'Heightings' Beinn a' Chleibh and The Fara
30th - 31st July 2010
30th - 31st July 2010
With
quoted heights of 916m and 911m respectively the hills Beinn a'Chleibh
and The Fara are strong candidates for accurate measuring to see
if a change of classification from Munro and Corbett status is
merited for either of them. Beinn
a’Chleibh is one of the 75 Munros which is not a Marilyn having a
prominence of less than 150m. Thus if its true height is found to be
less than 914.4m it would not qualify as a Corbett. The
Fara is clearly a candidate for reclassification to Munro
status in the event of its height reaching 914.4m.
At 10.00 am On Friday July 30th the surveyors Graham Jackson and Myrddyn Phillips with a support team from the Munro Society set out to accurately ascertain the heights of Beinn a'Chleibh. The method used is detailed here on this site. The weather was not good with heavy rain for most of the day. After setting up the equipment on the summit the party settled down in bivvy bags for a couple of hours whilst the GPS recording took place. The GPS was set up again and recordings taken from an alternative for the highest point - but only for 30 minutes - enough time to confirm that the true summit had been found. The stepping stones on the river Lochy were well under water by the time the party were off the hill at about 6.00pm.
At 9.00 am on Saturday 31st after a night spent in the SMC's Raeburn hut the party set off from Dalwhinnie to measure the height of The Fara. This time the weather, although not good, was a significant improvement on the previous day and we were able to enjoy a walk along the SE ridge of the hill whilst the GPS equipment was collecting its data. We were off the hill by about 4.00pm.
It will be a few weeks before the analysis of the data is completed - so watch this space! However the two days will be memorable for those who participated regardless of the results obtained.
RESULTS ( posted 12th August 2010)
The results confirm the heights given in "Munro's Tables" (in brackets)
It should be noted that the true top of The Fara is the Tor to the south of the large cairn.
At 10.00 am On Friday July 30th the surveyors Graham Jackson and Myrddyn Phillips with a support team from the Munro Society set out to accurately ascertain the heights of Beinn a'Chleibh. The method used is detailed here on this site. The weather was not good with heavy rain for most of the day. After setting up the equipment on the summit the party settled down in bivvy bags for a couple of hours whilst the GPS recording took place. The GPS was set up again and recordings taken from an alternative for the highest point - but only for 30 minutes - enough time to confirm that the true summit had been found. The stepping stones on the river Lochy were well under water by the time the party were off the hill at about 6.00pm.
At 9.00 am on Saturday 31st after a night spent in the SMC's Raeburn hut the party set off from Dalwhinnie to measure the height of The Fara. This time the weather, although not good, was a significant improvement on the previous day and we were able to enjoy a walk along the SE ridge of the hill whilst the GPS equipment was collecting its data. We were off the hill by about 4.00pm.
It will be a few weeks before the analysis of the data is completed - so watch this space! However the two days will be memorable for those who participated regardless of the results obtained.
RESULTS ( posted 12th August 2010)
The results confirm the heights given in "Munro's Tables" (in brackets)
Beinn a'Chleibh, 916.32m (916m)
The Fara, 911.36m (911m)
The Fara, 911.36m (911m)
It should be noted that the true top of The Fara is the Tor to the south of the large cairn.