27.09.20 Tomen y Mur (SH 705 386)
 |
Tomen y Mur (SH 705 386)
|
When I first discovered
hill walking one of the joys was winter time.
The shortened daylight hours gave opportunity to open maps and plan
routes for the following year. When looking
through these Ordnance Survey maps I remember first coming across references to
a Roman Amphitheatre, Roman Road, Roman Fort and Roman Practice Works. All of which were placed just to the north of
Trawsfynydd. I was intrigued, but the
pull of higher hills dominated my perspective for many years to come.
All of the above relate to
a Roman Fort complex known as Tomen y Mur, and today, along with my brother;
Bryn, I visited for the first time. The
visit did not disappoint.
The Fort complex was
built during the governance of Gnaeus Julius Agricola in AD 78, and was
abandoned around AD 140. A thousand
years later during the Norman period the site was re-occupied and fortified
with a Motte within the walls. It is
this Motte that is now the centrepiece of the complex.
A number of months ago
I’d analysed the summit and bwlch of this hill via LIDAR, partly for any
prospective future visit, but also to determine the drop value for the
hill. The LIDAR image for Tomen y Mur
appears below.
 |
LIDAR image of Tomen y Mur
|
We met on the outskirts
of Trawsfynydd and then drove the short distance up a minor road to the small
car park that serves visitors to the site.
An information board and large stone with the Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri /
Snowdonia National Park emblem with the name Tomen y Mur appearing below are
positioned beside the parking area, with the information board giving a
suggested walking route through the complex.
 |
The Snowdonia National Park emblem
|
We’d picked a good day to
visit as early autumnal skies were blue and the air had a slight crispness to
it. A gate gave access to the site and a
path led toward an old ruined house at the foot of the Motte, which lends
itself to the extended name of Castell Tomen y Mur.
 |
Heading toward the old ruined farm house and the Motte
|
The Motte dominates the
site and rises similar to an ancient Bronze Age burial mound. Close to its base are the old ruined
farmhouse and a reconstructed part of the walled complex.
 |
Part of the reconstructed wall
|
Wandering around Tomen y
Mur reminded me of one aspect why I love Wales so, as the site has little
fanfare and benefits for it. Today we
had the whole complex to ourselves. With
information, if needed, given by a number of unobtrusive interpretation boards,
each positioned beside places of importance.
 |
Approaching the high point of Tomen y Mur
|
Being here I wanted to
survey the high point of the site which nowadays is the top of the Motte. Steep on all sides and with the signs of a
few routes of ascent we plodded up to where the view opened across to the
higher Eryli peaks with the near Moelwynion lined one hill after another, and
to our south the expanse of Llyn Traswfynydd glistened in the early morning
sunshine.
 |
Bryn at the summit of Tomen y Mur
|
It only took a few
moments to set the Trimble up and gather its allotted data. Once data were stored I closed the equipment
down and savoured the view.
 |
Gathering data at the summit of Tomen y Mur
|
We now headed toward the
remains of the bath house on a part of the old Roman road of Sarn Helen. Close by was where this road bridged a stream
tributary and you can still make out where the bridge must once have been.
Our route back took us
to the remains of the amphitheatre which is beside the small parking area, and
separated from it by a sturdy Welsh stone wall.
We walked its embankments before heading back to the car. The visit took a leisurely hour and was one
I’d recommend.
Survey Result:
Tomen y Mur
Summit Height: 303.2m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH
6000) (significant height revision)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 70544 38679 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 288.1m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 70674 38754 (LIDAR)
Drop: 15.1m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch) (Welsh Sub-P15 reclassified to Welsh P15)
Dominance: 4.99% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR
bwlch)
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
