Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Bannau Brycheiniog

21.08.18  Fan y Big (SO 036 206) and Cribyn (SO 023 213)  

Cribyn (SO 023 213)

The news that Fan y Big is no longer classified as a Hewitt seemed to stir the imagination of many in the news media with pieces in The New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, it also received attention from a number of British news outlets including The Times, Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.

BBC Wales interviewed me on their afternoon radio show and asked me to take part in a live broadcast from the foot of the hill which was only pulled at the last moment as a horse had run amok in the Pembroke show and injured a number of people, therefore their outdoor broadcast van was diverted west to cover this story.

It’s always interesting dealing with the media, and they do seem to have a healthy appetite for such things.  However, it is only occasionally that these news events reach the echelons of television, and for Fan y Big this opportunity came when Channel 5 News expressed interest in filming from its summit, and along with a representative from the Brecon Beacons National Park I was invited to be a part of the forthcoming filming.

We met in the car park just south of the Upper Neuadd Reservoir early in the morning, and although the mist was low on the higher summit’s the weather forecast predicted dry conditions and a chance for the mist to lift later in the day.

James Williams represented the Brecon Beacons National Park, and he is their Communications Officer, he met me with a beaming smile and said that he’d already been interviewed on Radio 1 earlier in the morning and they wanted another interview with him from the summit, James had come prepared with a pole and Radio 1 flag and proved completely in tune with this news story and had written a wonderful piece on the National Park’s website about the sad loss of one of their Beacons.

Soon afterward Dominic Reynolds; Channel 5 News Reporter, and Rui Costa; Channel 5 News Cameraman arrived, after introductions and packing of last minute essentials we headed off walking the short distance up the remainder of the tarmacked road to where a gravelled track leads up on to open hillside.

(L-R) Dominic Reynolds - Channel 5 News Reporter, James Williams - Brecon Beacons National Park Communications Officer and Rui Costa - Channel 5 Cameraman

This track leads to the bwlch between Cribyn and Fan y Big and as we gained height it occasionally made an appearance out of the low cloud that stubbornly hung to the higher tops.  We stopped on a couple of occasions for Rui to get footage of us walking past the camera up the track.

Heading toward the connecting bwlch between Fan y Big and Cribyn

I can remember when an experience such as this was new for me, and I still unashamedly enjoy it, for me it’s not the opportunity to appear in front of a camera that enthuses me as I have arranged things like this before and taken a back seat and not appeared, it’s the aspect of trying to enthuse other people about the hills and their weird and wonderful classifications that attracts me, and this when coupled with the challenge of doing so, and dealing with a different medium outside of the usual hill bagging community gives an opportunity to light heartedly talk about the hills and their classifications.

By the time we arrived at the bwlch we were in mist and the prospect for good footage with extended views from the top of Fan y Big did not look good.  However, we pressed on as Dom and Rui were operating under a strict schedule as the footage needed to be edited and sent to London for the 5.00pm news.

On our way up the steep flagged path leading to the summit Dom engaged with a passing walker, his professionalism instantly took hold as he drew Lee Major in to the news about Fan y Big, Lee was one of a number of people who Dom gently brought in to conversation, each in turn would give their view on this hill’s sad demise.

Dominic interviewing Lee Major

When we arrived on the summit there was no extended view and plan B was put in to operation, with this concentrating more on interviews rather than showing the dramatic landscape of the Beacons.

However, as more people arrived on the summit giving Dom and Rui opportunity for more interviews there were signs that the mass of cloud and mist was slowly rising, as the drops from the hill’s north-western slopes were now exposed as they plunged down in to Cwm Cynwyn.

The mist slowly rises

Over the next hour the land was slowly stripped of its cloud and mist veil, this was a slow process and not instantly dramatic in nature, but the outcome was nonetheless stunning, and to be on top of Fan y Big and see this happen was something that will remain with me for a long time.

This now meant that plan A was operational and Dom and Rui went in to organisational mode, with Rui planning what views he wanted to film, where each person should be positioned and how the story about this hill’s sad demise should unfold.

