

Dominance:  8.79%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – The Wrekin

03.08.15  The Wrekin (SJ 628 081)  

The Wrekin (SJ 628 081)

The Wrekin stands dominantly above the fertile flatlands of the Shropshire Plain with its distinctive profile on view from miles around.  It is a hill that I’ve travelled past on many an occasion and also looked out toward from countless Welsh summits, but up until today I had never visited.  The opportunity to do so was suggested by Charlie Leventon who is fast becoming my personal Shropshire hill guide.  Charlie knows these hills extremely well and suggested a circular walk taking in the hill’s north-eastern and south-western ridge.

We met at Charlie’s house in Shrewsbury and drove to the south-western end of The Wrekin where we found a number of minor roads closed due to road work.  This scuppered us using the normal ascent route that Charlie prefers, however all was not lost and within a few minutes we were parked beside a gate giving access into part of the extensive forestry that dominates the surrounding land of The Wrekin.

The initial part of the walk was on a freshly made forest track past conifer plantation, this soon joined one of the many earthen paths that criss-cross the forestry, by now the tree cover was mixed with deciduous greens adding complexity to the regimented conifers previously walked past.

On the new forest track on the lower part of the hill

This part of the hill is on the lands of the Raby Estate with our route on a mixture of public and permissive waymarked paths.  Our forest walk headed around the eastern side of The Wrekin toward a path that joined the hill’s north-eastern ridge.  This route is the favoured ascent for many thousands of people as it has a large parking area and ease of access onto the hill’s lower slopes.  By the time we joined this ridge the tranquil surrounds of the eastern path had been replaced with a horde of people slowly making their way up one of Shropshire’s most distinctive and popular hills.

The forest track joined a path which then joins the main northerly route to the summit

As we continued up the ridge the path widened and beyond the trees we had glimpses of expansive views down onto the Shropshire Plain and farther afield to the mid Walian hills and the hills of south Shropshire.  The summit area of The Wrekin has a large TV mast on it which caused local controversy when first planned; this can be seen from afar and was on full show as we neared the summit.

Charlie on the upper section of the hill

Approaching the upper section of the hill we met a friend of Charlie’s; Philip Steer, who is 81½ years young.  This is an apt description for Phil as he chatted away with anecdote after anecdote; he’s still going strong around the hills having recently completed another strenuous test on the 50 mile Longmynd Hike to bring his total up to around 20 completions.  Phil was a competitor in Shropshire hill races well into his 70’s and set the over 60’s record at the Little Stretton to Stiperstones Time Trial in 1995.

The irrepressible Phil Steer

As we waved our goodbyes to Phil we continued up toward the summit passing through the ancient Heaven Gate, which is the northern gateway to the old ring fort that once stood upon the hill.  Beyond was a narrow path that led through fern and a small copse of trees to the northern summit of The Wrekin.  This position is seldom visited as the throngs of walkers usually head for the trig pillar and panoramic viewfinder about 100 metres further south.  However, its high point vies for being the summit of the hill and we hoped by Trimbling both that the summit of The Wrekin would finally be determined.

An artist's impression of the hill fort atop The Wrekin

Charlie found the spot for Trimble placement and as it gathered data we sat and ate a sandwich and chatted as a procession of walkers headed toward the trig pillar.  By now I was a little concerned as to how I should hold back this continuous horde from the surrounds of the trig when the Trimble was gathering data beside it.

Once five minutes of data were collected from the northern top we walked to the trig and assessed the lay of land from a number of directions.  The trig pillar atop The Wrekin now sits in a slight depression with the land immediately beside it forming a small bowl as it encircles it.  On one side a plastic mesh matting had been laid to protect the land, this had grass growing under it as its highest point, we judged this to also be the highest ground beside the trig.

Gathering data from the northerly summit of The Wrekin

As I placed the Trimble down on this high point I stood back and watched as a number of people and their dogs wandered upto the trig to admire the view and to take photos, this procession continued for a number of minutes until there seemed to be a lull in activity which coincided with the Trimble achieving its 0.1m accuracy before data can be logged, I quickly pressed ‘Log’ and stood back and asked one or two people if they wouldn’t mind also standing back from the equipment.  A number were interested in what I was doing and as I explained the fineries of hill surveying and the whatnot of satellite signals and data collection Charlie was contentedly exploring a rock outcrop to the east, out of view of the goings on beside the trig.

