Wrekin view 'not Snowdon'

An international expert on lines of sight claims to have produced irrefutable evidence that the toposcope on the top of The Wrekin has got it wrong.

Jonathan de Ferranti, of Viewfinder Panoramas, Fife, Scotland, insists there is no way anyone can see Snowdon from the summit of Shropshire's landmark hill because it is obscured by Cadair Berwyn.

The controversy over what landmarks are visible from the top of The Wrekin was first raised on the All Friends Round The Wrekin website by researcher David Squires.

He criticised the toposcope installed by Wellington Rotary Club and designed by the late Gerry Powell for depicting the 3,561ft high summit of Snowdon.

It sparked a big debate in the pages of the Shropshire Star and at shropshirestar.com, with some claiming Snowdon was visible and others that it was not.

Wellington authors and historians Allan Frost and George Evans accepted Mr Squires was right but accused him of nitpicking.

Now Mr de Ferranti has contacted the Shropshire Star to defend Mr Squires.

On Mr de Ferranti's website – www.viewfinderpanoramas.org – he has published computer-generated panoramas showing lines of sight from all over the world.

They are designed to be printed, folded or cut into halves, placed in rucksacks and used by walkers.

Mr de Ferranti's panorama from The Wrekin suggests the toposcope is wrong.

His image depicts the summit of Cadair Berwyn, but not Snowdon, which lies directly behind it.

He said: "I think it is right to draw attention to misinformation, even if it is not easy to amend information that has been set in stone

"There are significant numbers of hillwalkers who are interested in identifying distant hills on clear days, and the inclusion of Snowdon on the plaque is an implication that it is visible."

He added: "There should be no negative reflection on Mr Powell. Lines of sight are not easy to calculate, and at the time when most of them were made, computer power and digital elevation models were non-existent or in their infancy."

By Peter Johnson