Myrddyn Phillips - Mapping Mountains: Frochas Hill

Showing posts with label Frochas Hill. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 March 2021

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Carnedd Wen

24.12.20 Y Golfa (SJ 182 070, previously Trimbled) and Frochas Hill (SJ 194 083, previously Trimbled)

With lock down now re-imposed walks once again start from my front door step and what better way to set proceedings off than with a visit to the summit of one of my local Marilyns; Y Golfa.

I’d proposed this walk a few days ago and walked on the canal towpath toward town and then the back road to the Raven roundabout were I met Linda, who was ready with her winter wellies and gloves at 10.30am. We set off up the paved lane leading to Llanerchydol Hall and with a forecast for dry and mainly sunny conditions, albeit with a chilled northerly wind, the day ahead looked to be a good one.

Early morning reflections beside the canal tow path

We’re lucky to live where we do as the mid Walian countryside is on our doorstep with a number of old and current estates wedging the town in on three sides, including Powys, Llanerchydol and Leighton all giving excellent variety for potential walks.

I hadn’t seen Linda for a while, so there were lots to catch up on and as we gained height toward the old hall we chatted away about all manner of things. There were a number of people out enjoying the Christmas Eve weather with dog walkers a plenty and small groups of mountain bikers.

The paved lane leading toward the old hall continues past it as a track, which continues to gain height at a steady gradient before turning in to a public footpath near the summit of the hill. By now the view toward the north-east had opened up, with the distinct profile of the Breiddin seemingly floating above the Severn Valley and the Shropshire Plain.

The Breiddin from near the summit of Y Golfa

It was decidedly cold on top as we reached the trig pillar, just enough time to take a few photos and then off we leisurely scampered beside manicured greens toward the club house to sit in the lee of the brisk, chilled wind for Christmas nibbles with George the Christmas Cat, who nuzzled beside us and enjoyed bits of mince pie and shortbread. You know when you find a friendly Christmas Cat that the majority is all well in the world!

Linda at the summit of Y Golfa

Heading down toward the club house

Having fed George and ourselves, we continued on a public footpath heading down toward the top of the Frochas Lane with late afternoon winter light giving some beautiful colour against a rich greyed sky.

The Frochas Lane is just the other side of the gate

This paved lane passes Frochas Common and we diverted to take in its summit, scattering a small herd of sheep as we did so. This was a similar walk I had done during the first national lock down and today's conditions were an utter contrast to then, when the ground was dry, the common was a meadow and the air warmed with summer stillness, now the ground was wet, the common cut to a grazing field and the air chilled with a brisk northerly wind.

The Frochas Lane

Leaving the summit of Frochas Hill we re-joined the paved lane and headed down past Frochas Farm to where a public footpath crosses an expansive field. In summer this was awash with swaying wheat, a picture perfect scene of warmed carefree days, today the wheat had been cut and the serenity of the past scene merged with adjacent fields.

Beautiful late afternoon winter light with the finger post pointing our way back home

Down the field we went before descending to an enclosed and muddied stream bank. Beyond this was another open field leading to what in summer was a sandal-wearing crossing of a trickle of water, now in winter this was a wide stream, it was also where Linda found out that her wellies leaked!

Last glimmers of light on St Mary's Church and Cefn Digoll beyond

It was now only a short walk past Lower Llanerchydol to re-join our inward route, with the last glimmers of afternoon colour highlighting St Mary’s Church in Welshpool with the bulk of Cefn Digoll in the distance beyond.

Survey Result:

Y Golfa

Summit Height: 341.4m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Summit Grid Reference: SJ 18247 07086 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Height: 175.1m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 16645 06017 (LIDAR)

Drop: 166.3m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance: 48.72% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Frochas Hill (significant name change)

Summit Height: 250.7m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Summit Grid Reference: SJ 19469 08313 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Height: 223.4m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 18927 08215 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Drop: 27.3m (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Dominance: 10.90% (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

For details on the survey of Y Golfa and Frochas Hill

For details on the 2^nd visit to Y Golfa

For details on the fourth visit to Y Golfa

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

Monday, 11 July 2016

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Y Frochas (SJ 194 083)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, with the following details relating to a hill that was surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the 20^th August 2014.

The criteria for the list that this name change affects are:

200m Twmpau - The word Twmpau is an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward, and the criteria for the 200m height band of hills within the overall Twmpau are; all Welsh hills at and above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub category entitled the 200m Sub-Twmapu with these being all Welsh hills at and above 200m and below 300m in height that have 20m and more and below 30m of drop.

