What else do you do at the pillar?

General discussion about trigpoints, the TrigpointingUK website etc
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jonralph1
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2026 11:56 pm

What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by jonralph1 »

So I am new to trig point bagging but I want to do a bit more than just ticking them off. I'm an engineer and an ex scout so I enjoy the whole maths and mechanics of the trig point network. So I get to the top, see if I can spot the other trig points with binoculars (I'm going to have to start lugging up some sandtex and painting them back to white, maybe with a couple of high Viz yellow stripes so I can see them) I might try taking bearings. I get home and draw a pencil line on the paper land ranger map from the trig point I am at to the trig points. I can see.

So apart from the selfies, the cuddly toy or the spaniel on top of the pillar, what more do you do?
sykesfamily1
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2025 8:33 am

Re: What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by sykesfamily1 »

A flask of coffee and a date slice 😉
jonralph1
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2026 11:56 pm

Re: What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by jonralph1 »

decent thing to do! I would love to do that, I will in summer. Just stuck in NE Scotland and a 'blocked weather system' haven't seen the sun since 21st Jan and rained more than that. So I went up kingshill, necked an energy gel and some lucozade and ran back down for cover!
BasilDowl
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2019 3:22 pm

Re: What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by BasilDowl »

jonralph1 wrote: Fri Jan 30, 2026 9:09 pm So I am new to trig point bagging but I want to do a bit more than just ticking them off. I'm an engineer and an ex scout so I enjoy the whole maths and mechanics of the trig point network. So I get to the top, see if I can spot the other trig points with binoculars (I'm going to have to start lugging up some sandtex and painting them back to white, maybe with a couple of high Viz yellow stripes so I can see them) I might try taking bearings. I get home and draw a pencil line on the paper land ranger map from the trig point I am at to the trig points. I can see.

So apart from the selfies, the cuddly toy or the spaniel on top of the pillar, what more do you do?
I assume you're joking about the high-viz stripes, but just in case... please don't! :lol:
ted1
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2025 10:33 am

Re: What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by ted1 »

> I might try taking bearings. I get home and draw a pencil line on the paper land ranger map from the trig point I am at to the trig points.

Heres an example from 1962 of bearings taken by the OS from
https://trigpointing.uk/trigs/16545 Millstone Rigg to other nearby trig stations:
https://wiki.trigpointing.uk/images/e/e ... 3_0007.jpg
jonralph1
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2026 11:56 pm

Re: What else do you do at the pillar?

Post by jonralph1 »

Exactly what I do. Except on the explorer map. I have started painting them, I cant see them to take a bearing if they are brown, so repainting them to the white of my youth. It really makes a difference to visibility. Painted my nearest last week (Brimmond Hill TP 0666)and I can clearly see it from the Hill of Kier TP3883 (with a monocular), painted that one too.
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