How quarry workers made a mountain

QUARRY workers have accidentally created a new British mountain by dumping more than a thousand tons of waste rock on an existing hill.

Myrddyn Phillips, a map-maker and surveyor, said a piece of high ground at a quarry in North Wales now qualifies for mountain status.

A peak called Manod Mawr North Top has been eroded by quarrying, but resulted in the formation of a second, slightly lower peak.

According to Mr Phillips, who has spent 20 years surveying peaks to judge if they qualify for mountain status, the new mountain near Blaenau Ffestiniog should be added to his list of ‘Welsh Highlands’.

He defines the Welsh Highlands as hills in Wales that are more than 2,000ft high with a 49ft drop to the col – the saddle or ridge between two peaks.

Mr Phillips said it was the first time since the list was launched in 2004 that a peak had been upgraded to mountain status because of human intervention.

The surveyor, from Welshpool, said: ‘The mountain was first spotted on an online map by a colleague – I was intrigued and needed to see this unusual peak myself.

‘I was looking for the vertical height gain between the col and the summit. It had once been relatively flat as it connected to the Manod Mawr North Top. By quarrying that ridge, they have created a brand new peak.’