Gathering data on the high ground beside the trig pillar

Charlie on the rock outcrop on the eastern side of the hill

Thankfully only a dozen or so people approached the trig area when the Trimble was gathering its data, all kindly refrained from getting too close when I explained what I was doing.  Once five minutes of data were collected I quickly closed the equipment down, took some photographs and with relief I packed it away, thanked some of the people for their patience and joined Charlie for our descent of the hill’s south-western ridge.

The Trimble on the high ground beside the trig pillar with the northerly summit in the background

As we walked over the southern part of the upper section of The Wrekin, Charlie showed me the Needles Eye, which is a small but impressive rock structure split away from the sides of a larger rock outcrop.  The summit area of The Wrekin is quite expansive and pleasing to the eye with a number of rock outcrops and with extensive views in all directions.

The Needles Eye with the hills above Church Stretton in the background

Looking back toward the summit area of The Wrekin

Our descent down the south-western ridge proved rather steep and somewhat unrelenting.  However, it was also rather beautiful as the slight breeze blew through the trees and the tranquillity of the hill returned.

Charlie on the descent

The path led us over the small bump and aptly named Little Hill which is a spur on the lower section of the ridge; we walked over the route of our inward track and continued to descend to where Charlie normally parks when visiting this hill.  By now the forested trees were behind us and all that remained was a five minute walk back to the awaiting car on quiet and undisturbed Shropshire lanes.

Survey Result:

The Wrekin

Summit Height:  406.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 62832 08197 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) (summit relocation)

Col Height:  96.6m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SJ 81328 21173 (LIDAR)

Drop:  310.2m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  76.25% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

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

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

21.04.15  Caus Castle (SJ 337 077)      

Caus Castle (SJ 337 077)

Nestled in the green Shropshire countryside are some of the best hills of border country, many are steep sided and concentrated around the Long Mynd and Stiperstones area, others are seldom visited and almost hidden from view and knowledge.  Today’s wee expedition visited one of these hidden little gems.  It was a hill suggested by Charlie who had arranged access.  I’d never heard of Caus Castle, but Charlie re-assured me that it would be full of interest, and so it proved.

We met mid-way between Shrewsbury and Welshpool and drove one car to where the critical col of the hill lay, this we would explore after visiting the hill.  Conditions were perfect for exploring with a big blue sky and unusual warmth for mid-April.  Just as we pulled up the sheep from an adjacent field were being rounded up and led down the lane.  We set off over a gate with the heat haze obstructing any distant view; it was similar to a day in mid-June rather than one in spring.

Rounding up the sheep

Ahead lay our hill, from our approaching vantage point it was no more than a copse of mature trees perched at the top of a field.  Soon we gained the boundary of the trees and entered a totally different landscape, one full of earthen ditches; ancient mounds of earth with the highest being impressively steep sided.

The view of Caus Castle from the narrow lane to its west

The tranquil beauty was enriched by dabbled light as the canopy of trees and their sprouting fresh green leaves accentuated light and shade.  Small banks of primroses and violets added warm colour against the green of grass with a multitude of tall, mature trees adding vertical height.

Beautiful colour of the Violet

Primrose yellow against wooded undergrowth

Behind these trees lay a huge mound of earth, we wondered if this mound was man-made as its gradient was similarly steep on all sides.  As we approached it the trees gave way for a distant view of the Stiperstones and the Shropshire countryside.

Distant view of the Stiperstones

We had both read an account by Rob Woodall that the westerly point of this hill is the higher; with the Ordnance Survey spot heighting a point further east.  Charlie led the way to the summit up an earthen sided bank next to wooded undergrowth.  As we arrived at the top the remains of a stone wall confronted us, we’d seen one or two similar remains lower in the wood, but this was particularly unusual perched as it was at the summit.

