Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant

Panelau (SH 613 501)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant, with the bwlch height and its location confirmed by LIDAR analysis and subsequently the summit, its location and drop of the hill confirmed by a survey with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 which were conducted by Myrddyn Phillips, with latter taking place on the 18^th October 2018.

Panelau (SH 613 501)

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

Y Trichant – Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017.

The hill is adjoined to the Yr Wyddfa group hills which are situated in the north-western part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A1), and it is positioned with the A498 road and Llyn Dinas to its south-east, and has the small community of Beddgelert towards its south-west.

The hill originally appeared in the 300m P30 list on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website under the name of Gallt y Llyn, which is a name that appears on this hill’s lower easterly slopes on contemporary Ordnance Survey maps, with an accompanying note stating; aka Panelau.

Gallt y Llyn

338m

SH613502

115

17

aka Panelau

During my early hill listing I paid little regard to name placement on the map, or the meaning of names and to what feature the name was appropriately applied to.  Therefore I prioritised names for listing purposes that I now understand are either inappropriate or where another name is viewed as being more appropriate. 

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

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 historic 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 Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which is entitled the Interactive Coverage Map.  One of the historic maps now available is the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map, which was the first map made publicly available by the Ordnance Survey and it is this map that has the name Panelau positioned close to this hill’s summit. 

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

The One-Inch ‘Old Series’ was the first map that Ordnance Survey published, and they were based on the proceeding 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 Y Trichant is Panelau, and this name was derived from the Ordnance Survey One-Inch ‘Old Series’ map.

The full details for the hill are:

Group:  Yr Wyddfa

Name:  Panelau

Previously Listed Name:  Gallt y Llyn

OS 1:50,000 map:  115

Summit Height:  337.6m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 61301 50197

Bwlch Height:  287.2m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 61341 50439

Drop:  50.4m

My thanks to Aled Williams for advice relating to this hill name

For details on the survey of Panelau

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2019)

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Yr Wyddfa

18.10.18  Dinas Emrys (SH 606 492) and Panelau (SH 613 501)  

Dinas Emrys (SH 606 492)

Early autumnal mornings are special times amongst the hills as the chilled night air can create delicate mist formations which ebb and rise, slowly dissipating as the glow of sun increases the day’s warmth.

On my way toward the two hills I planned on visiting, I stopped my car and watched such a mist formation as it meandered its way over Llyn y Gadair, as the great bulk of Moel Hebog and its adjacent peaks acted as backdrop on this beautiful scene.

Llyn y Gadair and the great bulk of Moel Hebog

To the south the oranged hue of early morning cast out across the northern Rhinogydd, whilst ethereal wisps of mist edged their way across the expanse of foreground water.  All seemed still, only the mist slowly moved.

This scene heralded a good day ahead, and so it proved as autumnal colour mingled with morning light and distinctive and craggy tops to give me a wonderful few hours on the hill.

My first hill was Dinas Emrys, legendary place of dragons and which has association with Myrddin Emrys, the gifted youngster also known as Merlin.  I’d driven past this hill on many occasions but to my knowledge had never visited its summit, although my brother told me we once did, I have no recollection of this.

I approached from the tranquil surrounds of Craflwyn, this house is now a traditional hotel, having once been a hunting lodge and its laid out walks through Coed Craflwyn are recommended.

The path I opted for led past the dragon seat and trees moss strewn and green with quietly falling small waterfalls adding movement to an otherwise still scene.  It was beautifully tranquil in the wooded surrounds.

Coed Craflwyn

The path led toward Dinas Emrys whose wooded upper slopes still cast green as the last colour of summer clung on against the browned bracken and first colour change of autumn.

In front of me the cragged slopes of Panelau headed steeply upward and were accentuated against the low lying and gentler wooded slopes of Dinas Emrys, both at contrast and yet eloquently nested against one another.

The cragged and steep slopes of Panelau

Sun glimmered through the canopy as I followed the path toward the summit of Dinas Emrys, with the last of the morning’s mist just clinging on as blue skies dominated the scene with Moe Siabod rising as backdrop.

The summit of Dinas Emrys consists of a large rock and once I had aligned the Trimble with its highest point I stood back as it gathered its allotted data.  To my south-west Moel Hebog rose with sun and cloud casting light and shade upon its great bulk.

Moel Hebog from the summit of Dinas Emrys

It was wonderful to be on such a summit as Dinas Emrys, with stillness and sun and without a care.  Almost all I wanted was here with me.

Gathering data at the summit of Dinas Emrys

Once data were stored I packed the Trimble away and retraced my inward route back out of the woodland to a greened track leading up to an old abandoned mine.  This track gave access to the western slopes of Panelau, which abound with crags and ridges, all steep and looking decidedly rough.

I made steady progress up this rough ground looking back occasionally as Dinas Emrys sprang wooded out of a foreground of autumnal moor grass, whose beige tinged edges contrasted with the woodland below and the cultivated and reclaimed green pastures nestled at the foot of Nantgwynant.

Dinas Emrys from the ascent of Panelau

Reaching the summit I balanced the Trimble aligned with its high point and waited for the allotted data to be gathered and stored, and whilst doing so watched the play of light leading toward the darkened profile of Y Lliwedd that dominated the scene, with Yr Wyddfa almost an inconsequential elevated peak from this viewpoint.

Y Lliwedd

Gathering data at the summit of Panelau

Once summit data were stored I followed a wall down to the connecting bwlch where I again set the Trimble up to gather data.  Having taken this third data set of the day I packed the equipment away and followed another wall down toward the Afon y Cwm and the inward track I had used to access this hill’s western slopes.

On my walk back to Craflwyn and my awaiting car I called in at Hafod-y-porth and spoke with Bethan Roberts.  We stood at the front of her house and chatted about the hill I had just been up, this dominated the view, rising steeply above the farm with its cragged expanse almost hovering above in the late morning’s sun. 

Outside Hafod-y-porth with Bethan Roberts

After thanking Bethan for her time it was only a short walk down the connecting lane to the main road below, which in time took me back to Craflwyn.  A wonderful way to spend a morning.  

Survey Result:

Dinas Emrys

Summit Height:  135.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 60666 49242 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  96.5m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 60774 49401 (LIDAR)

Drop:  39.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  28.86% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Panelau (significant name change)

Summit Height:  337.6m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SH 61301 50197

Bwlch Height:  287.2m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SH 61341 50439

Drop:  50.4m

Dominance:  14.94%

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet