Wales has lost a mountain after it was found to be shorter than originally thought
Jane Wharton for Metro.co.uk
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Fan y Big is not quite so big after the mountain in Wales was reclassified as a hill.
The mound in the Brecon Beacons has been downgraded after an eagle-eyed mountain surveyor measured it and found it didn’t meet the stringent criteria.
Mountains are required to be at least 2,000ft tall (610m) and have a minimum drop between the summit and col – the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks – of 98.4ft (30m).
Fan y Big has no problem conforming to the first category with its accurately surveyed height of 2,351ft (717.6m).
But its drop has now been measured at 93.4ft (28.5m), 5ft (1.5m) less than what is required to maintain its mountain status.
As a result, it has been struck off the list of Hewitts – Hills in England, Wales or Ireland over 2,000 feet high – it had belonged to since the list’s introduction in 1992.
Fan y Big’s demotion means Wales is left with 135 Hewitts.
Mountain surveyor Myrddyn Phillips, 57, from Welshpool, said he measured Fan y Big as it was considered in hill-climbing circles to be a ‘marginal’ hill.
The drop was listed as 98.4ft (30m), which was based on the summit and col height listed on the Ordnance Survey, but these have an error margin of plus or minus 9.8ft (3m).
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The Trimble measuring device used on the summit of Fan y Big in the Brecon Beacons
Mr Phillips used new satellite technology, which is accurate to within 4in (0.1m), to prove the historic measurement was slightly out.
But he hopes the reclassification will not put walkers off scaling Fan y Big.
He said: ‘To an extent it is a shame for it to lose its status but it is a fine hill which is part of a superb range in the Brecon Beacons and I can’t imagine this will stop walkers from visiting it.’
The Hewitts have been compiled by Britain’s leading hill list author, Alan Dawson, who published a book recording all the mountains in England, Ireland and Wales in 1992.
After being informed by Mr Phillips of the new measurements, he removed Fan y Big from the Hewitt list, which is updated online.
Mr Dawson said: ‘Nowadays there is the satellite technology available to us to provide more accurate readings.
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‘Once I was informed about Fan y Big it was reclassified as it is important to get things right.
‘The reason the Hewitts classify mountains using two criteria is because if you don’t measure the drop between the summit and the col there’s no way to tell one hill from another.
‘Measuring by height alone is meaningless as any bump could be classified as a mountain, so you need two dimensions.’
Fan y Big is situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park and is part of the high ridge that heads east from the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan.
The name translates as ‘peak of the bill’ which is thought to refer to its pointed profile when seen from afar.
Only last week Miller Moss was reclassified as England’s ‘newest’ mountain after it was found to be 3ft higher than previously thought.
