Over the last few years I have started a little obsession with trig points! It was an obsession which made sense to me as a Civil Engineer. I spent years surveying so when I discovered trig points on my walks I needed to know the 2 that could be used to triangulate the spot where I was stood.
What is a trig point?!
Trig points are the (usually white) conical concrete pillars on the tops of hills or mountains. They were constructed by Ordnance Survey to carry out the retriangulation of Britain from 1935 until 1962. Basically these pillars were posts for surveying equipment to sit on and then they could accurately measure the exact coordinates (x, y, z) of it in relation to 2 other trig points through a process called resection. The distance and angles were measured to get the coordinates. Once all the trig point positions were accurately documented then they were used to measure all the other features. This has therefore produced the accurate maps that we have today. You can find out more here.
There are 6500 trig points across the country, not all of them still standing, but the majority are. 454 of these are within Yorkshire and 80 of them are within the Yorkshire Dales.
They are a way marker for walkers and the term used to describe reaching one of these is ‘bagging’!!
Hill Climbing nut
The other element of my obsession is the fact that these trig points are on the tops of hills. I have discovered over the years that hill climb walks are the ones I enjoy the best. Very closely followed by reservoir walks (again the Civil Engineer in me coming out!) I find hill climbs exhilarating. The determination and energy required at the start driven by the excitement to start a walk, then the sense of achievement of reaching the top. I live for a view! They are just beautiful. Then the easy bit of walking back down again!
Little man is turning into a mini me. He loves the challenge when he starts out on the walk, the promise of a treat at the top and then the fun part of running back down the hill. He does usually beat me to the top. Bags the trig point, declares he’s won, informs me of the beautiful view and then demands his prize! Fair play!
National Walking Month Challenge
I have decided as May is National Walking Month that I am going to theme my walks around trig points! That means bagging as many as I can within the month. So little man will be accompanying me on some of these and doing his own trig point mini challenge!
Let me know of any particular ones you have enjoyed bagging and I can hopefully add it to my list. Wish me luck!!
If you want to bag a trig point too with your little ones then try out my top 3; Beamsley Beacon, Pinhaw Beacon and Brimham Rocks.
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Rose berry topping
Amazing shout!