James preparing to be interviewed by Dominic

During this James had numerous calls from Radio 1 and he was an absolute natural, getting instantly in to the spirit of the story, I listened to some of the conversations and laughed and smiled as James described how the National Park had lost one of their Beacons, but it still remained one of the most beautiful places in Wales to visit.

James with his Radio 1 flag

When we arrived at the summit I had set the Trimble up on the high point to gather data, and it was still there beeping away in the background, I had little anticipation for the data set to produce adequate data as many people who visited the summit whilst we were there had approached it and stood beside it, I even sat beside it for a photograph.  

The Trimble produced a remarkable data set considering the obstructions it faced during data collection

Miraculously the data set proved one of the best ever gathered by the Trimble as it produced Estimated Accuracies of 0-5cm: 100.00%, this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a result as the norm is 5-15cm at 100.00%, the result of the day’s survey is in good correlation with the two ten minute data sets previously gathered, these appear below:

1^st ten minute data set:  716.800m

2^nd ten minute data set:  716.676m

55 minute data set:  716.754m

It was soon my turn to be interviewed and I explained what a Hewitt is, who compiled the list (Alan Dawson) and who initially analysed LIDAR data produced by the environment agency (Aled Williams), however the part that made the final edited footage is me owning up to having obsessional tendencies and that I would probably have to change my nationality due to the loss of a Hewitt and Beacon.

(L-R) James, Dominic, Rui and me on the summit of Fan y Big.  Photo: Wouter Georges

It was now time to leave the summit of Fan y Big as Dom and Rui were under a tight schedule and still had much to do if the footage was to reach Channel 5 on time to make the 5.00pm news.

When we reached the connecting bwlch with Cribyn I shook Dom’s, Rui’s and James’ hand and thanked them for a great day on the hill as I wanted to survey the critical bwlch and summit of Cribyn, which until today was the only 2,000ft hill in the Beacons that had not been Trimbled.

As they headed back down the track toward the car park I used the contouring path around the southern bulk of Cribyn which comes out at the bwlch between it and Pen y Fan.  I placed the Trimble close to a small pool at the bwlch and hoped that no one would walk near it as swarms of people were appearing from all directions.  Once five minutes of data were gathered and stored I closed the equipment down, packed it away and looked up at the steepening slope of Cribyn and started my slow plod up toward its summit.

Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Cribyn

Pen y Fan with a darkened profile

The steepening slopes of Cribyn

Behind me, Pen y Fan, as ever, looked majestic with its north-eastern face plunging down to the upper part of Cwm Sere, as I arrived at the summit of Cribyn two couples were leaving, I was now thankfully alone on the summit as asking people to stand away from the Trimble as it gathers data is not something I savour.

Pen y Fan

The high point of Cribyn is easy to identify and consists of rock, I positioned the Trimble with its internal antenna aligned with the highest part of the hill, activated it to gather data and stood away from it.  Five minutes later I closed it down and during this time I only asked one couple if they minded staying where they were for the next few minutes until the Trimble had done its stuff, they kindly obliged.

Gathering data at the summit of Cribyn

The Trimble set-up position at the summit of Cribyn

My route down was via the south-eastern ridge, stopping frequently to admire the views as the great mass of upland suddenly falls away to the north, today it had no dramatic light on it, but still transfixed me as I made progress down to the bwlch where I had waved my goodbye’s to Dom, Rui and James a couple of hours previously.

Cribyn from its south-easterly ridge

I felt tired walking down the track back to my car, it had been a long day as I’d been up before my 4.30am alarm call and I’d been on the hill for over eight hours, but it had also been a good day.

I arrived back home and discovered that Dom and Rui and their colleagues at Channel 5 News had already uploaded their footage to YouTube, it made good viewing and this link will take you there.

