18.09.15
Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig (SJ 147 405)
 |
| Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig (SJ 147 405) |
The chance to experience
the tranquil surrounds of being on a summit when the last lingering colour of
the sinking sun sparkles out and dims, and the land becomes bluish grey and the
evening is overtaken by night is something to immerse oneself in. And that opportunity arose again today with
another evening walk planned with Mark.
We met at Glyn Ceiriog
and left one car at the community centre and drove to a T-junction high on pot
holed country lanes that are as rough as any badly eroded forest track, and
left the car squeezed off the road at SJ 167 380.
The hill we planned to
visit is named Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig, I’d only been on this hill once before
on 29.06.03 when I’d set out at 6.40am and ascended from the north visiting
Moel Fferna and descending to this hill, writing in my log journal ‘beautiful,
peaceful, sunny morning, just me and my thoughts’. This evening’s visit was a contrast as the
morning’s awaking was going to be replaced with the evening’s fading.
As we left the car to
walk north-westward up the remainder of what the map constitutes as a paved
public road, a cloud bank out to the west gave hope of a spectacular sunset,
and hopefully our arrival on the top of this hill would be timed to give
sufficient light to Trimble the summit but also enjoy the last rays of light as
the sun sank behind this westerly cloud bank.
 |
| Mark on the track leading to Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig |
Very soon the remnants
of road dissipated to a track which gained us quick and easy progress into the
Ceiriog Forest. This conifer plantation
takes in much of the southern land of the West – East ridge that descends from
Moel Fferna to Y Foel, with some of this land now springing young trees
replacing those already matured and felled.
We had our first proper
view of Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig once out of the forest and onto this West - East
ridge, at this point the forest track butts against a paved and smooth road
that descends the western flank of the hill down toward Glyndyfrdwy, this was the
ascent route on my previous visit. This
first view was sublime as our hill was cloaked in early autumnal heather,
a-bloom and subtly coloured purple with a sprinkling of rogue conifer trees
gaining hold and adding colour contrast and height to a vivid picture.
 |
| Rogue conifers adding colour contrast and height to an already vivid scene |
A vehicle track on the
moor branches off from the section of paved road and descends towards the
hill’s bwlch, hiding amongst the heather were occasional white faces poking up
to glance our way as we continued toward the hill.
 |
| Submerged in heather an occasional white face glanced our way |
By now a pinkish tinge
highlighted delicate cloud as it slowly ebbed down toward the summits of the
Clwydian hills, but the beauty of our surroundings was the immediate land, all
of which was awash in purple. Even during
daylight hours when the sun is high, heather can take on a gentle colour feel
when its bloom sways and joins and continues as one, this was accentuated this
evening as a low sun cast evening glow across an already vivid and delicately
rich landscape.
We left the green track
to investigate the bwlch and soon found where we judged the hill’s critical
bwlch to be positioned, as I placed the Trimble on top of my rucksack and
measured a 0.47m offset, Mark continued toward the hill’s summit. This left me marvelling at the colour as long
shadows cast out across the bwlch. The
rucksack and Trimble seemed alien in this landscape, supplanted to somewhere
they did not belong as the purple heather was now contrasted with lower
shadowed black as the sun sank ever deeper, this contrasted with the blue and
yellow of rucksack and Trimble, both portrayed an element of vividness but it
was not natural, and although contrast can be enjoyed and can indeed add to
landscape, this evening belonged to the natural environment and not man-made
objects supplanted into it.
 |
| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig |
 |
| Long shadows cast out at the bwlch |
 |
| The Trimble set up position at the bwlch |
As I packed the Trimble
away, Mark was waiting near to an attractive rock outcrop which the sun
delicately picked out as it now sank behind the western cloud bank. Emerging from under this cloud it again sprang
out in a bright and vivid orange glow.
 |
| Evening light on Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig |
 |
| Beside the attractive rock outcrop on our way to the summit |
Mark went ahead and
found the high point and I soon followed and had the Trimble positioned on top
of my rucksack within a couple of minutes, as it gathered its allotted five
minutes of data we watched the sun sink on the western horizon behind the
northern ridge of Moel Fferna.
 |
| Slowly it sinks |
 |
| Gathering data at the summit of Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig |
Slowly the richness of
colour expanded outward with steaks of intense white at its heart, with
yellowed underglow highlighting darkening clouds with the clear sky taking on
an ethereal deep blue colour.
 |
| Intense white light highlighting yellowed underglow on evening cloud |
As the last of the data
were collected I switched the Trimble off, took a couple of photographs and
joined Mark as we both stared toward the ever changing colour. The intenseness of colour had been replaced
with a stunning greyness where day’s warmth was now evening’s chill and swathes
of meandering mist descended to the summit of Moel Fferna and hugged its upper
realm. It is only rarely that
photographs do justice to a natural scene as it takes skill and an eye for
composition to capture beauty, mine do not do this, but a few are shared in this
post.
 |
| Delicate grey mist rests on the summit of Moel Fferna |
As we left the summit of
Mynydd Tŷ Cerrig dusk was upon us, we were soon back on the forest
track heading down to the car and chatted our way into night and darkness.
Survey Result:
Summit Height: 476.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SJ 14798 40529
Bwlch Height: 444.1m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 14714 40121
Drop: 32.1m
Dominance: 6.75%
For further details please
consult the Trimble survey spreadsheet click {here}
