Long Mountain (Welsh : Cefn Digoll) is a hill straddling the boundary between Powys (Wales) and Shropshire (England) to the east of Welshpool though the summit at 408 metres (1,339 feet) at Beacon Ring (grid reference SJ265058 ) is within Wales. Long Mountain is a Marilyn (a hill with topographic prominence of at least 150 metres), having a prominence of 305 metres (1,000 feet).
Long Mountain is formed from a succession of sedimentary rocks dating from the Silurian period. In stratigraphic order i.e. youngest/uppermost first, these are:
The first three listed above form a part of the Old Red Sandstone sequence and occur only in the easternmost part of the area. The summit which is towards the southwestern end of Long Mountain is formed by rocks of the Knucklas Castle Formation. Numerous faults cut the succession. There are a number of glaciofluvial deposits around the margins of Long Mountain, dating from the last ice age. Pockets of glacial till of similar age occur in some of the valleys. [1]
Long Mountain extends from Forden, Powys, in the southwest to Vennington near Westbury in Shropshire to the northeast. It is sometimes considered to include the Breidden Hills to the north although the latter are separated from Long Mountain's main body by a valley through which run a railway line and a major trunk road (the A458) which both connect Welshpool with Shrewsbury.
There was possibly a Roman road along Long Mountain, part of a route from Uriconium (Wroxeter) to Lavobrinta (Forden Gaer). [2] At the southern end of the hill and along its western flanks are traces of Offa's Dyke.
There is a hillfort at Beacon Ring, at the southern end of the Long Mountain. This was probably built in the Iron Age and may have been re-used in medieval times. It has been owned by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust since 2008, who have in recent years conducted archaeological investigations on the site. [3] Beacon Ring is also famous for the 'EIIR' monogram of the tree plantation which covers the site.
In 630 the hill was the scene of the Battle of Cefn Digoll, between Northumbria and an alliance of Gwynedd and Mercia. Towards the eastern end of the Long Mountain are the remains of Caus Castle, which was built in Norman times upon an earlier, Iron Age, hillfort.
In 1485, when Henry Tudor invaded via South Wales and travelled north towards the battlefield at Bosworth, it was at the Long Mountain, near Trelystan, [4] on 13 August that he arranged a rendezvous with his Lancastrian supporters, includimg Sir Rhys ap Thomas. [5]
The Offa's Dyke Path leaves Offa's Dyke at Buttington to head for the summit before rejoining the Dyke as it heads away to the south. The Cross Britain Way shares the route of the Offa's Dyke Path between Buttington and the summit then heads east to Brockton on the southeast edge of the hill. Route 81 of the National Cycle Network runs over Long Mountain on its course between Welshpool and Shrewsbury. There are a couple of areas of open access land, Walton Hill and Heldre Hill and a moderately dense network of public rights of way running between the many minor roads which criss-cross the area. Gunley Wood is a publicly accessible woodland owned and managed by Natural Resources Wales at the southernmost edge of Long Mountain.
Offa's Dyke is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to have ordered its construction. Although its precise original purpose is debated, it delineated the border between Anglian Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys.
Offa's Dyke Path is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world. About 60 miles (97 km) of the 177-mile (285 km) route either follows, or keeps close company with, the remnants of Offa's Dyke, an earthwork traditionally thought to have been constructed in the late 8th century on the orders of King Offa of Mercia.
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England, about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks". The village is on the banks of the River Vyrnwy, and the Montgomery Canal passes through it.
Clun Forest is a remote, rural area of open pastures, moorland and mixed deciduous/coniferous woodland in the southwest part of the English county of Shropshire and also just over the border into Powys, Wales.
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the England–Wales border into Herefordshire. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently confused with the westernmost, which is known as the Black Mountain. The Black Mountains may be roughly defined as those hills contained within a triangle defined by the towns of Abergavenny in the southeast, Hay-on-Wye in the north and the village of Llangors in the west. Other gateway towns to the Black Mountains include Talgarth and Crickhowell. The range of hills is well known to walkers and ramblers for the ease of access and views from the many ridge trails, such as that on the Black Hill (Herefordshire) at the eastern edge of the massif. The range includes the highest public road in Wales at Gospel Pass, and the highest point in southern England at Black Mountain.
The geology of Shropshire is very diverse with a large number of periods being represented at outcrop. The bedrock consists principally of sedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic age, surrounding restricted areas of Precambrian metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks. The county hosts in its Quaternary deposits and landforms, a significant record of recent glaciation. The exploitation of the Coal Measures and other Carboniferous age strata in the Ironbridge area made it one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution. There is also a large amount of mineral wealth in the county, including lead and baryte. Quarrying is still active, with limestone for cement manufacture and concrete aggregate, sandstone, greywacke and dolerite for road aggregate, and sand and gravel for aggregate and drainage filters. Groundwater is an equally important economic resource.