The hill is part of the Carnedd Wen range, which is an extensive group of hills situated in the southern part of north Wales, and it is positioned to the west and south-west of the towns of Y Trallwng (Welshpool) and Cegidfa (Guilsfield) respectively.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Frochas Hill

The hill appeared in the Sub List that accompanied the 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website and its status as a 200m Sub-Twmpau was confirmed by the survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000. The hill appeared in this Sub List under an invented name; Bryn y Frochas, with an accompanying note stating; Name from surrounding district. This invented name was based on the name of Y Frochas which appeared nearest to this hill’s summit on Ordnance Survey maps of the day. During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to invent a name for a hill if no name seemed to appear for it on Ordnance Survey maps. My preference was to use the nearest name to the summit on the map and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of it. This is not a practice that I now advocate as with research either conducted locally or historically an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found.

Bryn y Frochas

250c

SJ195083

125

216/239

Name from surrounding district

The name this hill is now listed by is Frochas Hill and this was derived from local enquiry, with the area surrounding the hill known as Y Frochas and the land taking in the summit of the hill also known as the Common or Frochas Common. These details were given me by Gwyneth Owen who lives next to Frochas Farm. This farm is still in Gwyneth's family and she lived there for 30 years and in the bungalow next to it for the last 20 years.

Gwyneth Owen of Pen y Dyffryn

The notice on the fence leading onto the land where the summit of the hill is situated names the land as Y Frochas Common and subsequent meetings with locals substantiated the use of the term; the Common for this land.

The term Y Frochas is confirmed by a Commons Registration Act document dating from 1965 forwarded to me by Aled Williams, as well as information on the Tithe map. The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land. This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales.

The Countryside Council for Wales notice on the fence leading to Frochas Hill

Accessing information on the Tithe map is simplified by the use of a split screen enabling the summit to be pinpointed on the map on the right and for the same point to appear on the Tithe map on the left

The enclosed land is given a number which can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land. However, in this instance the land where the summit of this hill is situated is on common land and named as Frocas Common; it appears in the county named as Montgomery and in the parish of Castell Caereinion. The name of this land is also given as Frochas Common, with the inclusion of the ‘h’ on the Tithe map to the Llanerchydol Township, in the lower division of the Parish of Pool.

Therefore the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Frochas Hill and this was derived from local enquiry.

The full details for the hill are:

Group: Carnedd Wen

Name: Frochas Hill

Previously Listed Name: Bryn y Frochas

Summit Height: 250.7m (converted to OSGM15)

OS 1:50,000 map: 125

Summit Grid Reference: SJ 19469 08313

Drop: 27.3m

For details on the survey of Frochas Hill

Myrddyn Phillips (July 2016)

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Carnedd Wen

20.08.14 Y Golfa (SJ 182 070), Y Golfa (SJ 173 073), Y Golfa (SJ 169 073), Frochas Hill (SJ 194 083) and Yr Allt (SJ 218 087, bwlch only)

Y Golfa (SJ 182 070)

The first reply to my question was ‘you can throw me under a hedge’, I appreciated the forthrightness in this reply but I wasn’t going to do this, the second time I approached the subject I was met with ‘you can throw me over the Welsh bridge in to the river when you come back from Shrewsbury’. The third time I approached the subject my father looked at me and with tears in his eyes he said ‘at the top of the Maes Gwastad field’. I knew exactly where my Dad meant, I often wondered if I could ask the question as I thought I’d find it very emotional to do so, I’m ever so thankful I did. The question I asked my Dad was ‘where would you like your ashes scattered’.

My Dad passed away aged 93 on the 20^th August 2004 two or three years after I asked him this question. In November of that year I fulfilled my Dad’s request, and today on the 10^th anniversary of his death I wanted to revisit Maes Gwastad and pay my respects to my Dad, a person who I loved dearly and someone who had a great influence on my life. I also wanted to repeat a small segment of the walk I did on that day when I took my Dad’s ashes to be scattered. The walk in 2004 took in 20 miles and visited many places that had a direct bearing on my father’s life. I also wanted to combine today’s walk with visiting some local places that I had not been to before and by doing so I could survey two Sub-P30 hills.

My father passed away at 7.50am and I wanted to be standing at the spot where I scattered his ashes on top of Maes Gwastad at this time. I set off from home at around 7.00am and walked on the canal towpath in to town, it was quiet and peaceful as I made my way toward Christ Church and the track that leads up the initial north-easterly slopes of Powis Park’s high point; Upper Park, which is also known locally as Pen y Parc.

Thankfully the weather forecast was good, with only occasional showers forecast for the afternoon, and as the early morning sun cast down from a radiant blue sky I paid a visit to the remains of Park Cottage, this is situated in a wood and is now a ruin, it is where my Grandparents lived with my Dad and my Aunt when they were young. I then paid my respects to my Dad at the top of Maes Gwastad, overlooking the town he knew as home with Cefn Digoll and the Breiddin as backdrop.

The view from Maes Gwastad over Welshpool with the Breiddin and Cefn Digoll as backdrop

I then followed the field down to Christ Chuch and headed out of Welshpool from the Raven roundabout on the paved road that eventually turns in to a track and which makes its way up the eastern ridge of the first hill I wanted to visit; Y Golfa. This route goes through the grounds of Llanerchydol Hall, the present house having been built in 1776 by David Pugh; a wealthy tea trader.

