A trig pillar is more than a lump of concrete!
Until you’ve had a go at bagging a trig pillar, the appeal seems to be questionable! Why walk for miles or hours to see a lump on concrete then go back? When it’s put like that, it doesn’t sound like much. However, planning a route, grabbing your gear, heading out somewhere new and going on a walkabout is just so satisfying. Furthermore, every trig pillar more or less is situated somewhere beautiful and scenic with incredible views. Above all, the challenge is ascending the hills to see it or ‘bag’ it. You have to try it to appreciate it – but I’m hooked!
Got a question about trig point bagging?
Check out my FAQ page where, despite being a novice myself, I’ve provided nuggets of information that I’ve learned along the way. Hopefully this will help you in your own trig point bagging quest!
In addition, if you have a question about any one of the trig points I’ve bagged (check them out here) leave me a comment on my blog! Alternatively, catch me over on Instagram! I’ll follow you back too! Now go grab a trig pillar or two!
This blog is also acts as my accountability check.
Every year I try to set a personal goal and this year, the trig bagging is helping me to move and achieve this goal. If you’re wondering what it is, last year I clocked up 2657.58 miles running, walking, hiking (and cycling to work). However The trig pillar bagging side of this is interesting so I thought I’d turn it into a blog, since nobody has done this locally to Herefordshire!
To keep checking my progress, I’ll post the monthy Runkeeper statistics below. If I start slacking, please tell me!
JANUARY'S RUNKEEPER STATS
FEBRUARY'S RUNKEEPER STATS
MARCH'S RUNKEEPER STATS
APRIL'S RUNKEEPER STATS
MAY'S RUNKEEPER STATS
JUNE'S RUNKEEPER STATS
JULY'S RUNKEEPER STATS
AUGUST'S RUNKEEPER STATS
SEPTEMBER'S RUNKEEPER STATS
OCTOBER'S RUNKEEPER STATS
NOVEMBER'S RUNKEEPER STATS
DECEMBER'S RUNKEEPER STATS
My Achievements to Date as Logged on Runkeeper
Longest
Run
64 Miles (100k)
Largest
Elevation Climb
3127 Feet
Fastest
5k
22:27
Fastest
10k
45:46
Fastest
Half Marathon
1:49:10
Fastest
Marathon
4:58:51
Joined
Runkeeper
1st January 2015
I have always been fairly active. In around 2015, when apps were all the rage, I discovered Runkeeper. At the time however, Strava wouldn’t work on my phone so it was this one. With all the legacy data it has logged (that I can’t transfer), I’ve just carried on using it. This is a cool chart I found showing the activities I undertaken. Positive thing is the graph is showing a positive trend – no signs of slowing up!
I ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE FOLLOWING GUINNESS WORLD RECORD EVENT:
The most users to run a remote marathon in 24 hours is 37,966 and was achieved by the Virgin Money London Marathon (UK) on the 4th of October 2020.
I’m proud to have earned 100 volunteering credits at Parkrun!
The Trig Pillar
Identified on an OS Explorer map the trig point map symbol is a small blue triangle with a dot in the middle, a trig pillar (triangulation pillar) is a familiar sight when you’re out and about exploring Britain. Between 1936 and 1962 around 6,500 were built to form a state-of-the-art network to re-map Britain. The trig pillar provided a solid base for the theodolites used by the survey teams engaged in the retriangulation of the country, the mathematical process that made accurate map-making possible. In the same way that BMs mark an accurate height, trig pillars mark a point with an accurate horizontal position (eastings and northings coordinates). In addition, most, but not all, trig pillars also have a flush bracket, to define their height above sea level.
The Flush Bracket
The flush bracket is another way of accurately defining a height above sea level and used for the more important level control points. You will find flush brackets in most trig pillars – although not all – as well as set into walls and buildings (‘flush’ with the building).
How We Survey Britain Today
As mentioned above, most of these means of measuring height are now redundant for national mapping. The modern equivalent to the network of trig points is the OS Net network of 110 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Our surveyors use OS Net and GNSS technology everyday to instantly position new map detail to within a few centimetres.
Design of a Standard Triangulation Pillar
