Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

 

28.08.21  Stonewall Hill (SO 318 696) 

Stonewall Hill (SO 318 696)

Stonewall Hill had previously been surveyed on the 17^th July, just over five weeks later and Aled and I were again back on its summit.  We parked on the high narrow lane that skirts the border with England and headed back to its high point for more summit data.  The reason for doing so was that the higher of two previous summit surveys came to 399.97m, just 3cm below 400m. 

Stonewall Hill is one of two hills that are listed under the newly created status of National Top, each are now included in the Y Pedwarau – The 400m Hills of Wales list, the other being Hergest Ridge (SO 246 557).  The concept of National Tops is explained in a separate post and for the lists co-authored with Aled Williams, this status affects just these two hills. 

The summit of Stonewall Hill consists of a mound; its highest part has slight undulations but only comprises a small area.  We debated whether three or five further surveys were sufficient.  Four are documented and combined with the two previous surveys give six in all. 

Once on the summit Aled prodded around and we quickly decided the approximate position for each survey.  We then spent about 50 minutes hunkered below the survey equipment as it gathered one data set closely followed by another. 

Gathering data at the summit of Stonewall Hill

We debated whether this was the most unusual Trimble survey to have taken place, as the hill is now a National Top, which is a new concept, this was a re-survey, it is positioned within a couple of minutes’ walk from a road and the summit is on top of a mound of unknown origin. 

However, it is a good little top and has extensive views out toward the Clee Hills.  Once all data sets were gathered and stored we headed back to the car.  The processed result will tell us whether this hill makes it to the 400m height barrier! 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Stonewall Hill

Summit Height:  400.1m (converted to OSGM15) (400m Sub-Pedwar addition under National Top status) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 31823 69655  

Bwlch Height:  376.4m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 31273 70279 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Drop:  23.8m

Dominance:  5.95%

 

 

For details on the 1^st summit survey of Stonewall Hill

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

 

 

 

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

17.07.21  Stonewall Hill (SO 318 696) 

Stonewall Hill (SO 318 696)

Stonewall Hill was the second National Top that Aled and I planned on visiting and surveying during the day.  We had just visited the first; the Welsh summit of Hergest Ridge (SO 246 557) and duly surveyed it.  

The border hereabouts follows the course of a narrow lane with the summit of The Warren (SO 318 685) which is classified as an English Sub-Four, just to its east, whilst the summit of Stonewall Hill is just in Wales.  The concept of National Tops is explained in a separate post and for the lists co-authored with Aled Williams, this status affects just these two hills. 

If wanting, the narrow road that follows the border before veering eastward gives opportunity for a quick ascent of The Warren and the National Top of Stonewall Hill.  I’d previously visited The Warren so waited beside my car as Aled walked to its high point.  Once Aled had returned I drove the short distance on the continuation of the narrow road and pulled in beside the gate that gives access to a public footpath leading through the mixed wood to the summit of Stonewall Hill. 

By now the heat was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and especially so if doing any form of excursive.  As I got my camera, map and rucksack out of the car and then locked it, I could hear a good deal of bashing going on, this came from the undergrowth on the opposing side of the gate; Aled was submerged in the public footpath that doesn’t seem to be used very often as summer growth had formed a jungle around its narrow confines. 

By the time I joined Aled a path of sorts was emerging through the undergrowth aided by a branch that was being used to swat the long grass, nettles and any other form of greenery that had swamped the path.  I was glad it was Aled doing this and not me as all I wanted was the easiest route and as little uphill as possible, even following in Aled’s footsteps was tiring. 

On the path through the wood

Eventually the undergrowth gave way to easier conditions through the mixed wood and led us to a mound which had a stunted tree near its high point; leading to it was a sea of green fern.  This was the summit of the newly acclaimed Nation Top of Stonewall Hill.  Considering the conditions we had walked through, the summit was relatively open which gave good opportunity for the Trimble to log on to orbiting satellites. 

