Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – The Welsh P15s

Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359) 

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in The Welsh P15s, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359)

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

The Welsh P15s – Welsh hills with 15m minimum drop, irrespective of their height, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Sub-P15s, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills with 14m or more and below 15m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 10^th May 2019. 

The Welsh P15s by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Pencarreg group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads with the B4333 road farther to its east, and has the town of Castellnewydd Emlyn (Newcastle Emlyn) towards the north.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the main list under the point (Pt. 208m) notation with 15m of drop, based on the 208m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and the 193m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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

As the summit of this hill comprises bounded land the details for it were examined on the Tithe map.  The term Tithe map is generally given to a map of a Welsh or English parish or township and which was prepared after the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act.  This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods.  The Tithe maps gave names of owners and occupiers of land in each parish and importantly for place-name research they also included the name of enclosed land.  This enclosed land is usually based on a field system, however not every field is given a name, but many are and especially so in Wales. 

Extract from the Tithe map

The enclosed land where the summit of this hill is situated is given the number 1204 on the Tithe map, this can be cross referenced against the apportionments; it is these apportionments that give the name of the owner or occupier of the land as well as the name of the land.  The land where the summit of this hill is situated is named as Parc Gwastod in the apportionments, with the details on the Tithe map appearing in the parish named as Cilrhedyn and in the county named as Pembroke and Carmarthen. 

Extract from the apportionments

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in The Welsh P15s is Parc Gwastod and this was derived from the Tithe map. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Pencarreg 

Name:  Parc Gwastod

Previously Listed Name:  Pt. 208m 

OS 1:50,000 map:  145

Summit Height:  208.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 30059 35918 & SN 30061 35921 & SN 30070 35947 & SN 30073 35949 & SN 30076 35949 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  193.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 30543 35784 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  14.2m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2025)

 

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Summit Relocations – The Welsh P15s

Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359) 

There has been a Summit Relocation to a hill that is listed in the The Welsh P15s, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359)

The criteria for the list that this summit relocation applies to are:

The Welsh P15s – Welsh hills with 15m minimum drop, irrespective of their height, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Sub-P15s, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills with 14m or more and below 15m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 10^th May 2019. 

The Welsh P15s by Myrddyn Phillips

The name the hill is now listed by is Parc Gwastod, and this was derived from the Tithe map, and it is adjoined to the Mynydd Pencarreg group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads with the B4333 road farther to its east, and has the town of Castellnewydd Emlyn (Newcastle Emlyn) towards the north.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the main list with 15m of drop, based on the 208m summit spot height positioned at SN 30119 35939 that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and the 193m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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

However, it was not until LIDAR became available that the details for this hill could be accurately re-assessed.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales.

LIDAR analysis gives the highest ground on this hill as 209.1m positioned at SN 30088 35919.  However, this is to the top of a raised field boundary and protocols dictate that as this is deemed a relatively recent man-made construct such ground is discounted from the height of a hill. 

LIDAR summit image of Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359)

The height produced by LIDAR analysis to the natural summit of this hill is 208.0m and is positioned at SN 30059 35918 and SN 30061 35921 and SN 30070 35947 and SN 30073 35949 and SN 30076 35949, and this comes within the parameters of the Summit Relocations used within this page heading, these parameters are:

The term Summit Relocations applies when the high point of the hill is found to be positioned; in a different field, to a different feature such as in a conifer plantation,  within a different map contour either on Ordnance Survey maps or interactive mapping, to a different point where a number of potential summit positions are within close proximity, when natural ground or the natural and intact summit of a hill is confirmed compared to a higher point such as a raised field boundary or covered reservoir that is considered a relatively recent man-made construct, or the de-twinning of a summit, or a relocation of approximately 100 metres or more in distance from either the position of a map spot height or from where the summit of the hill was previously thought to exist.

Therefore, the summit height produced by LIDAR analysis is 208.0m and is positioned at SN 30059 35918 and SN 30061 35921 and SN 30070 35947 and SN 30073 35949 and SN 30076 35949, this position is not given a spot height on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map and is approximately 60 metres south-westward from where the 208m spot height is positioned and approximately 30 metres westward from the high point of the raised field boundary. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Pencarreg 

Name:  Parc Gwastod 

OS 1:50,000 map:  145

Summit Height:  208.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference (New Position):  SN 30059 35918 & SN 30061 35921 & SN 30070 35947 & SN 30073 35949 & SN 30076 35949 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  193.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 30543 35784 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  14.2m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2025) 

Mapping Mountains – Hill Reclassifications – The Welsh P15s

Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359) – Welsh P15 reclassified to Welsh Sub-P15

There has been a reclassification to the list of The Welsh P15s, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips. 

LIDAR image of Parc Gwastod (SN 300 359)

The criteria for the list that this reclassification applies to are:

The Welsh P15s – Welsh hills with 15m minimum drop, irrespective of their height, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Welsh Sub-P15s, with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills with 14m or more and below 15m of drop.  The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 10^th May 2019. 

The Welsh P15s by Myrddyn Phillips

The name the hill is now listed by is Parc Gwastod, and this was derived from the Tithe map, and it is adjoined to the Mynydd Pencarreg group of hills, which are situated in the south-western part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned encircled by minor roads with the B4333 road farther to its east, and has the town of Castellnewydd Emlyn (Newcastle Emlyn) towards the north.

When the listing that became known as The Welsh P15s was being compiled, this hill was included in the main list with 15m of drop, based on the 208m summit spot height that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, and the 193m bwlch spot height that appeared on the Ordnance Survey Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map. 

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

However, it was not until LIDAR became available that the details for this hill could be accurately re-assessed.  The LIDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) technique produced highly accurate height data that is now freely available for much of England and Wales.

Therefore, the reclassification of this hill to Welsh Sub-P15 status is due to LIDAR analysis, resulting in a 208.0m summit height and a 193.9m bwlch height, with these values giving this hill 14.2m 0f drop, which is insufficient for it to be classified as a Welsh P15. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Pencarreg 

Name:  Parc Gwastod 

OS 1:50,000 map:  145

Summit Height:  208.0m (LIDAR)                                                           

Summit Grid Reference:  SN 30059 35918 & SN 30061 35921 & SN 30070 35947 & SN 30073 35949 & SN 30076 35949 (LIDAR)                                                  

Bwlch Height:  193.9m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SN 30543 35784 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  14.2m (LIDAR) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips (April 2025)