Lord Hereford's Knob
| Lord Hereford's Knob | |||
| Brecknockshire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lord Hereford's Knob | |||
| Range: | Black Mountains | ||
| Summit: | 2,260 feet SO224350 | ||
Lord Hereford's Knob or Twmpa is a mountain 2,260 feet high in eastern Brecknockshire, immediately northeast of Rhos Dirion and southwest of Hay Bluff. It is 2 miles west of the boundary with Herefordshire and around 5 miles east of Talgarth and the same south of Hay-on-Wye.
The mountain forms part of the great northwest scarp of the Black Mountains. To the northeast lies the Gospel Pass through which runs a minor road between Hay and the Llanthony Valley. A ridge known as Darren Lwyd tapers away for about 2 miles to the southeast of the summit.
Walking
The entire hill is classed as open country under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act and is therefore available for walkers to roam freely across. It is almost encircled by public bridleways and restricted byways. The most well-used track is that running west from Gospel Pass (where car parking is available), over its summit and then southwest towards Rhos Dirion. A further track runs the length of the ridge southeastwards to the hamlet of Capel-y-ffin.
Geology
In common with neighbouring hills, Lord Hereford's Knob is composed of alternate layers of sandstone and mudstone dating from the Devonian period and ascribed to the Lower Old Red Sandstone. Its lower slopes are formed from the mudstone-dominated St Maughans Formation whilst the upper part of the hill is composed of sandstone-dominated Senni Formation rocks. At the junction between the two is a prominent calcrete known as the Ffynnon Limestone.
Numerous landslips have occurred within the St Maughans Formation around the flanks of the hill.[1]
Trivia
"Lord Hereford's Knob" is the title of a song on Half Man Half Biscuit's 2008 album CSI: Ambleside. The lyrics feature the grid reference of the mountain.[2]