Approaching the summit of Stonewall Hill

Once at the top Aled assessed the lay of land and we decided to take two data sets, about one metre apart.  During data collection Aled sat below the equipment to its immediate south and I scribbled all necessary detail in my surveying notebook. 

Gathering data at the summit of Stonewall Hill

Adjacent to the summit of Stonewall Hill was a ploughed field, between the summit and the field’s easy underfoot conditions was a barb wired fence, and beyond the field the narrow road.  This looked an easier route back when compared to retracing our inward trek, and once the Trimble had gathered and stored its second data set I closed it down, packed it away and in to the field we went.  From here it was only a short walk back to the car. 

The two National Tops had now been visited and surveyed and their newly acquired classifications confirmed.  It had been a good morning on the hill, but one hill still remained to visit; Farrington Bank (SO 305 699).

 

Survey Result: 

 

Stonewall Hill

Summit Height:  400.1m (converted to OSGM15, from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey) (400m Sub-Pedwar addition under National Top status) (significant height revision)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 31823 69655 (from subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)   

Bwlch Height:  376.4m (converted to OSGM15, from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 31273 70279 (from previous Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey)

Drop:  23.8m

Dominance:  5.95%

For details on the 2nd survey of Stonewall Hill 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

 

  

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

09.03.17  Cefn Nedd (SO 185 965)

Cefn Nedd (SO 185 965)

Cefn Nedd forms a neat triangle of land enclosed by minor roads above and to the south-east of the Afon Hafren (River Severn).  The name of Cefn Nedd is more strictly applicable to the uppermost enclosed field where the summit of the hill is situated, with the name deriving from the Tithe map, whilst the name usually given this hill in listings; Goron Ddu, is confirmed from local enquiry to be applicable to the lower slopes of the hill that overlook the Afon Hafren, this is where the name appears on the current Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map.

As I parked my car on the side of the road next to the field enclosing the area of the bwlch, a farm vehicle approached, I flagged it down and talked with a local farmer for ten minutes or so, he confirmed where the name of Goron Ddu applied to, and had no objection to me taking a series of data sets in the fields next to the minor road close to the outskirts of Llandyssil.

The first data set I took was close to where the 119m spot height appears on Ordnance Survey maps, to do so I placed the Trimble on the roof of my car and measured a 1.46m offset to the road.  Over the next 90 minutes I took a further five data sets from the area of the bwlch, with the majority of these on the broad valley to valley traverse.  During this process the land remained quiet with just an occasion passing car and a distant farm vehicle chugging up a country lane breaking the silence.

The first data set at the bwlch

The third data set at the bwlch with the village of Llandyssil in the background

The fourth data set at the bwlch

The sixth data set at the bwlch

Packing the Trimble away I walked back toward the car happy in the knowledge that I judged most if not all eventualities for the position of this hill’s critical bwlch had been surveyed. 

As the weather was proving glorious with thick blue skies above and warmth cascading the land, I dispensed with my fleece.  It was a day to savour with the heralding of spring and new growth showing green in hedgerows.

I drove up the lane toward the summit of Cefn Nedd and parked beside the entrance to Coed y Wig.  An old green lane heads toward the hill from here and I followed it to two gates which give access to the upper field.

I passed this beautifully sculptured tree on the ascent of Cefn Nedd

The summit of Cefn Nedd consists of closely cropped grass close to the slopes of a wooded copse, the views northward down the Severn Valley toward Cefn Digoll and the Breiddin are expansive with both floating above the plain below.

Gathering data at the summit of Cefn Nedd

The Trimble set-up position at the summit of Cefn Nedd

After five minutes of summit data were gathered I headed back to the two gates and the old green track, a farm vehicle was approaching the green lane from the field opposite and not wanting to miss an opportunity for place-name research I waved and headed toward it.  I chatted with its occupant; Alan Harding for quite some time, he also confirmed the land where Goron Ddu is situated and gave me a number of names for local hills.