Our first view of the summit

The natural high point was easy to identify and I balanced the Trimble on a small rock to align the internal antenna with another small embedded rock, the waiting process began as the whole area was enclosed by trees; thankfully spring growth had not yet turned to a summer canopy when satellite coverage would be next to impossible.  However, even today the wait went on and on, after around 20 minutes the magical figure of 0.1m appeared on the Trimble’s screen and I pressed ‘Log’ and scampered off to re-join Charlie on the other side of the wall.

At the summit of Caus Castle

Gathering data at the summit of Caus Castle

Once five minutes of data were collected we headed over to the spot heighted summit and found an old well on the way.  Charlie had read about this and wanted to find it; it shot downward and was fenced off, with the sides of the well built up with slate.

Beyond the well lay the other summit, this proved a slender affair, one positioned under another dabbled canopy.  As we stood on this top we tried looking back to the point that had been Trimbled, although the tree coverage did not give us a clear view we agreed that Rob had been correct and the more westerly top was obviously higher.

The summit where the 223m Ordnance Survey spot height appears

Charlie at the top of the spot heighted summit

As we made our way down into the centre of the wood the higher earthen mound rose up, grey silhouetted and slightly mysterious, I thought it looked like an upturned jelly mould as its steep gradient was symmetrical.

The higher summit looking grey and mysterious through the wooded canopy

Symmetrical in shape the summit of Caus Castle looms over its surroundings

Circling these earthen mounds are a series of ancient embankments, there are a number that are obvious within the wood, whilst others existed in the adjacent field, but these are now slight and sometimes hard to distinguish.  These banks and their ditches gave a perfect enclosure to the wood, which sprang up with mature trees and bird song.

Part of the earthen embankment and ditch

Charlie on one of the embankments

The earthen mound which supports the high point of the hill is part of a later Motte and Bailey, a supplanted addition on a much earlier construction.  However, periods of architectural time in such a place does not detract from the overall beauty and one fortified construction next to another enhanced the landscape.

One of the embankments with the high point of Caus Castle towering over it on the left of photo

We walked part of one of the embankments and had now circled the compound as we headed back toward the car.  Once out of the wood the dabbled, gentle light gave way to the full strength of the sun.  Soon we had climbed the inward gate and walked past the car to look at a track that crosses the critical col of the hill.  This track rose at its high point above the surrounding ground which seemed to have been dug out for its construction.  On one side was a hedge where the height of the track plunged down to the bottom of the hedge, all of this meant pinpointing the position of the critical col was unexpectedly difficult.  Once a spot had been picked it had the customary five minutes of data gathered from it before I joined Charlie at the car.

Charlie at the col of Caus Castle

Gathering data at the col of Caus Castle

What a great little hill and a very enjoyable afternoon spent in the company of Charlie Leventon.

LIDAR image of Caus Castle (SJ 337 077)

Postscript:

Since the survey of this hill 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 this hill has been analysed using this technique, resulting in the LIDAR summit height being prioritised over that produced by the Trimble GeoXH 6000.

Survey Result:

Caus Castle

Summit Height:  232.1m (LIDAR) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 33713 07792 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) (summit relocation)

Col Height:  180.4m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Grid Reference:  SJ 33384 07622 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Drop:  51.7m (LIDAR summit and Trimble GeoXH 6000 col)  

Dominance:  22.27% (LIDAR summit and Trimble GeoXH 6000 col)

 

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

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Stiperstones

25.03.15  Caer Caradoc (SO 477 953) and The Lawley (SO 494 974)   

The Lawley (SO 494 974)

Caer Caradoc stands steeply sided overlooking the fertile Shropshire plain with the town of Church Stretton expanding across the valley as it butts up against the sides of the Long Mynd.  This part of the valley is known as the Stretton Gap and the hills that rise on the east are aligned north-east – south-west and form a line of similarly shaped hills from Ragleth Hill in the south all the way to The Wrekin in the north.

I’d wanted to re-visit Caer Caradoc for a number of years as my only previous visit was in 1988 and my memories were of a hill that was steep from all sides and gave expansive views.  The opportunity to re-visit presented itself as the weather forecast was good with breaking cloud in the afternoon and a day without rain, which was then predicted to sweep in from the west over the next four days.