The paved road and then track passes many mature trees set in old estate grounds before the continuation of the track peters out for a path to head through agricultural fields and then up to hillsides of fern. I was met at the top by the buzzing of a motorised grass cutting buggy that was diligently mowing the greens of the accompanying Welshpool Golf Course. I waved at the person behind the wheel and had an acknowledgement back in response.

Y Golfa has a triangulation pillar at its summit, I’d visited twice before, once when taking my Dad on his journey in November 2004, and the second time with Bob Kerr when we met up to do a series of pre-Everest videos on Bob’s attempt to complete the Seven Summits. As I placed the Trimble on the high point beside the trig to gather ten minutes of data, the cloud to the north and west was already building up to great plumes of greyness heralding the forecast afternoon showers.

Gathering data beside the trig pillar on Y Golfa with the distinct profile of the Breiddin in the background

Once data were collected I found a path through ferm that led down towards the connecting bwlch to a 299m map heighted hill, the bwlch is given a 272m spot height on Ordnance Survey maps, so the hill stood an outside chance of becoming a P30. I collected data at the bwlch and then the summit, this looks out over the Golf Course Club House where cars were arriving and people were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.

Centre foreground is Y Golfa (SJ 173 073) and the lower part of Y Golfa (SJ 169 073) on the left with the high Aran in the background

Beyond the Club House is a 298m map height summit and as this height and its 299m counterpart have a margin of uncertainty of +/- 3m associated with the photogrammetrical technique that gave them these heights, I wanted to survey each, as in affect the lower map heighted hill could prove to be the higher!

Gathering data at Y Golfa (SJ 169 073) with L-R; the Breiddin, Cefn Digoll and Y Golfa in background

Once surveyed I walked back down to the Club House and found the footpath that led down toward the Frochas Lane which was my way back home. This footpath went straight over one of the golf courses fairways and as I was about to head over it toward a foot stile I noticed that three people were about to tee off. They’d already noticed me, I acknowledged them and headed from the fringe of the fairway to the rough, hoping that their aim was good and no hooks would be forthcoming. The first person took his stance and swung and the golf ball made a big ark in the sky and whizzed toward me, I retreated further in to the rough and hoped the second person would find the fairway! As the second ball was hit, it too made an ark and headed straight for me, I scampered off and ducked as it went whizzing past my head. Before the third member of their group took his stance I quickly walked over the fairway toward the ladder stile and watched as the third ball was hit, this time it arked in the opposing direction and headed right towards me; again! They were either very bad shots or extremely good ones, depending on what they were aiming for.

I followed the Frochas Lane eastward toward the next bwlch I wanted to survey, this was in a field and once the spot had been chosen for Trimble placement I retreated behind a high hedge and spent the next twenty minutes waiting for the Trimble to attain its 0.1m accuracy before data should be logged. This was probably due to there being a large hedge a few metres behind the equipment, it did mean a long wait in a field though, and as vehicles passed on the lane I stood behind the hedge completely out of eye shot of all and everything.

Once the Trimble had gathered five minutes of data I packed it away and headed up the lane to a track that veers off toward the summit of Frochas Hill. This common is one of the last Welsh habitats for the rare Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly, the whole summit area was awash with thistles, flowers and long grasses. As I set the Trimble up on its improvised Tupperware and draughts board tripod I was met by a very happy dog which was running around retrieving a stick. The stick was being thrown by Mandy Kirkman who was out with her sister; Debbie and their two dogs and children. Debbie lives at the end of the track on the north-east side of the hill. We chatted for quite some time, Debbie telling me about her life in the house which she is renovating. She walks this hill most days, a marvellous place with views toward Y Golfa and the surrounding beauty of this part of Wales. By the time the Trimble had collected nearly 17 minutes of data we said our good bi’s, a lovely couple to meet.

Debbie and Mandy Kirkman on the summit of Frochas Hill

Gathering data at the summit of Frochas Hill

I quickly packed the equipment away as the sky to the west had turned sleet grey and the first rain drops were now falling, as I headed down the lane toward Welshpool the rain started in earnest, big drops bringing an unusual comfort as it was never heavier enough whilst I walked on the lane to put on an outer Goretex shell, during the heavier spurts I took shelter under large mature trees where the gravelled tarmac of the lane remained dry.

One last survey remained and that was at the end of the lane just before it bisects the Welshpool to Guilsfield road, this is where the critical bwlch for Yr Allt is situated. By now the rain had ceased with the sun bringing warmth again, the area of this critical bwlch has had extensive alteration with the lane, and a number of houses all adding complexity to the surrounds. I chose my spot, gathered the customary five minutes of data, packed the Trimble away and headed up to the top of the Red Bank before walking down through the tranquil surrounds of Bron y Buckley Wood, and the journey through the outer fringes of Welshpool town centre toward my inward route on the canal towpath back home.