Alan Harding

After thanking Alan for his time it was only a short walk back to my car, on my way down toward it my mind wandered as the greened fields shone in front, a delicate patchwork of curves smoothed with years of grazing and interspersed with bordered and stunted trees giving slight variety to the land.  It had been a good few hours in the sunshine and enthused me to get out again the next day with the Trimble.

A greened patchwork

     

Survey Result:

Cefn Nedd (significant name change)

Summit Height:  207.2m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 18524 96503

Bwlch Height:  118.1m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 19564 95699

Drop:  89.1m (non Subhump status confirmed)

Dominance:  42.99% 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

07.03.17  Cribyn (SO 198 917) and Wood Field (SO 206 916)

Cribyn (SO 198 917)

A peaceful serenity captured the land as I headed out; my destination was only 30 minutes away by car and therefore relatively local.  As I parked in Sarn the village was quiet except for a friendly looking prospective dog walker who had lead in hand with his accompanying dog barking and chomping at the proverbial bit.  I walked toward him and introduced myself and we chatted for ten minutes or so about the local hills, he couldn’t help me with their names but explained that in all likelihood the person at the farm up the road on the left, could.  As he was telling me this, guess who drove down the steep lane and headed out of the village; the person at the farm up the road on the left.

I thanked the dog walker for his time and set off up the steepening lane and within a minute the farmer was returning home and I duly flagged him down, a couple of minutes later I was sitting in his vehicle chatting about the hills, after introducing myself I explained my interest in upland place-names, he told me his name; Mark Bufton, and that the hill above his farm is known as the Cribben, this is Mark’s spelling for the hill name and is an obvious Anglicisation of the Welsh word Cribyn, Mark cannot speak Welsh and did not know the meaning of the name.  The Cribyn is the 241m map heighted hill at SO 198 917 and rises directly above Mark’s farm, and although the high point of the hill is not a part of Mark’s land, its southern slopes are.

Mark Bufton with the Cribyn in the background

Meeting Mark was a bonus as I did not plan to visit his farm, let alone the summit of Cribyn which I’d previously visited on 24^th July 2004, my planned destination of the day was the 239m map heighted summit of Wood Field (SO 206 916) which I had not previously visited and I hoped to call in at Mount Nebo, the local farm to this hill and make enquiries about its name.  This latter hill was listed as Gwern-y-go in the Welsh P30 lists when published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website, and prior to this morning’s walk I’d studied the Tithe map which names the field where the summit of the hill is situated as Wood Field, hopefully the farmer at Mount Nebo would either confirm this name or give me a name in local use, however I’d been told by the helpful dog walker that the farmer at Mount Nebo was not local and had only been there a few years.

After thanking Mark for his time I walked back up the track from his farm and crossed a wonky foot stile into the adjacent field where the critical bwlch for Wood Field lay.  I assessed the lay of land from a number of directions and proceeded to gather five minutes of data from where I judged the critical bwlch to be positioned.

Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Wood Field

During the time that the Trimble gathered data I looked up at Cribyn and it was so close that I decided I’d better re-visit and whilst there, survey its summit.  By now the subdued early morning sunshine had sprung out from behind high cloud, but as I followed a public footpath down and then up fields toward the high point of the Cribyn the radiant colour faded as the cloud submerged the sun, and it remained so for the rest of the walk.

The Cribyn from the bwlch connecting it to Wood Field

The summit of the Cribyn is in a closely cropped grassy field next to a small copse of trees with their entangled bracken and undergrowth adding variety to the immediate landscape.  As I positioned the Trimble atop my rucksack a number of inquisitive sheep and accompanying lambs wanted to head directly toward it, and as the customary five minutes of data were gathered I had to shoo them away on a couple of occasions.

On the ascent of the Cribyn

Wood Field from the higher slopes of the Cribyn

Gathering data at the summit of the Cribyn

Once the Trimble was packed away I retraced my route down to the track leading to Cefnyberin Isaf and joined the lane toward the track leading to Mount Nebo, as I wandered toward this next farm I waved at the farmer who sped into the farmyard on a quad bike.  We chatted for a few minutes but although helpful he did not know a name for either the hill or the uppermost field, and therefore the Tithe name of Wood Field is being used for this hill.

