Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales

Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449) 

There has been a Significant Name Change with the details being retrospective to a hill that is listed in the Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from a Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit survey and LIDAR bwlch analysis conducted by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams. 

Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449)

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

Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales.  Welsh hills at or above 400m and below 500m in height that have 30m minimum drop, accompanying the main list are five categories of sub hills; 500m Sub-Pedwarau, 500m Double Sub-Pedwarau, 400m Sub-Pedwarau, 390m Sub-Pedwarau and the 390m Double Sub-Pedwarau.  The list is co-authored by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams and is published on Mapping Mountains in Google Doc format.

Y Pedwarau - The 400m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams

The hill is adjoined to the Mynydd Epynt group of hills, which are situated in the central part of South Wales (Region B, Sub-Region B1), and it is positioned with a minor road to its north and south-east, and the B4520 road to its west, and has the town of Llanfair-ym-Muallt (Builth Wells) towards the north.

The hill appeared in the original Welsh 400m P30 list compiled by Myrddyn Phillips and published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, under the directional name of Banc y Celyn South-West Top, with an accompanying note stating; Name from hill to the North-East.

Banc y Celyn South-West Top

430c

SO035450

147/160

188

Name from hill to the North-East

When Myrddyn Phillips first compiled this list he thought it appropriate to either invent a name for a hill, or use a name that appeared near to the summit of the hill on Ordnance Survey maps of the day.  His preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them or as in this instance use a directional name based on supplanting the name of a near hill and adding a directional component to it.  This is not a practice that he now advocates as with time and inclination place-name data can be improved either by asking local people or by examining historic documents, through this form of research an appropriate name for the hill can usually be found. 

Extract from the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map

However, on occasion even when research is conducted an appropriate name for the hill may not be found, and on such occasions the listing protocol is to use the point notation, and this is the protocol adopted when Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams became co-authors of this list and the 1^st edition of the Y Pedwarau was published by Europeaklist in May 2013.  This hill was then listed under the point (Pt. c 430m) notation with an estimated c 33m of drop, based on interpolation of the small uppermost 430m summit ring contour that appears on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map and an estimated c 397m bwlch height, based on interpolation of 10m contouring between 390m – 400m. 

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

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales is Pt. 428.9m, and this is being used as the authors have not found an appropriate name for the hill either through historic research and/or local enquiry. 

 

The full details for the hill are: 

Group:  Mynydd Epynt 

Name:  Pt. 428.9m 

Previously Listed Name:  Banc y Celyn South-West Top 

OS 1:50,000 map:  147, 160 

Summit Height:  428.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 03592 44968 (Trimble GeoXH 6000) 

Bwlch Height:  396.7m (LIDAR) 

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 03648 45409 & SO 03664 45405 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  32.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch) 

 

Myrddyn Phillips and Aled Williams (March 2025)

  

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Mynydd Epynt

 

02.11.24  Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449) 

Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449)

Lack of daylight hours dictated that this was our last hill of the day.  It was 3.20pm when we set off from the narrow road that bisects this hill from its higher neighbour to the north.

At this time of year the hill consists of grass and dulled autumnal bracket.  Green tracks lead across the hill, bisecting at points, giving both farmers and hill walkers ease of passage.  The underfoot conditions and the rolling nature of the land hereabouts give a semblance of gentleness to the hill.  It was an ideal choice for our last hill of the day and would give Charles a new P30.  I had previously visited the hill in 2008 when including it in a good lengthy circuit with its higher northerly neighbour. 

Convenient place to park a car

Leaving the car I followed Charles on a green track that contoured its way around an intermediary bump.  Although there was no breeze, a slight chilled feeling pervaded the hill as late afternoon gently turned to dusk.  This only added to the quality of being out in such land. 

Heading for the hill

Wet surrounds indicated the low points of the track as it continued around a second intermediary bump, which again we bi-passed with the track contouring its way around.  From here it was only a short distance to the high point of the hill which reared up in front of us as an elongated flattish broad ridge.

Prior to visiting I had LIDAR’ed the hill and although the ten figure summit grid reference proved not to be needed, as I eventually resorted to sighting by eye, I nevertheless initially used the Trimble as a hand-held device to zero in on what LIDAR gives as the summit position. 

LIDAR image of Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449)

However, the summit consists of numerous small bumps, a number of which vied for the high point.  It was now that I dispensed with the grid reference produced by LIDAR and sighted across the top from a number of directions before choosing what was judged as the high point.  The Trimble was soon set up gathering data. 

Charles heading for the summit

During data collection I stood away from the equipment writing all necessary detail in my surveying notebook.  Once five minutes of data were gathered and stored I walked back to the equipment, turned it off and took a few photos.  Before packing it away we were joined by an enthusiastic Tess the dog and her human companion, who unfortunately neither of us asked her name.  I had spotted her a while earlier as she ran across the hill, she was now heading toward us and asked what we were doing, having thought we may be studying ferns. 

Gathering data at the summit of Pt. 428.9m (SO 035 449)

It was lovely meeting her; she lived on a small holding near by and used this and its adjacent hill to run on.  During the conversation Tess ran this way and that, a never ending four legged bundle of enthusiastic energy jumping up to greet us whilst barking her happiness. 

At the summit

As the two of them ran off down the hill we also headed down toward the near green track, and then retraced our inward route.  The walk had taken just over an hour and by the time we arrived back at the car, dusk was setting. 

 

Survey Result:           

 

Pt. 428.9m (significant name change)  

Summit Height:  428.9m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 03592 44968 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height:  396.7m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 03648 45409 & SO 03664 45405 (LIDAR)

Drop:  32.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Dominance:  7.49% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)  

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet