18.07.16
Y Drum (SN 828 846), Esgair y Maesnant (SN 832 862), Tor Du (SN 842
856), Y Foel (SN 838 842) and Tir Gwyn (SN 848 841)
 |
| Y Foel (SN 838 842) |
I’d wanted to re-visit
these hills for a number of years and accurately survey the summits and bylchau
of Esgair y Maesnant and Tor Du, the latter was only classified as a Dewey
after a rudimentary survey that I had conducted in July 2000, whilst the former
is currently listed as having 29m of drop.
Each hill and their
adjacent neighbours can be combined in a good circuit from the south following
the infant Afon Gwy (River Wye) as it meanders up to its source amongst the
high Pumlumon.
The access to this
valley and the hills above follows a number of vehicle tracks set in place
partly for the local farmer, but mainly for rallying. As I left my car and walked over the road to
the farm yard of what is commonly known as Sweet Lambs I met four or five
farmers happily lazing in the early morning sun vapouring on their E-cigarettes,
this I thought rather unusual, where once a cigarette’s smoke would linger
amongst the early morning scent of summer, it had been replaced by an electronic
cigarette, somehow the whole scene looked a little out of place. I stopped and chatted for ten minutes or so
and asked about the names of the local hills, many were confirmed as what the
map gives with one or two locally known names also given. As I thanked them for their time I turned to
head up the track as they all made a move to their various vehicles. Passing a pick-up truck one of the men; Huw
Meyrick, started talking about the hills and their names and I stopped and the
conversation continued, five minutes later I was sitting in his pick-up truck
with two sheep dogs in the back as Huw drove up the track and dropped me off
high on the hill at the bwlch that connects Y Drum with Esgair y Maesnant. This had probably saved me 90 minutes of
walking and as the forecast for the day predicted hot weather with temperatures
in the mid 20’s I was thankful for the lift.
We stood outside the pick-up for a while and Huw pointed out each hill
and gave its name, encounters like this are to be welcomed and are proving more
common on my hill walks.
 |
| Huw Meyrick and accompanying dogs |
As Huw drove up the
continuation of the track I shouldered my rucksack and walked up the opposing track
to the summit of Y Drum, a 462m map heighted Pedwar. By now it was pleasantly warm with only a
slight breath of breeze, the land looked inviting and green with early morning
low cloud over the high Pumlumon ridge being quickly burnt off.
After gathering five
minutes of data from the summit of Y Drum I retraced my steps back down the
track to the connecting bwlch and set the Trimble up on the track where the
valley to valley traverse met the hill to hill traverse, five minutes later the
equipment was packed away and I continued on the track contouring around the
south-western slopes of Bryn Daith; a minor 498m map heighted lump.
 |
| Gathering data at the summit of Y Drum |
 |
| Gathering data at the bwlch of Y Drum |
 |
| Y Drum (SN 828 846) in centre of photograph |
The next point to survey
was the critical bwlch of Esgair y Maesnant, which is listed as a marginal 500m
Sub-Twmpau. The area of the bwlch looks
out toward the south-eastern slopes of Pumlumon Arwystli and across to the
north to the first conifers of the Hafren Forest. It isn’t an easy bwlch to judge where the
critical point lies as the ground undulates and comprises tussock grass and
heather. I took data from three points
all on the hill to hill traverse, and took two data sets from the point I
visually judged to be that of the critical bwlch.
 |
| Gathering data from one of four data sets taken on the area of the bwlch of Esgair y Maesnant with part of the Hafren Forest in the background |
All this takes time and
as I left the bwlch to walk up to the summit of Esgair y Maesnant the sun beat
down as it would do for the remainder of the day. I sometimes wonder how on earth I surveyed
some of the hills with my old wooden staff as many are on unremitting ground
where tussocks predominate, and Esgair y Maesnant is such a hill. When I surveyed this hill I never ventured
down to its connecting bwlch with Tor Du and just took a reading with a spirit
level aligned with the high point of Esgair y Maesnant, this gave me an
approximate 5ft difference in height with Tor Du being the higher. Having the Trimble gives me the opportunity
to re-visit such hills and give each an accurate height and drop.
I took three data sets
from the summit area of Esgair y Maesnant, two close to where its 504m summit
spot height appears on Ordnance Survey maps, and the third from the high point
of its easterly 500m ring contour which is given a 502m spot height on the
Ordnance Survey enlarged map on the Geograph website. After this I walked down into long grassed mayhem.
 |
| Gathering data from the summit of Esgair y Maesnant |
The continuation of my
planned route now took me towards the bwlch that I didn’t visit when I surveyed
these hills with my old rudimentary staff.