The Clwydian Range is a series of hills in the north-east of Wales that runs from Llandegla in the south to Prestatyn in the north; the highest point is 554 m (1,818 ft) Moel Famau. The range forms the north-western part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Breidden Hill is an extinct volcanic hill in Powys, Wales, near the town of Welshpool. It is immediately surrounded by the villages of Trewern, Middletown, Criggion, Crew Green and Llandrinio. The peak of the hill reaches to 367 metres (1,204 ft). Footpaths which lead up to the summit provide excellent 360 degree views over Powys and over the border with England to the Shropshire Plain.
Buttington is a village in Powys, Wales, less than 3 km from Welshpool and about 300 m from the River Severn, in the community of Trewern. The Montgomery Canal passes through the village. The village stands on a slight rise above the river's floodplain, by the ancient ford called Rhyd-y-groes, where Offa's Dyke meets the Severn. The ford retained strategic value: reportedly in 1039 a battle took place here between Welsh and English forces.
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust(CPAT) (Welsh: Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Clwyd-Powys(YACP)) is an educational charity which was established in 1975. Its objective is ‘to advance the education of the public in archaeology’. CPAT is one of four Welsh Archaeological Trusts (WATs) which work to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic environment. This includes providing advice to local authorities on archaeology and planning, undertaking archaeological projects for private- and public-sector clients, and delivering a programme of community archaeology events and activities.
Fan Llia is a subsidiary summit of Fan Fawr in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. In common with other peaks in the Fforest Fawr uplands it lies within the county of Powys.
Allt yr Esgair is a hill in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales. It is commonly referred to locally as simply 'The Allt'. The Welsh name signifies 'wooded slope of the ridge'. It takes the form of a northwest-southeast aligned ridge which rises to a height of 393m and which overlooks the valley of the River Usk to the west and south. To the northeast are panoramic views across Llangorse Lake to the Black Mountains There is a viewfinder on the summit erected as a monument to Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White of Rhymney. It is a Marilyn with a prominence of 199 metres.
Mynydd Bach Trecastell is a hill on the border between the counties of Carmarthenshire and Powys in southwest Wales. It lies within the Black Mountain (range) of the Brecon Beacons National Park and Fforest Fawr Geopark. Its summit is plateau-like and reaches a height of 412m at OS grid ref SN 827312 at Y Pigwn. The name signifies the 'little hill of castle town'.
Mynydd Llangorse is a hill on the western edge of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, south Wales. It lies two miles east of Llangors and its lake and 5 miles south of Talgarth. Its summit at 515m overtops the location 600m to the south at which a trig point is sited by 9m. The broad spur of Cefn Moel extends south towards the village of Bwlch whilst a spur to the southeast forms Pen Tir which reaches just over 450m above sea level. It is a Marilyn with a prominence of 161 metres.
Moel y Gaer is an Iron Age hillfort at the northern end of the Clwydian Range, located on a summit overlooking the valley of the River Wheeler, near the village of Bodfari, Denbighshire, Wales, five miles north-east of Denbigh. The site is a scheduled monument, classified as a prehistoric defensive hillfort.
Hay Bluff is a prominent hill at the northern tip of the Black Mountains, an extensive upland massif which straddles the border between south-east Wales and England. The mountain sits at the point where the main northeast-facing escarpment of the Black Mountains meets the northwest facing escarpment, the next peak to the west being Twmpa. The flat summit of Hay Bluff which is marked by a triangulation pillar at a height of 677 metres (2,221 ft) overlooks the middle Wye Valley and the book town of Hay-on-Wye.
Forden is a village near Welshpool in Powys, Wales, formerly in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. It forms part of the community of Forden, Leighton and Trelystan with the neighbouring settlements of Trelystan, Leighton and Kingswood.
Pen-y-crug is a hill in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys, south Wales. It is commonly referred to locally as simply 'The Crug'. The Welsh name signifies 'top of the mound'. It slopes are moderately gently on three sides; only to the west do they steepen somewhat. Its flat trig point adorned summit at 331m overlooks the valley of the River Usk to the south. To the southeast are panoramic views over Brecon whilst eastwards are the Black Mountains and south the Brecon Beacons.
The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and proposed national park, located in north-east Wales, covering the Clwydian Range, and the valley of the River Dee.
