19.04.18 Garth Hill (SO 271 725), Waun Sidan (SO 250
726), Fountain Head Well Field (SO 231 722), Bwlch Bank (SO 242 720), Pt. 410.4m
(SO 245 710) and Gwernaffel (SO 259 712)
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| Waun Sidan (SO 250 726) |
With a forecast for
rising temperatures I set off from the outskirts of Knighton at 7.30am and
slowly plodded up the Garth Lane. Overhead
the sky blazed blue and the crisp yellow of daffodils sparkled as the land
awoke.
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| The sparkle of yellowed daffodils |
I planned on visiting
six hills, two of which are listed as Trichant, two as Pedwarau, one as a
Sub-Pedwar and one being a possible new Sub-Pedwar, this would take me on a
circuit above Cwm Gilla on country lanes and relatively high fields where lambs
were scattered following their mothers, and all bathed in the early morning sun.
Nearing the top of Garth
Lane I headed in to the adjacent southerly field and followed hedgerows toward
the summit of Garth Hill which was easily identifiable. As the Trimble gathered data a quad bike and
trailer zoomed my way stopping off to scatter feed for sheep in the adjacent
field.
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| Approaching the summit of Garth Hill |
I left the Trimble
beeping away gathering its allotted data and flagged the farmer down who parked
his quad bike just below the summit, the farmer was Guy Hodnett and he was out
dropping feed off for a number of sheep who had been roused from their slumber
with the thought of breakfast.
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| Guy Hodnett |
I chatted with Guy for
ten minutes or so, and he confirmed the hills name and mentioned others that I
was yet to visit, it was a pleasure meeting Guy and even though I was in his
field early in the morning with an unusual piece of kit set up at its high
point, he didn’t mind at all and was happy enough to talk about the hills.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Garth Hill |
Guy directed me down
toward the bwlch of Garth Hill which was on a T-junction of minor lanes where I
met Tony, who farmed from Craig-y-don.
Tony’s tractor was pulled up near the point where I wanted to set the
Trimble up and after another chat with more place-name information given he
kindly moved it and chugged back up the lane, and once five minutes of data
were stored I headed up the same way past the entrance to the Racecourse Farm,
Craig-y-don and White Anthony Farm.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Garth Hill |
The next hill to visit
and survey was Waun Sidan, a relatively new addition as a Pedwar due to LIDAR
analysis conducted by Aled, I had visited this hill once before many years
ago. The ten figure grid reference
produced by LIDAR led me to the high point where I set the Trimble up, as it
gathered data a tractor headed up the field straight toward the summit, I
flagged it down and proceeded to talk with John and Liz Roberts who farm from
the Racecourse.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Waun Sidan |
These chance meetings
with farmers are proving a joy, and have been so for many years, this is one of
the reasons why I gain pleasure from visiting smaller heighted hills as chance
meetings with farmers on the higher hills seldom occur.
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| John and Liz Roberts |
The three of us chatted
away for many minutes with a number of names being confirmed and ones that I
had never heard before also given. I
asked permission to visit and survey the connecting bwlch and although this was
not a part of the Racecourse’s land John and Liz directed me to the nearest
gate leading toward the bwlch.
The bwlch proved
expansive and was situated in another closely cropped grazing field, and again
the grid reference produced by LIDAR directed me to its critical point and once
five minutes of data were gathered I headed back to the minor lane and
continued south-west toward the potential 400m Sub-Pedwar.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Waun Sidan |
By now the sun was well
and truly heating the land and I paced myself toward the summit of the next
hill, slowly plodding, and enjoying the unseasonal warmth. The high point was adjacent to a small
covered reservoir which was positioned in a fenced compound, and once data were
gathered I headed down to the hill’s connecting bwlch.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Fountain Head Well Field |
The bwlch was at a T-junction
between the minor lane and a track, as I assessed the lay of land two vehicles drove
past, a rarity on these roads. As the
Trimble gathered its allotted data another farmer on a quad bike zoomed around
in the adjacent field and as data were stored and I packed the Trimble away I flagged
David Williams down who was then heading up the lane toward me.