The underfoot conditions proved problematic as the grasslands were vast
and luxuriant, beautiful in their own right with greens piecing the view, but
they proved a leg sapping nightmare to walk through!
 |
| Long green luxuriant tussock grass, beautiful to look at but a major obstacle to walk through |
The bwlch proved
relatively easy to find where its critical point lay, which was a surprise
considering the assortment of roughness hereabouts. I took two data sets from the same point and
having packed the equipment away I stumbled through the thick tussock grass
down to the joys of one of the tracks that meander around these hills. As I reached the track I walked a few metres
uphill and had to stop and regain my breath, the afternoon was proving
decidedly warm and I was suffering.
 |
| Gathering data at the bwlch of Tor Du |
The track soon split
with each branch encircling the summit of Tor Du; I headed on the left hand
branch and slowly plodded up to the summit.
It really was overly warm to be out on the hills, some people enjoy the
real warmth of summer and luxuriate in its charms on the hill, I’ve found that
it makes me wilt and have learnt to accustom my pace to its incessant
debilitation. I took another two data
sets from the same summit position atop Tor Du and in the process tried to
recover and stop sweating.
 |
| Gathering data from the summit of Tor Du |
 |
| Y Foel from the summit of Tor Du |
Tracks now led all the
way to the summit of my next hill of the day; Y Foel. On the way I took a diversion to survey its
bwlch which was positioned to the east of the track and adjacent to a small
conifer plantation. Its critical point
was at or very near to the boundary fence separating the trees in a conifer
plantation from the grassland of the hillsides.
A fence post above where I judged the critical bwlch to lie proved a
convenient place to position the Trimble, and although the post was only narrow
the Trimble just had enough room to balance on top, I quickly measured a 1.14m
offset between the equipment’s internal antenna and the ground at the base of
the fence post and once the 0.1m accuracy level was attained, I pressed ‘Log’
and scampered away for the next five minutes of data collection.
 |
| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Y Foel |
After this bwlch survey
I slowly plodded back to the track and on my way up it toward the summit of Y
Foel I realised that the sun was taking its toll as my arms and legs were burnt
and my body was flagging, I dread to think how I would have felt if I hadn’t
got the lift earlier in the day. The
summit of Y Foel once had a large mast on it which is now recumbent and rusting;
I took another two data sets, both to the north of where its base has now been
upended.
 |
| An ingenious way for a farm vehicle to bi-pass a gate and for livestock to remain in their enclosure |
 |
| Tor Du from the track to Y Foel |
 |
| Gathering data from the summit area of Y Foel |
I only had one hill left
to survey; Tir Gwyn, and although the continuation of the track headed down to
near its bwlch I decided rather stupidly to head straight for it and got bogged
down and floundered in huge tussocks, to the point that I gave up and aimed for
the track which was now on my right, when I arrived on it I plodded down to a
near gate and rested.
I’d only visited Tir Gwyn
once before and had a memory that a vehicle track on the moor led to its
summit, but it was the bwlch I now wanted to visit and thankfully a vehicle
track led through the grass and heather towards where its critical point
lay. I took another three data sets from
the area of this hill’s bwlch and whilst the Trimble gathered its individual
five minute data sets I sat in the heather and recovered. Although close to the track, which itself is
relatively close to the valley and the A 44 as it marches westward from Llangurig
toward Aberystwyth, the surrounds of the bwlch were beautiful and wild, few
people must visit as there doesn’t seem a reason why one would, but its
quietness and luxuriant undergrowth portrayed peacefulness.
 |
| Gathering data at the critical bwlch of Tir Gwyn |
Once back on the vehicle
track I followed it to high on the hill and diverted as it run out and I then headed
straight toward the summit, this was the last of 20 data sets taken during the
day, and once five minutes of data were collected I headed back down to the
track and pottered down toward the valley below. This proved a hot grind as the day was now
very warm without any form of breeze, and even walking down hill I had to take
rests as my body had succumbed to the heat.
Once back at the car I sat and rested in the sunshine and luxuriated in
the joy and comfort of movement that had ceased.
 |
| Gathering data from the summit of Tir Gwyn, the 20th and last data set of the day |
Survey Result:
Y Drum
Summit Height: 461.1m (LIDAR)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 82821 84600 (LIDAR)
Bwlch Height: 416.7m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 82972 85002 (LIDAR)
Drop: 44.4m (LIDAR)
Dominance: 9.62% (LIDAR)
Esgair y Maesnant
Summit Height: 503.6m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 83220 86275
Bwlch Height: 476.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 82792 86427
Drop: 27.3m
Dominance: 5.42%
Summit Height: 505.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 84268 85679 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 472.6m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 83837 85962 (LIDAR)
Drop: 33.0m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Dominance: 6.53% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)
Y Foel
Summit Height: 545.8m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 83826 84206
Bwlch Height: 468.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 83788 85410
Drop: 77.5m
Dominance: 14.21%