Survey Result:

Fan y Big 

 

Summit Height:  716.7m (converted to OSGM15, average of three summit surveys [two on 30.06.18 and the third on 21.08.18]) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 03652 20658

Bwlch Height:  688.2m (converted to OSGM15, previously Trimbled)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 03773 19876

Drop:  28.5m (700m Twmpau reclassified to 700m Sub-Twmpau) (Hewitt deletion) (Simm reclassified to Subsimm)

Dominance:  3.98%

For details on the first survey of Fan y Big

Cribyn

Summit Height:  794.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 02392 21313

Bwlch Height:  666.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 01935 21152

Drop:  128.0m

Dominance:  16.12%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

On Location with Channel 5 News

Introduction:

The news that Fan y Big is no longer classified as a Hewitt seemed to stir the imagination of many in the news media with pieces in The New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, it also received attention from a number of British news outlets including The Times, Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.

BBC Wales interviewed me on their afternoon radio show and asked me to take part in a live broadcast from the foot of the hill, this was only pulled at the last moment as a horse had run amok in the Pembroke show injuring a number of people; therefore their outdoor broadcast van was diverted west to cover this story.

However, the news of the dethroning of Fan y Big was soon picked up by Channel 5 News, who expressed interest in filming from its summit, and along with a representative from the Brecon Beacons National Park I was invited to be a part of the forthcoming proceedings.

Filming Shoot:

Arranging to meet close to the Upper Neuadd Reservoir on the southern side of the Beacons in late August of this year, I set my alarm for 4.30am and drove south toward our designated rendezvous.  Nearing our meeting place I took the opportunity to survey the critical bwlch of Cefn yr Ystrad, approaching this bwlch glimmers of sunshine and blue sky peered out from an otherwise misted scene, and although the murk seemed set for the day, the afternoon forecast predicted it would rise.

(L to R) Dominic Reynolds - reporter, James Williams - Brecon Beacons National Park Communications Officer and Rui Costa - cameraman

There had been a flurry of communication leading up to this meeting, with this mainly based on the film crew wanting to get footage from the summit of Fan y Big, and therefore we explored the most convenient ascent route and the southern approach to the hill was agreed on, and this was also the way I approached this hill when it was initially surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000.

Any outdoor film shoot is dependent upon the weather and especially so when it involves a hill, and more so when the hill has a summit that is dramatically placed.  And although Fan y Big now fails Hewitt criteria, it is positioned above the great sweeping drop of Cwm Cynwyn to its west and Cwm Oergwm to its east and with a slender upper northerly ridge it certainly meets the criteria for having a dramatically positioned summit.

Soon after I arrived at the designated car park James Williams, the Communications Officer of the Brecon Beacons National Park also arrived, we greeted each other and James soon told me that he had already been interviewed by Radio 1 and that they wanted another interview with him from the summit.  It is James who wrote the wonderful report of the National Park losing one of their Beacons that appears on their website, he instantly understood the ‘news’ about Fan y Big and immersed himself fully it its conviviality.

The crew from Channel 5 News closely followed and pulled up in the car park in the Taf Fechan Forest; with Dominic Reynolds the reporter and Rui Costa the cameraman introducing themselves.  They had come well prepared with lightweight camera gear and tripod and an enthusiasm for the ‘story’.

A narrow path leads from this car park up on to the paved minor road leading toward the Upper Neuadd Reservoir, with a track then leaving this and heading toward open hillside and the bwlch between Fan y Big and its higher adjacent hill of Cribyn.  This is the route we had chosen, as it gives a relatively easy and quick ascent to the deposed Beacon of Fan y Big.

As we left the confines of the Taf Fechan Forest, Rui wanted to get footage of our ascent and we spent a few minutes walking beside one another past the camera and up the track, and then repeated this, with close in footage also filmed.  I always find proceedings such as this of interest, and when the opportunity to be out with a film crew presents itself, it is with the realisation that it is the film crew who pulls the strings for the day and you are a part of an overall story that they are telling.

Making our way toward the connecting bwlch with Fan y Big

As we gained height we emerged in to the mist, and once at the connecting bwlch between Fan y Big and Cribyn we stopped to assess the situation as the conditions were not ideal for filming.  Dominic wanted to explain how Fan y Big had been dethroned and this would involve explaining what the drop value of the hill is, and as a part of this he wanted the visual aid of its connecting bwlch to be on show for the viewers, and it looked as if this was not going to happen.