The onward route toward the top of Wood Field was through two fields with their gate entrances full of wet mud and slurry, thankfully my wellies which had started to leak and had served me well during the last three seasons of winter walks had now been replaced with a shining new pair of green ones and these proved ideal for the route ahead.  I’d read that the summit of Wood Field is on pasture beside the entrance into its field, but I found the high point to be beyond this point, as I proceeded to gather data from two points in the field I stood content with the morning’s outing, and patiently waited for the Trimble to do its stuff.

Gathering data at the summit of Wood Field

Leaving the summit of Wood Field I retraced my way back toward Mount Nebo farm and followed the track back to the lane and walked down into Sarn.  It had been good to get out after a few weeks away from the hills.   

  

Survey Result:

Cribyn (significant name change)

Summit Height:  241.5m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 19882 91763

Drop:  39m

Dominance:  16.15%
  

Wood Field (significant name change)

Summit Height:  238.6m (converted to OSGM15)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 20602 91617

Bwlch Height:  207.2m (converted to OSGM15)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 20014 91477

Drop:  31.5m (200m Twmpau status confirmed)

Dominance:  13.19%

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Beacon Hill

14.08.15  Gaer (SO 114 698)  

Gaer (SO 114 698)

As I drove south the persistent rain that had fallen during the night continued, Aled and I were heading to the Powys Archive at Llandrindod to examine Enclosure Maps and their accompanying Awards.  We had booked the facility’s two microfilm viewers as the numbers appearing on the Maps are referenced in the Awards, therefore two machines are required to reference a number against a name.  Our endeavours found some interesting names but as Aled whizzed through the maps calling out the occasional number I tried to find the correct reference, with many seemingly not to exist.  This form of research can send you a bit bonkers and I ended up this way after a fruitless search for four different numbers.  When the Archive closed it was time to get our boots on and visit a couple of hills as although the sky was overcast the rain had now stopped.

The first hill we visited is named Gaer and it stands above the small community of Llanddewi Ystradenni, which is situated a few miles north-east of Llandrindod.  We parked near to where a right of way leaves the road, with a good little circular walk being easily devised as this footpath soon splits with one branch heading northward toward the hill and the other heading eastward before swinging across fields up toward the hill.

We opted for the eastward footpath and walked on a vehicle track with puddled water looking forlorn in the track’s ruts.  Gaer is quite a bulky hill and it was on grand display above the hedgerow as we walked down the track, our onward route lay through a gate on steep pastoral land and as Aled zig-zagged his way up I followed, occasionally I would sneak ahead when he stopped to take a photo.

Heading up toward the summit of Gaer

We decided to head straight up the hill instead of following the continuation of the sometimes indistinct path, this meant one stretch over a fence and a delicate manoeuvre through a large clump of nettles.  This brought us out high on the hill, but there was still a five minute wander to its high point.  The summit of the hill consists of grass and the views are extensive, it was relatively easy to determine the high point and once the Trimble was set up and gathering data I joined Aled, had a chat and soaked in the view.

The Trimble set-up position at the summit of Gaer

The colour was not great as the grey mass of cloud gave a silken after rain feel to the land, but the views compensated, after I packed the Trimble away we headed south and then west to join the track which heads up to the southern side of this hill’s summit.  Across the valley Buddugre (SO 089 700) stared back at us large and green.

Heading down from the summit of Gaer

Across the valley Buddugre stared back at us

As we got back to the car we had a quick sort out of gear and pressed on to our next hill; Castell Tinboeth (SO 089 754).

 

Survey Result:

Gaer

Summit Height:  417.4m (LIDAR)

Summit Grid Reference:  SO 11432 69801 (LIDAR)

Bwlch Height:  308.4m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference:  SO 14462 72427 (LIDAR)

Drop:  109.0m (LIDAR)

Dominance:  26.11% (LIDAR)

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