Myrddyn Phillips - Mapping Mountains: Y Figyn

Showing posts with label Y Figyn. Show all posts

Wednesday, 9 June 2021

Mapping Mountains – Significant Name Changes – Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales

Y Figyn (SJ 175 085)

There has been a Significant Name Change to a hill that is listed in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales, with the summit height, bwlch height and their locations, the drop and status of the hill derived from LIDAR analysis and a subsequent Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey conducted by Myrddyn Phillips.

Y Figyn (SJ 175 085)

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

Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales. Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height that have 30m minimum drop, with an accompanying sub list entitled the Sub-Trichant with the criteria for this sub category being all Welsh hills at or above 300m and below 400m in height with 20m or more and below 30m of drop. The list is authored by Myrddyn Phillips, with the Introduction to the list and the renaming of it appearing on Mapping Mountains on the 13^th May 2017.

Y Trichant - The 300m Hills of Wales by Myrddyn Phillips

The hill is adjoined to the Carnedd Wen group of hills which are situated in the south-eastern part of North Wales (Region A, Sub-Region A4), and it is positioned with the B4392 road to its north, a minor road to its immediate south and the A458 road farther to its south, and has the town of Y Trallwng (Welshpool) towards the east.

When the original 300m height band of Welsh P30 hills were published on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website this hill was listed under the invented and transposed name of Bryn Graig, with an accompanying note stating; Name from buildings to the East.

Bryn Graig

309m

SJ175086

125

215/239

Name from buildings to the East

During my early hill listing I 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. My preference was to use farm names and put Pen, Bryn or Moel in front of them. This is not a practice that I now advocate 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.

Since publication of these P30 lists on Geoff Crowder’s v-g.me website there have been a number of Ordnance Survey maps made available online, some of these are historic such as the series of Six-Inch maps on the National Library of Scotland website, whilst others are current and digitally updated such as the old Vector Map Local hosted on the Geograph website and which was entitled the Interactive Coverage Map, and the interactive mapping on the Magic Maps and WalkLakes websites, and it is the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps that give the name of Y Figyn for the area taking in this hill.

Extract from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps

The detail given on the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps is also reproduced on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map, with the name placement on the 1:50,000 Landranger being more appropriate compared to its 1:25,000 Explorer counterpart.

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

Therefore, the name this hill is now listed by in the Y Trichant – The 300m Hills of Wales is Y Figyn, and this was derived from the Ordnance Survey series of Six-Inch maps with the detail reproduced on the contemporary Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger and 1:25,000 Explorer map.

The full details for the hill are:

Group: Carnedd Wen

Name: Y Figyn

Previously Listed Name: Bryn Graig

OS 1:50,000 map: 125

Summit Height: 309.1m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Summit Grid Reference: SJ 17527 08594 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Bwlch Height: 230.1m (LIDAR)

Bwlch Grid Reference: SJ 18071 08434 (LIDAR)

Drop: 79.0m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR bwlch)

Myrddyn Phillips (June 2021)

Tuesday, 13 April 2021

Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Carnedd Wen

10.02.21 Y Figyn (SJ 175 085), Y Golfa (SJ 173 073, previously Trimbled) and Y Golfa (SJ 182 070, previously Trimbled)

Y Golfa (SJ 182 070)

A light dusting of snow covered the ground as I left my bungalow. The air was chilled and parts of the canal were frozen. Above blue sky promised a good day ahead whilst toward the east the sun crested a small cloud bank hugging the sky line above Cefn Digoll and gave a slight warmed feel to the morning’s chill. It promised to be another good day on the hill.

I met Linda at The Raven and we were walking up the Cefnyspin Lane by just after 9.00am. Today we planned on combining Y Golfa with another hill; Y Figyn, which I had visited once before, in November 2004 when on a 20 mile walk which involved the scattering of my father’s ashes.

Heading up the Cefnyspin Lane

Today would no doubt be a less emotional affair and I was looking forward to it. The Cefnyspin Lane bisects the Frochas Lane and from here we had two options; an interesting route initially losing height and then using public footpaths following the steam valley up toward Y Figyn. The other a simpler route following the Frochas Lane before diverting toward Y Figyn on another lane, we opted for the latter.

The slight dusting of snow added to the landscape, with it accentuating and adding colour balance to the greened pasture. Snow is also fun to walk in, and any significant patches were aimed for, either to trample through or kick it up into the air. It was just good to be out again and have snow, however light the dusting.

Snow and blue sky - what isn't there to enjoy!

The lane leading toward Y Figyn proved a delightful way to approach the hill, and especially today with the succulent blues cascading from the sky. Until now the fierce bitingly cold easterly wind that had blown for the last few days had fortunately relented, but as height was gained a chilled easterly breeze skirted with the upper part of the hill.

The lane leading to Y Figyn

Prior to our visit I had LIDARed this hill. LIDAR does not cover its summit, but its connecting bwlch does have coverage. With the height and position of its bwlch determined all that was now needed was to Trimble its summit.

LIDAR bwlch image of Y Figyn

The high point of Y Figyn was easy to determine and as I set the Trimble up Linda sat out of the breeze and sorted out two warmed coffees. I stood and looked out across miles of land, much of it white with snow and frost, all of it looked inviting. The Y Berwyn looked particularly impressive with a good coating of snow, whilst the Aran and Cadair Idris also gleamed back at us. Nearer home the Breiddin seemingly floated above the Severn Valley and Shropshire Plain, rising out of the flat bedded river valley.

Gathering data at the summit of Y Figyn

Once the Trimble was packed away we followed public footpaths across descending fields toward a farm. On our way we encountered a bog beside a stream. I almost got stuck as my wellies became sucktioned in to the black slime. I fell at one point and lay sheepishly in the mud, smiling at my predicament. We then diverted from a field of cows and found the lane where the continuation of our route took us toward the Golf Club close to the summit of Y Golfa.

Descending from Y Figyn

Before a welcome rest outside the Golf Club we saw the season’s first lambs, had our onward route blocked by a pool across the track we were on, we then found an unfortunate sheep carcass directly below a stile which took us on to an old green track leading pleasantly up to the brackened slopes of Y Golfa. This soon led up to the manicured greens and a comforting twenty minutes sitting on a bench talking to George the Golf Club cat.

The snow-clad Y Berwyn

Between us and the high point of Y Golfa is a sub hill which I wanted to visit. I surveyed this hill in August 2014, but until now had not revisited its summit. It proved a wonderful viewpoint before losing height to the final climb of the day; to the trig pillar atop Y Golfa.

Y Figyn from Y Golfa

Nearing the summit of Y Golfa

This hill is proving an excellent companion during the current lock down. I’ve been drawn back to it on a number of occasions. It has never disappointed. Today the view leapt out. It was good to be back.

Heading down from the summit of Y Golfa with the Breiddin and Cefn Digoll in the distance

Our downward route followed its easterly ridge, on the way we met Caroline; an old work colleague who was heading up the hill. When we arrived back at The Raven we headed toward Christ Church to use a tap to wash our wellies, meeting another old work colleague on the way; Dave, who many years ago I’d done Wainwrights Coast to Coast with, as well as many hill walks, including the Three Peaks, it was good to see him and Liz again.