23.05.18 Braich Ddu (SH 645 120), Ffridd Uchaf
Cregennan (SH 647 128) and Craig y Merwydd (SH 644 134)
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| Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan (SH 647 128) |
With a continued
forecast for blue skies and warmth, I visited hills adjoined to the western
part of the Cadair Idris range which are positioned above the small community
of Arthog. I thought three hills should
give me my mountain fix, and with a fourth tagged on close to the Arthog Bog I
would no doubt be a happy bunny by the end of the day.
I was walking by 8.00am
having parked my car at a junction of minor paved roads adjacent to a track,
with one leading north toward Arthog, one being the continuation of the road I
had driven on and leading to the farm of Bron-lletty-ifan and the adjacent track
leading south toward my first hill of the day.
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| The track leading toward Braich Ddu |
It was stunningly
beautiful in the early light with hillsides ablaze in green and all beneath an
iridescent blue sky. In the distance the
profile of Pared y Cefn Hir as ever stood out, whilst the great bulk of Tyrau
Mawr shot skyward in a shimmering blue tinged silhouette.
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| Tyrau Mawr |
The track led to the
bwlch connecting Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan with Braich Ddu, with the critical
point being on the gravelled track, and I sat in sunshine happy with life as
the Trimble beeped away collecting its individual datum points.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan |
I’d only visited my next
hill; Braich Ddu once before in February 2000, I decided a direct ascent would
be fun and followed a sheep path upward before crossing to the east side of the
fence that steadily climbs this flank of the hill, in time I popped out on to
leveller ground and regained my breath before continuing to the high point.
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| Watchful sheep |
The summit ridge of
Braich Ddu has now unfortunately been churned up by off-roaders with deep
trenches where grass once grew; it’s a shame to treat a hill in such a way.
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| A sad reflection of the times |
The Mawddach estuary
stretched below with tidal sandbanks meandering amongst blue waters, with Fegla
Fawr and Fegla Fach prominent as wooded landlocked islands.
The summit of Braich Ddu
was easily identified and within a few minutes the Trimble was gathering its
allotted data, once data were stored and the equipment packed away I continued
down the hill’s broad south-westerly ridge to the gravelled track that I had
left an hour or so previously, this swung around the northern section of the
hill and led me back to the bwlch that I had earlier surveyed.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Braich Ddu |
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| Approaching Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan |
Above the bwlch to the
north lay the summit of Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan and a slow plod up the hill led
to its attractive summit, and within a few minutes the Trimble was sitting atop
my rucksack with its internal antenna aligned with the high point of the hill
and a measurement offset noted.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan |
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| The ever present Tyrau Mawr |
My route to the next
hill was back down the inward track to my car, as I started walking up the
continuation of the paved lane toward the next bwlch a quad bike appeared
heading up the Arthog road from the north, I waved and walked back down the
road and once the quad bike had reached me it stopped.
I spoke with Emlyn Lloyd for quite some time and could easily have carried on doing so as he proved a
wonderful person to speak with, full of gently given knowledge and as with so
many farmers who I’ve met over many years, only too willing to impart this
knowledge.
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| Emlyn Lloyd |
The hill I had just surveyed
is a part of Emlyn’s land and is known as Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan, this is the
highest ffridd of Emlym's farm; Cregennan, which is situated further along the
narrow lane to the north. He confirmed
the name of my next hill; Craig y Merwydd, and gave me a name that other
farmers had also given me when I started my place-name research many years ago,
for the higher hill which is named as Braich Ddu on the map.
As I waved goodbye to Emlyn I followed his quad bike up the road to the connecting bwlch with Craig y
Merwydd, the critical point was immediately below the narrow road in what was
once either a stone built house that now lay beside the road in ruin, or an old
sheepfold.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Craig y Merwydd |
The morning was so
becalmed in beauty that I was happily taking ten minute data sets instead of
the customary five, being more than happy to sit in the sun and let my mind
wander to all manner of things and places and listen to those distant and dim
beeps as each datum point was stored, sometimes life can be a simple affair and
this, I think, is one of the joys of the hills as they have capacity to strip
away periphery detail and concentrate one’s mind on the here and now, which for
me this morning involved quiet contemplation.
Just one summit remained
to survey before I headed down to visit a vegetated landlocked island beside
the Arthog Bog, and that summit was Craig y Merwydd.
Craig y Merwydd is a
rocky lump of a hill with two distinct summits and both were Trimbled. Whilst data were gathered I sat below the
high point looking out to sea in a stunningly beautiful land being warmed by
sunshine cast out of a forever blue sky, it felt good to be alive.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Craig y Merwydd |
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| Pared y Cefn Hir |
Once data were stored
and the Trimble closed down and packed away I made my way off the hill and back
to the minor lane to my car and proceeded to drive north toward Arthog and my
last hill of the day; Ynys Gyffylog.
Survey Result:
Braich Ddu
Summit Height: 545.8m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 64536 12066
Bwlch Height: 494m (spot height)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 65371 11430 (spot height)
Drop: 52m
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 65371 11430 (spot height)
Drop: 52m
Dominance: 9.48%
Ffridd Uchaf Cregennan
(significant name change)
Summit Height: 351.9m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 64745 12858
Bwlch Height: 325.0m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 64787 12795
Drop: 26.9m
Dominance: 7.65%
Craig y Merwydd
Summit Height: 295.7m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 64413 13459
Bwlch Height: 261.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 64605 13317
Drop: 34.6m (200m Sub-Twmpau reclassified to 200m Twmpau)
Dominance: 11.70%
