Beacon Hill, Monmouthshire
| Beacon Hill | |
| Monmouthshire | |
|---|---|
 Beacon Hill picnic area | |
| Summit: | 1,004 feet SO512053 51°44’39"N, 2°42’30"W |
Beacon Hill is the highest hill in eastern Monmouthshire and though exceeded by mountains of the north of the county, up into the Brecon Beacons, nevertheless, Beacon Hill reaches a most respectable height of 1,004 feet above sea level.
The hill is a little over half a mile due east of the village of Trellech, and a mile north-west of Llandogo. The summit is marked by an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar.
To the east and the south, the hill slope steeply drops away down to the valley of the River Wye. In hill spur here in the east is named "Pen-y-Fan", though with little similarity to the famous Pen y Fan in Brecknockshire.
The summit, eastern slopes and uppermost western slopes are owned by the Forestry Commission which manages the area not only for timber production but for recreation also. [1]
Geology
The summit of the hill is formed from the quartz conglomerate group which is assigned by geologists to the Upper Old Red Sandstone - a sequence of sedimentary rocks laid down during the late Devonian period. This pebbly sandstone occurs in an outcrop through eastern Monmouthshire and neighbouring Gloucestershire and caps other hills of local significance.[2]
Access
All Forestry Commission land is dedicated as access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and is thus freely available to those on foot. Numerous forest tracks cross the hill's slopes. A car park has been provided on the western side and information panels installed at the site to assist visitors to interpret the extensive views from breaks in the woodland cover.