Visiting Caer Caradoc had been previously planned with Charlie Leventon who has extensive knowledge of the Shropshire hills, we decided on a two car walk and to also take in The Lawley which is another finely shaped hill and a natural extensive from Caer Caradoc.

As we set off from the high point of the B4371 between Church Stretton and the hamlet of Hope Bowdler a group of about 20 walkers were heading up Hope Bowdler Hill, which is another Four I hope to visit with Charlie later in the year.  We soon joined a good path as it gained height and made its way to the east of the wooded top of Helmeth Hill, ahead lay Caer Caradoc with its small rock outcrops prominent on the horizon.

Caer Caradoc from the path to the east of Helmeth Hill

We chose a slanting path up the hill’s eastern face; the alternative tackles this face straight on and looked a little steep for a late morning’s enjoyment.  Once on the upper ridge on the hill the view’s opened up with Church Stretton nestled in the valley below and the extended bulk of the Long Mynd dominating the western view.

Charlie on the lower section of Caer Cardaoc

The upper section of Caer Caradoc has impressive earthen ramparts and this is where the hill gets its name from; Caradog’s fort being named after Caractacus, who according to local legend made his last stand on this hill against the Roman legion’s during the Roman conquest of Britain.

Looking past the earthen ramparts to The Lawley

The summit of the hill is crowned by a small rock outcrop, as I set the Trimble up with its front and rear end straddling a gap and delicately balanced with its internal antenna aligned to the highest part of rock, Charlie admired the view and then walked part of the ramparts as the Trimble gathered its allotted five minutes of data.

Gathering data at the summit of Caer Caradoc

Charlie walking part of the ramparts

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the summit of Caer Caradoc with the Long Mynd in the background

We had a butty break after the Trimble was packed away and chatted, by now the temperature was fluctuating from being slightly chilly as cloud shielded the sun to being pleasant when in sunshine, by the time we were ready to move the cloud had increased and it was time to get warm again with a steep descent of the hill’s northern ridge.  This ridge led down to a few houses at Cromley and gave excellent views of The Lawley.

By now we had walked out from underneath the cloud cover and the sun seemed to blaze down, although the last few walks I’d done had been in the first warmth of spring, today the ascent of The Lawley proved the first time this year when the sun’s strength proved a little too warm for the gear I was wearing, I sweated and toiled as we slowly walked up the hill’s southern ridge.  One false top led to another as Charlie told me of his fell running days when he had run around the base of this hill from north to south and then over its summit and down again in about 27 minutes, I chuckled at this and remembered the day’s when my speed around the hills was a little quicker than my now steady plod.

Approaching the summit of The Lawley

The summit of The Lawley is crowned by rock and has the remains of the base of a trig pillar on it as well as an attractive weather cock; this rises to the sky perched on top of what looked like an old telegraph pole. 

The weathercock atop The Lawley

As the Trimble gathered its data we sat on the steeply angled western side of the hill and looked out toward the far off Berwyn, whose rounded and distinct elongated ridge could easily be picked out to the west.

Gathering data at the summit of The Lawley

As the five minutes of allocated data collection neared its end I walked up to the Trimble to switch it off and found a multitude of small spiders clambering over it, all attracted to its bright yellow façade, I showed them to Charlie and then blew them off back into the grass.

The bright yellow colour of the Trimble attracted a swarm of small spiders

The north-eastern ridge of The Lawley with The Wrekin in the background

All that remained was the walk down the hill’s north-eastern ridge back to where my car waited, it had been another excellent walk and it was great to be out with Charlie who I hadn’t seen since our walk over part of the Long Mynd in February of last year.

LIDAR image of The Lawley (SO 494 974)

Postscript: 

Since the survey of these hills LIDAR has become 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 each col being used. 

Survey Result:

Caer Caradoc (significant name change)

Summit Height:  459.5m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 47745 95390 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Col Height:  185.3m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 45734 93768 (LIDAR)

Drop:  274.2m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  59.67% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

The Lawley

Summit Height:  377.0m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 49469 97493 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  268.0m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SO 49663 96280 (LIDAR)

Drop:  109.0m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  28.92% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

For details of the 2nd visit to Caer Caradoc

For details of the col survey of Caer Caradoc

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