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| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Fountain Head Well Field |
David farms from White
Anthony and his family farm is Fountain Head, whose land the potential sub is
situated on. He told me that the hill
doesn’t have a name but the high field where the summit is situated is known as
the Fountain Head Well Field. It was a
pleasure meeting David and as he continued toward the top of the hill where the
small covered reservoir is situated to drop feed for the sheep I continued up
toward the high point of the day; the summit of Bwlch Bank.
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| David Williams |
I surveyed two points at
the top of Bwlch Bank, one near to where the 426m spot height appears on the
map and which I considered the high point of the hill, and the other where I
judged the highest ground to be at the position of a small 425m ring contour that
appears on the map.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Bwlch Bank |
By the time I arrived at
the next bwlch the heat had started to take its toll and I knew that the rest
of the day would have to be taken very slowly, I’d come prepared and brought
extra water but I also know how my body reacts toward excessive heat and have
become accustomed to being completely poleaxed on occasion.
Once the bwlch was
surveyed I followed the track up toward the high point of the next hill which
is a part of Blaen-y-cwm land; a farm nestling to the south of the summit, the
farmer; David Wilding had been busy most of the morning ploughing the adjacent
northerly field and I hoped to meet him for more place-name enquires, however when
I arrived his tractor was pulled up at the bottom of the field and all was
quiet, I took advantage and quietly gathered a data set from the summit and
hoped that he would again be ploughing by the time I was back on the track,
unfortunately he wasn’t, so I did not have the opportunity to confirm this high
field’s locally known name.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Pt. 410.4m |
It seemed the land
comforted itself with warmth, farmers were out working, and the occasional hill
walker toiled in their wake. Only two
points remained to survey; the bwlch and summit of the last hill of the day,
whose name had been confirmed as Gwernaffel.
I took three data sets from the area of this hill’s bwlch and rested as
each were gathered and stored, I needed to as the temperature rose and my body
wilted.
Reaching the summit of
the hill I took a further two data sets, one from the LIDAR summit position and
one from a higher point, with LIDAR only covering part of the summit area, only
downhill remained between me and the comfort of my car where I could get my
boots off and rest.
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| The observatory on Farrington Bank |
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| Gathering data at the summit of Gwernaffel |
The downhill was through
ploughed fields following fences and hedgerows, over fences and down steep
grassed fields with the town of Knighton my final destination. I rested frequently and luxuriated myself in
the heat and the knowledge that I had sufficient water and there was not far to
go.
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| A welcome sight |
I arrived back at my car
after almost nine hours on the hill with 15 surveys having been completed and
with a wealth of place-name information to catalogue and good memories to last.
Survey Result:
Garth Bank
Summit Height: 347.9m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 27178 72597
Bwlch Height: 272.5m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 26803 72882
Drop: 75.4m
Dominance: 21.67%
Waun Sidan (significant name change)
Summit Height: 407.8m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 25022 72649
Bwlch Height: 376.3m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 24638 72691
Drop: 31.5m (400m Sub-Pedwar reclassified to Pedwar)
Dominance: 7.72%
Fountain Head Well Field
(significant name change)
Summit Height: 405.3m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 23159 72299
Bwlch Height: 387.4m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 23772 72302
Drop: 18.0m
Dominance: 4.43%
Bwlch Bank (significant name change)
Summit Height: 424.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 24234 72023 (
Bwlch Height: 329.8m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 20758 73818 (LIDAR)
Bwlch Height: 329.8m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 20758 73818 (LIDAR)
Drop: 95.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Dominance: 22.38% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Pt. 410.4m
Summit Height: 410.4m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 24525 71043
Bwlch Height: 386.3m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 24092 71505
Drop: 24.1m
Dominance: 5.88%
Gwernaffel (significant name change)
Summit Height: 380.4m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 25947 71212
Bwlch Height: 346.1m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 25623 71156
Drop: 34.3m
Dominance: 9.03%