However, we had little option other than to proceed to the summit as Channel 5 wanted the footage to appear on their 5.00pm news programme, and once off the hill Dominic and Rui needed to edit the footage, do voice overs, and drive to Brecon to transfer the finished footage to their offices in London, therefore we were under a tight schedule.

As we headed up the stepped path toward the summit of Fan y Big, Rui again wanted footage of our ascent, and we repeated our upward route past the camera with an out of focus segment adding a nice touch to the edited piece that later appeared on television.

During this filming the first walker passed us descending the steep western slopes of Fan y Big; and Dominic approached him and engaged in conversation, as he did with almost every walker who later would appear at the summit during our protracted stay.

Lee Major lives in Bridgend and he was soon being interviewed by Dominic, with a segment of this footage appearing in the finished video.  As Lee headed down, we continued up in to the mist and murk surrounding one of Wales’ latest dethroned mountains!

Lee being interviewed by Dominic

Once at the summit I set the Trimble up to gather data and left it in situ for 55 minutes as a multitude of people arrived from all directions, some watching our exploits, many being interviewed by Dominic and others peering down at the equipment as it beeped away on the high point of Fan y Big.  During this James had numerous phone calls from Radio 1 and he got in the spirit of the ‘story’ unwrapping a makeshift flag with their logo on it and standing on what many people know as the surfboard; a rock jutting out over the great sweeping drop down in to Cwm Cynwyn.

James with the makeshift Radio 1 flag

After 15 minutes on the summit the mist started to lift, it initially played with us as small segments of hillside were revealed, first the northern ridge and some of the great sweeping drops down in to the adjacent cymoedd were stripped of murk, this heralded a quick rethink as Plan B had already been activated as we thought footage of extended views unlikely, therefore Plan A was again the priority.

Plan A not surprisingly involved interviews of the main participants as well as footage of the connecting bwlch with Dominic expertly explaining what 30m of drop involves, without these extended views Plan B would have concentrated more on the interviews, but a visual aid is always welcome and especially so in the hills.

Dominic interviewed a number of passing hill walkers including Wouter Georges from Belgium, who then sent me photos he had taken from his descent and kindly gave permission for these to appear on Mapping Mountains.

Wouter being interviewed by Dominic

James, Dom, Rui and me at the summit of Fan y Big.  Photo: Wouter Georges

James was now interviewed standing beside the surfboard and he emphasised that although the National Park had lost one of their Beacons, they knew that Fan y Big would always remain a mountain in their eyes, and would continue to be a part of the famous horseshoe around the four Beacons of Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big.

James being interviewed by Dominic for Channel 5 News

Next to face the gentle inquisition of Dominic was me, I mentioned the Hewitts, their criteria, their author; Alan Dawson, and that Aled Williams had initially analysed data for this hill produced by the Environment Agency, none of this made the final footage as they concentrated on me owning up to having obsessional tendencies and admitting that this result would probably mean that I would have to change my nationality!

At the summit of Fan y Big, (L to R); Surveyor, Reporter, Cameraman and National Park Communications Officer

It was now time to wrap up proceedings and head down as Dominic and Rui still had much work to do before the footage was ready to transfer to Channel 5.  We quickly descended to the connecting bwlch with Cribyn, and this is where I thanked them for their interest in this ‘story’ and shook their hands, as I wanted to visit Cribyn and survey its summit and bwlch.     

Postscript:

It was an extremely enjoyable experience meeting the crew from Channel 5 News and I thank them for their interest in mountain surveying and putting me at ease during the film shoot.

The footage of Fan y Big and its deletion from Hewitt status with the Brecon Beacons National Park also losing one of their treasured Beacons was broadcast on the Channel 5 News later the same day at 5.00pm, and was soon uploaded by Channel 5 to YouTube.  This with Channel 5 News’ permission appears below.

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2018)