cawatson666@gmail.comA summary of the main changes from Chris Watson
This page gives a summary of significant changes to hill lists in the UK focusing on the relative Hill Lists of Marilyns and Humps. It mainly includes hills added to or deleted from lists rather than minor changes to location or height.
Changes to Lists of lesser hills, Munros and Corbetts can be found in the Hill Change Registers of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH). They are too numerous to list here. We know that many of you will keep a close eye on these, but hope this summary will be helpful for those who don't. As ever, we recommend that Members record the hills they have bagged on one of the online databases such as Hill Bagging or Harold Street which are kept in sync with the DoBIH. This ensures that your totals will keep in step with the regular changes resulting from on-site surveys and the study of LIDAR data – expletives deleted!
New Marilyn addition - Rhinog Fach - September 2021
No changes for years and then, like buses, they come in threes or fours. We reported the first two in Relative Matters 5 this April – a relocation of Hightown Hill near Lockerbie and the demotion of Cheriton Hill in Kent. This was followed by a further demotion with Giur-Bheinn in Islay falling under Dawson's sword in May.
However, there is some good news at last. The Welsh Wizard, Myrddyn Phillips has found a brand new Marilyn. The lower of the two Rhinog peaks in Snowdonia, Rhinog Fach, has now been surveyed and shown to have a drop of 151m, an increase of 4m on that generally accepted over the past 30 years. It has always looked as though it should be a Marilyn, but the ridge onwards to Y Llethr appeared to start rising a little too soon. However, mapping at the southern col was not very clear in this very rocky landscape so Myrddyn took his trusty Trimble up there to confirm things one way or the other.
The results were a summit height of 711.6m – which ties in well with the map height of 712m - and a col height of 560.6m. Alan Dawson has accepted these figures which were published on the Pedantic mailing list in September so Rhinog Fach is now officially a Marilyn. This, of course, increases the total number of Marilyns to 1556.
Most baggers based south of the border will have climbed Rhinog Fach as one of the England & Wales 2000 footers, but at least one Marilyn completer based north of the Tay has not yet been there.
Rhinog Fawr – my final Nuttal climbed before they even existed - can be seen in the background. The ground between Rhinog Fach and Foel Penolau at the north end of the Rhinog ridge is, in my opinion, by far the roughest and rockiest in Wales.
Marilyn demotion - Giur-bheinn - July 2021
There has now been a further demotion reducing the total number of Marilyns to 1555 (at the time of writing). Giur-bheinn on Islay has been surveyed by Alan Dawson and found to have a drop of only 148.9m. This hill is now merely a Hump. Rob Woodall’s hopes of one day having 1560 Marilyns in his bag are rapidly diminishing as rumours of a further demotion along the south coast are gaining strength.
Hump deletions - July 2021
Following the demotion of Hesk Fell (2656) in the Lakes in January, two further Humps have bitten the dust. Ben
Laimishader (4955) on Lewis and Beinn Bheag Deas (4971) on South Uist have both slipped below the 100m prominence requirement. They will now suffer the ignominy of merely being sub Humps! It could be worse – they could have been merely Tumps!
White Hill and Cheriton Hill - January 2021
White Hill, adjacent to Hightown Hill near Lockerbie, was found to be slightly higher using Lidar. This is not yet confirmed by Alan Dawson so the two are currently twinned. However, the Hill-bagging website has made White Hill the Marilyn in its system so most people lost a hill last August on that site.
Cheriton Hill, the easternmost Marilyn was demoted to Hump status in January. It has been under suspicion for some time and its demise is now confirmed.
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