Tuesday 15 November 2016

Reclassifications to the 2,000ft Mountains of England and of Wales – The Nuttalls



Bram Rigg Top (SD 668 964) has just been announced as a deleted English Nuttall with 14.7m of drop.  This now brings the total of English Nuttalls down to 254, with the Welsh total being 190.  A Nuttall is any hill in England and also in Wales that has a minimum height of 2,000ft (609.6m) and a minimum drop of 15m.  The list was compiled by John and Anne Nuttall and published by Cicerone Press in a two volume guide entitled The Mountains of England and Wales, volume 1 Wales and The Mountains of England and Wales, volume 2 England, with the first edition of each book published in 1989 and 1990 respectively.

Gathering data with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 during the Bram Rigg Top survey, the recently confirmed deleted Nuttall

There have been a number of reclassifications to these lists, and these appear below in receding order under the name used by John and Anne:


Bram Rigg Top    672.9m at SD 66830 96464

The first English Nuttall to be deleted since publication of John and Anne’s list and guidebook in 1990, with confirmation of the deletion via the Nuttall’s website on 12.11.16.  I surveyed this hill with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 on 10.10.15 and as the result of 14.7m (14.683m) of drop was insufficient to retain its Nuttall status I forwarded the result to John and Anne.  A line survey was later conducted on the hill on 06.10.16 by John Barnard and Graham Jackson with John and Anne also present.  The result confirmed the Trimble survey with 14.68m of drop.  Subsequently LIDAR analysis also gives the same 14.7m of drop and it is the summit height and position produced by this technique that is used above for this hill.  English Nuttall total confirmed as 254.




Craig Gwaun Taf    826.4m at SO 00548 20720

Confirmation of promotion via Joe Nuttall posting on the Yahoo groups RHB forum on 04.11.16, this being the result of Joe Nuttall relaying the information that LIDAR data gave this hill 15.783m of drop and asking me if I could survey it with the Trimble, the resulting Trimble GeoXH 6000 survey confirmed that with 16.1m this hill has sufficient drop to qualify as a Nuttall.  With later affirmation via the Nuttall’s website on 12.11.16.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 190.




Calf Top    609.61m at SD 66450 85624  

Confirmation of reclassification via the Nuttall’s website on 06.09.16.  This hill had been surveyed by John Barnard, Graham Jackson and myself using the Leica 530, firstly on the 15.04.10 when a two hour summit data set was gathered, and secondly on the 20.05.10 when a four hour summit data set was gathered.  Both data sets were subsequently processed by Ordnance Survey who confirmed that this hill was 609.58m high and therefore just 2cm under 2,000ft (609.6m) in height.  However, six years later the Ordnance Survey produced their new geoid model; OSGM15, resulting in all known accurate heights increasing by 2cm – 4cm throughout England and also Wales, this resulted in Calf Top increasing in known height to all of 6mm over 609.6m (2,000ft).  English Nuttall total confirmed as 255.




Moelwyn Mawr North Ridge Top    649.7m at SH 66099 45259

The second Welsh Nuttall to be deleted since publication of John and Anne’s list and guidebook in 1989.  Confirmation of deletion via the Nuttall’s website on the 05.08.15, reversing its inclusion (see below) after John Barnard, Graham Jackson and I line surveyed the hill and also surveyed it with a Leica GS15 and Trimble GeoXH 6000 on 16.06.15, resulting in the hill having 14.77m of drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 189.




Thack Moor    609.65m at NY 61166 46278 

Confirmation of reclassification via the Nuttall’s website on 03.04.13.  This hill had been surveyed by John Barnard, Graham Jackson and myself using the Leica 530 and Leica GS15, firstly on the 22.08.12 when a two hour summit data set was gathered, and secondly on the 03.03.13 when a four hour summit data set was gathered.  Both data sets were subsequently processed by Ordnance Survey who confirmed that this hill was 609.65m high and therefore over 2,000ft (609.6m) in height.  English Nuttall total confirmed as 254.




Mynydd Graig Goch    609.75m at SH 49732 48518 

Confirmation of promotion to the Nuttalls list on 19.09.07 at a Press Conference held in the Oakeley Room at Plas Tan-y-bwlch, Maentwrog.  This hill was first proposed as a prospective hill to survey by Aled Williams on the Nuttall’s message board, and the survey that resulted in this hill’s reclassification to a Nuttall was done in conjunction with Leica Geosystems with their representative; James Whitworth being the surveyor who operated the Leica 1200, Clwb Mynydda Cymru and the Snowdonia National Park Authority.  Present on the survey were John Barnard, Graham Jackson, Dewi Jones, Harold Morris, Anne Nuttall, John Nuttall, James Whitworth and myself.  Outside of The Munro Society commissioning CMCR Ltd to survey two hills in Scotland for Munro status this was the first time that Differential GPS equipment had been used outside of the Ordnance Survey to determine the accurate height of hills.  The resulting reclassification of Mynydd Graig Goch made headlines on the television, radio and throughout the national press.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 190.




Castell y Gwynt    972m at SH 65397 58181  

Confirmation of promotion to the Nuttalls list on 02.09.07.  There were two hills outstanding that needed accurately surveying out of the 166 hills I had surveyed for Nuttall status, and this hill was the second of them.  To my knowledge the hill was first proposed for Nuttall status by Dewi Jones, and I subsequently surveyed this hill on a number of occasions and forwarded the details to Dewi, and John and Anne, with all my surveys giving this hill over 15m of drop.  But it wasn’t until John Barnard, Dewi Jones and I teamed up that this hill was surveyed with a Leica Disto A8 on the 24.07.07, resulting in the hill having 15.95m of drop.  This hill was later surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 as having 15.9m of drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 189.




