Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau

Garreg Mountain (SJ 133 782)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau, and the following details are in respect of a hill that was surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on the 23^rd January 2016.

The criteria for the list that this name change applies to are:

200m Twmpau - All Welsh hills at and above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward.

The hill is a part of the Bryniau Clwyd range, which is an extensive group of hills situated in the north-eastern part of north Wales, and it is positioned between the small communities of Trelogan and Berthengam to the north-west, Chwitffordd (Whitford) to the east and Gorsedd to the south-east.

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Garreg Mountain

The hill appeared in the 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the partly invented name Pen Coed y Garreg, with an accompanying note stating; Name from wood at the summit.  During my early hill listing I thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them or as in this instance, use the name of the wood at the summit of the hill and prefix it with the word Pen.  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.    

Pen Coed y Garreg

248m

SJ133783

116

265

Name from wood at the summit

   

Since publication of these P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website there have been a number of Ordnance Survey maps made available online, some of these are historical such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the enlarged map hosted on the Geograph website.  Two of the historical maps now available are the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map which formed the basis for the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map, and it was these maps that name the hill as Garreg Mountain.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map

Extract from the Ordnance Survey One-Inch 'Old Series' map

The Draft Surveyors maps consist of the preliminary drawings made by the Ordnance Survey’s surveyors between the 1780s and 1840 and formed the basis for the first publicly available One-Inch map.  They were drawn at scales of six inches to the mile for areas considered of particular military significance and down to two inches to the mile for other areas.  Fair copies were then produced from these preliminary drawings to one inch to the mile and then copper plates were prepared for printing.  The Draft Surveyors maps for the whole of Wales are now available online and they form an important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names as they bridge the time frame between the late 18^th century and the mid-19^th century when the Ordnance Survey produced their first One-Inch maps. 

The One-Inch ‘Old Series’ was the first map that Ordnance Survey published, and  they were based on the preceding Draft Surveyors map.  Their publication culminated from the whole of Britain being surveyed between 1791 and 1874 and the detail gathered therein produced at a scale of one inch to the mile and published in sheet format between 1805 and 1874.  The One-Inch ‘Old Series’ maps for the whole of Wales are now available online; they are also available in map format as enlarged and re-projected versions to match the scale and dimensions of the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger series and are published by Cassini.  This series of maps forms another important part in the study of Welsh upland place-names and bridge the time frame leading to the production of the Ordnance Survey base map of the Six-Inch series.

Therefore the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau is Garreg Mountain, and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey Draft Surveyors map and the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map.  This mapping became publicly available after the original P30 lists were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Bryniau Clwyd

Name:  Garreg Mountain

Previously Listed Name:  Pen Coed y Garreg 

Summit Height:  247.1m (converted to OSGM15)

OS 1:50,000 map:  116

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 13361 78264 

Drop:  c 53m

For details on the survey of Garreg Mountain

Myrddyn Phillips (October 2016)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Moel y Gamelin

23.01.16  Garreg Mountain (SJ 133 782)

The last of our three hills of the day was Garreg Mountain with its summit positioned in a wood not surprisingly named Coed y Garreg.  This hill is situated to the west of Chwitffordd (Whitford) in the north-eastern part of Wales.

Aled parked his van on a grass verge next to a minor road at SJ 129 787, and we headed to the adjacent field where a 12ft high stone monolith is situated, this is named Maen Achwyfan.  This stone structure has carvings similar to those found in Celtic tradition on its sides and is capped by a wheelcross, reputedly the tallest structure of its kind in Britain.  It stands in a field, next to a minor road and is protected by railings.

Information board which is positioned next to the access gate

The impressive Maen Achwyfan

It is another structure that I did not know existed and I’m thankful to Aled for taking me to see it.  We approached over a fence, not knowing that an access gate exists, which we found when heading back to the road.  As we walked toward the stone structure the grey cloud behind framed it in a spectacular display as wave upon wave of cloud formed gently fluctuating patterns.

Historians have never positively dated Maen Achwyfan although it is thought to date to around 1000 A.D.  Its purpose is also questionable, but again, it is thought to be a Lamentation Stone.

Leaving the monolith behind we used the gate as access on to the lane and then a foot stile to gain access on to the opposing field whose footpath led up through water clagged ground to the corner of a wood, where a good path led to the impressive tower which is positioned on the summit area of Garreg Mountain.

Approaching the summit of Garreg Mountain

The round stone tower is thought by some to be a Roman lighthouse to help navigate ships on the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) estuary.  Others think it a Watchtower built in the 17^th century.  Whatever its history it underwent extensive repair by Llewelyn Baron Mostyn in 1897 to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria.

The tower is placed in a clearing with scrub undergrowth and woodland surrounding it; I assessed the lay of land at its base and found that the high point of the hill is approximately 4 metres from its base.  A slight breeze blew as I positioned the Trimble on top of my rucksack to give it elevation above the surrounding ground and I wedged my camera case at its base to cushion it against the increasing breeze.

Gathering data at the summit of Garreg Mountain

Sometimes it's good to be a bit mad!  Photo: Aled Williams

Once data were gathered I closed it off, packed it away and we retraced our steps down to the awaiting van.  It had proved an interesting day on the hill with Neolithic mounds, ancient barrows, stone monoliths and supposed Roman lighthouses all visited.

Survey Result:

Garreg Mountain (significant name change)  

Summit Height:  247.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SJ 13361 78264

Drop:  c 53m

Dominance:  21.45%

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