Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales

 

Gogarth (SH 767 833) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop, dominance and status of the hill derived from a Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey and LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

Gogarth (SH 767 833)

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

200m Twmpau – Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the 200m Sub-Twmpau, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 200m and below 300m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop, with the word Twmpau being an acronym standing for thirty welsh metre prominences and upward. 

The 200m Twmpau by Myrddyn Phillips

Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales – Welsh P30 hills whose prominence equal or exceed half that of their absolute height.  With the criteria for Lesser Dominant status being those additional Welsh P30 hills whose prominence is between one third and half that of their absolute height.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips with the Introduction to the start of the Mapping Mountains publication of this list appearing on the 3^rd December 2015, and the list is now available in its entirety on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format. 

Y Trechol - The Dominant Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 200m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the name of Great Orme, which is the name this hill is known as in English and which appears near the summit of this hill on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

Great Orme

207m

SH768833

115

17

Marilyn. Clem/Yeaman.

 

The intricacies of language and prioritising one in favour of another for listing a hill is fraught with complication, with originating Cymraeg names being anglicised and also originating English names being cymricised, examples such as these are more common in border country and especially so for anglicised forms.  There is no steadfast rule that fits all, but as a standard a name that has its origins in the Welsh language should be prioritised in favour of a contemporary anglicised or English version of the name, and ideally for this to be substantiated by either historic documentation and/or contemporary usage.  Likewise, if a name exists where an element of it is in English and if this name applies to a hill that is situated in a Welsh speaking part of Wales it is standard practice to use a full Welsh term for the name.  It is also standard practice to use a Welsh name for a hill if another name exists that has originated in a different language.  

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the 200m Twmpau and Y Trechol – The Dominant Hills of Wales is Gogarth, and this name is used as it is the prioritised Welsh name for this hill.  This name is also represented on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map with the caveat that it is documented with the use of the definite article ‘Y’. 

 

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Mynydd Hiraethog

Name:  Gogarth

Previously Listed Name:  Great Orme   

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  207.1m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 76749 83334 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  5.4m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 82244 78704 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  201.7m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

Dominance:  97.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2022)

 

 

 

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Mynydd Hiraethog

 

26.02.22  Gogarth (SH 767 833, previously Trimbled) 

Gogarth is one of the Welsh terms for what many refer to as the Great Orme.  This is the up thrust of land that forms a limestone promontory overlooking the salubrious domain of Llandudno to its south-east and the environs of the north Wales coast in all other directions. 

Gogarth (SH 767 833)

The hill is not substantive in height, but is in its dominance, as it is connected to the mainland by a bwlch which LIDAR gives as 5.4m in height.  The area of the bwlch has undergone substantial terra forming; therefore the natural height could be lower. 

The summit of Gogarth was Trimbled on the 31^st December 2013 and was the sixteen P30 I had surveyed with this equipment.  The day was particularly chilly when the summit was surveyed, albeit with a spotless blue sky and to my knowledge this was the first time I had visited this hill, unless I had a prior visit with my parents when I was very young. 

Having Trimbled its summit and LIDARed its bwlch, I had no plan on re-visiting.  However, as I was at my brother’s for the weekend and with a good forecast for Saturday, albeit still with a definite chilled feel to the weather, we headed out for a road trip and found ourselves on the A55 heading east toward Llandudno.  Once the prospect of visiting the summit of Gogarth was mentioned it was all too easy to head its way and join the one way toll road heading around its eastern periphery, which gives access up a zig-zagged steep road to the complex of buildings surrounding its summit. 

LIDAR bwlch image of Gogarth (SH 767 833)

This visit was so unplanned I didn’t even bring my camera, so the photos accompanying this post are from previous walks.  The toll road costs £3.50 if memory serves me right (I grabbed a note and waited for change).  The road then heads around the eastern side of the hill with views out and across the sea, a left hand two way road then heads up.  We took this and parked at the top. From here it is only a short walk to the triangulation pillar which adorns the summit, with the high point of the hill a nobbled rock close to the trig pillar. 

The Trimble GeoXH 6000 gathering data at the summit of Gogarth

It was gusty on top with a multitude of people appearing from all directions.  It seemed everyone was here enjoying the blue skied sunny early afternoon.  We left the summit after five minutes and wandered back to the car before continuing down the steep road and the one way system now around the northern and westerly part of the hill. 

It was an unexpected visit and one that encouraged me to check LIDAR for the bwlch height and position of this hill.  Gogarth is a fine hill and one whose convenient road makes for an easy ascent if so inclined. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Gogarth (significant name change)

Summit Height:  207.1m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 76749 83334 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  5.4m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 82244 78704 (LIDAR)

Drop:  201.7m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  97.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

 

 

For details on the summit survey of Gogarth

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Mynydd Hiraethog

31.12.13  Gogarth (SH 767 833)

The summit area of Gogarth (SH 767 833)

Gogarth or the Great Orme in English, is an impressive chunk of land that buts out from the north Wales coast and is a prominent landmark for miles around.  With a one-way road encircling it and access to the summit area via two roads it can be ascended very easily and I’m afraid to say this is the way we opted for.  

As an adventurous few souls were walking rapidly around the road, taking their mornings exercise before the forecast of the late afternoons deluge ushered forth, we sneaked via motor vehicle up to the high car park and stumbled out in glorious sunshine, albeit a bit breezy in places and wandered over a bit of grass to bag the summit.  This consists of a small outcrop of rock next to the base of the trig.

The Trimble gathering data on the high point of Gogarth

Winter sunshine radiated down on us as the higher mountains were bathed in silhouetted outline.  All that was needed was a candyfloss and toffee apple to make the occasion perfect!  Tis a good vantage point though and I peered out to the north trying to convince myself that the slither of something between sea and sky was the Isle of Man.  I couldn’t convince my two colleagues who dismissed the sighting as nonsense and indicated that the Isle would be more over there, indicating somewhere toward the north-east.

The Trimble found a convenient perch and nestled in to the summit rock for seven minutes of data collection aligned with the very highest bit of natural rock (there’s a large rock plinthed panoramic viewfinder that is higher).

Bryn and Alun near the summit of Gogarth.  The large flat rock to the left of the trig pillar is the plinth with the panoramic viewfinder

This is the second Marilyn the Trimble has surveyed, with the first being Moel y Golfa (SJ 290 125).  The hill is also listed as a HuMP and a Welsh 200m P30.  The triangulation pillar’s flush bracken is given a height of 207.172m in the OS Trig Database and when aligned with the highest rock it is of similar height with the flush bracken just a little higher.

The top of the flush bracket is a little higher than the natural high point, which is the knobbly bit of rock just to the left of the trig pillar.

Survey Result:

Gogarth (significant name change)

Summit Height:  207.1m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 76749 83334 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  5.4m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 82244 78704 (LIDAR)

Drop:  201.7m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  97.41% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

For details on the 2nd visit to Gogarth

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