Carnedd y Filiast N Top    721m at SH 61751 63165 

Confirmation of promotion to the Nuttalls list on 02.09.07.  There were two hills outstanding that needed accurately surveying out of the 166 hills I had surveyed for Nuttall status, and this hill was one of them.  I surveyed this hill on a number of occasions and forwarded the details to Dewi, and John and Anne, but it wasn’t until John Barnard, Graham Jackson and I teamed up that this hill was surveyed with an Automatic Level and Staff on the 26.05.07, resulting in the hill having 16.1m of drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 188.




Cadair Bronwen NE Top    700m at SJ 08713 35222  

The first Welsh Nuttall to be deleted since publication of John and Anne’s list and guidebook in 1989.  Confirmation of deletion to the Nuttalls list on 02.09.07 with a suitably wet wake held on behalf of the hill on 19.08.07.  This hill was line surveyed by John Barnard and Graham Jackson on 03.03.07, resulting in the hill having 10.7m of drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 187.




Birks Fell    610m at SD 91878 76369 

Confirmation of promotion via the Nuttall’s wesbsite on 04.10.06 and confirmed on 05.10.06.  This hill had been proposed for inclusion as a Nuttall by several people, most notably John Barnard and Graham Jackson who on the 03.06.06 used an Automatic Level in calculating the height of the hill.  Subsequently John and Anne Nuttall had the height of the hill confirmed by Ordnance Survey and then accepted it into their list of English 2,000ft mountains.  English Nuttall total confirmed as 253.




Honister Crag    634.0m at NY 21247 14152 

The first new English Nuttall since publication of John and Anne’s list and guidebook in 1990.  Confirmation of promotion via the Nuttall’s wesbsite after John and Anne had surveyed the hill in November 2004.  This hill was proposed for inclusion as a Nuttall by Edwin Gradwell and Andy Moffat, and subsequently surveyed with the Leica RX1250 by Alan Dawson, resulting in the hill having 21.0m of drop.  English Nuttall total confirmed as 252.




Waun Garnedd-y-filiast    650m at SH 87404 45247

Confirmation of promotion via letter dated 21.10.99 after John and Anne had surveyed the hill.  I’d surveyed this hill on numerous occasions and forwarded the results to Dewi, and to John and Anne.  The hill was subsequently line surveyed by Harold Morris, Dewi Jones, John Williams and myself on 02.07.99 resulting in a 15.13m drop value.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 188.




Waun Lefrith    676.2m at SN 79820 21451

Confirmation of promotion via letter dated 16.09.99, with survey having been conducted by John and Anne Nuttall on 14.09.99.  This was the first hill I ever surveyed and repeated the process on a number of occasions and forwarded the results to John and Anne.  This hill was subsequently surveyed with the Trimble GeoXH 6000 by me, resulting in the hill having a 15.9m drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 187.




Waun Camddwr    621.7m at SH 84832 20712

Confirmation of promotion via letter dated 16.09.99, with survey having been conducted by John and Anne Nuttall on 10.09.99.  I’d surveyed this hill on a number of occasions and forwarded the results to John and Anne, with all my surveys giving this hill over 15m of drop.  This hill was subsequently line surveyed and surveyed with a Leica GS15 and Trimble GeoXH 6000 by John Barnard, Graham Jackson and myself, resulting in the hill having a 15.5m drop.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 186.




Moelwyn Mawr North Ridge Top    649.7m at SH 66099 45259

Confirmation of promotion via letter dated 12.08.98, with survey having been conducted by John and Anne Nuttall during the previous week.  I surveyed 166 hills for Welsh Nuttall status and this hill was the first hill confirmed through these surveys to enter the list of Nuttalls (it was also the second hill confirmed to lose its Nuttall status, see above for details).  The details from this hill’s survey were passed on to Dewi, and John and Anne, who all later surveyed it and came to the same conclusion that the hill just had sufficient drop to be included.  It was also rather ingeniously surveyed on the 25.05.98 by Joe and Tara Nuttall who used an almost full water bottle to ascertain its drop value.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 185.




Foel Meirch    c 800m at SH 65878 63744

Confirmation of promotion via letter to Dewi Jones dated 16.02.98, with survey having been conducted by John and Anne Nuttall on 15.02.98.  Having met Dewi in the car park at Bwlch y Groes I was inspired to take up surveying after he told me that ‘John and Anne had missed one on the northern ridge of Cnicht.’  I subsequently had a staff manufactured and took up the challenge to find a new Nuttall, and sent Dewi details of this hill which he then surveyed, passing the details on to John and Anne via letter.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 184.




Craiglwyn    623m at SH 73056 60891

Confirmation of promotion via letter to Dewi Jones in late 1997, with Dewi having proposed this hill as a prospective new Nuttall via letter to John and Anne Nuttall who subsequently surveyed it.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 183.




Cnicht North Top    688m at SH 64803 46870

Confirmation of promotion via article in the Rambling Today magazine, dated spring 1997, after Dewi Jones surveyed the hill with a rudimentary levelling staff, with the resulting qualifying drop value later confirmed by a line survey conducted by Harold Morris and Tudur Owain.  Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 182.

 


1990 - Cicerone Press publishes The Mountains of England and Wales, volume 2 England. 

English Nuttall total confirmed as 251.




1989 - Cicerone Press publishes The Mountains of England and Wales, volume 1 Wales. 

Welsh Nuttall total confirmed as 181.



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