14th August 2008 New Mountain in Wales?
Bwlch y Moch and Mynydd Graig Goch surveys Surveyors above Bwlch y Moch The party comprised Myrddyn Phillips, Dewi Jones, Harold Morris, John and Anne Nuttall, David Purchase, the surveyors John Barnard and Graham Jackson and, most important of all, James Whitworth from Leica Geosystems who had generously agreed to provide the company's survey technology. The rain held off until Bwlch y Moch was reached and the proposed
top above it. The equipment was then lashed to the summit and
weighted with stones. The
prospect of two hours waiting in the rain did not appeal, but that's how long
the Ordnance Survey requires measurements to be recorded (apparently the figure
can vary over time). However the surveyors hunched over the summit suddenly
rose to their feet and began dismantling the equipment. Alas, the height
was well below 2000ft. The summit is defended by a six foot wall to discourage
all but determined baggers and beyond, through the scudding cloud, we could just
make
out the rocky tor of the summit. Already the equipment was lashed to the
top (the thought of it falling off after one hour fifty five minutes was too
awful to contemplate) and after only a few minutes the news came "It's
awfully close, possible over 2000ft, but we shall
have to wait until all the data has been run through the surveyors' software and
verified by the Ordnance Survey. The surveyors plus Myrddyn were in for a
two hour wait, but the rest of us retreated to the valley - where it was quite a
nice day really. |