Bwlch y Moch and Mynydd Graig Goch surveys
On Monday 11th
August 2008 a surveying party set off from Pen-y-pass to discover whether either
or both of the 609m tops proposed by Graham Jackson and John Barnard were in
fact over 2000ft. The weather, following tradition, was lousy with the
wind driven rain so loud that communication at times was impossible. After
one particularly vicious squall Myrddyn commented to Anne that he hadn't been
out in such bad conditions since he last came a walk with us!
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.
Mynydd Graig Goch from Llyn Cwm
Dulyn
So now it was off to the Nantlle Ridge. People reaching Garnedd-goch on
this, one of the best ridge walks in Wales, must often have wondered whether the
summit beyond should be included, but the OS unequivocally records it as
609m. Opting for the quickest approach we set off from Llyn Cwm
Dulyn and with a hint of blue in the sky our spirits rose, only to be dashed
shortly after as the rain redoubled its onslaught. The surveyors raced for
the top while laggards John and Anne trailed in the rear - well, we had to take
the photos didn't we?
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.
Mynydd Graig Goch summit
