David Purchase: I hope that all who have claimed this Marilyn have visited its twin top at NN685190, nearly 1.5km from the listed summit. The intervening drop is about 73m.
Alan Dawson: The 1:10000 map gives 705m for the W top, i.e. 1m lower than the listed Marilyn, but it's well worth climbing both.
Rob Woodall: True summit could be 150 metres NE at NS088914, but heights very similar. A candidate (albeit trivial) for twin peaks list.
Rob Woodall: The summit is understandably credited to a fine rocky boss to NW, but the SE top 1km away (above Creag a'Chanuill at NS106844) has an equal amount of ground above 600m and to my eye is slightly more domed and therefore potentially higher (probably less than 1m in it).
Rob Woodall: Lendrick Hill has a grassed over 1m tumulus about 3m higher than and 50 metres N of the trig.
David Purchase: The summit is 1m higher than the trig point, as there are remains of an old tumulus (or small hill fort) close by.
Richard Webb: There is a large 480m contour ring E of the trig. This has recently been clear felled and looks higher from both directions. The odds of a point in a large ring being higher than 1m above the contour value are favourable. So do both to make sure, but hurry - it has been replanted. At the moment the views are rather good.
Chris Watson: When standing on the highest peat hag in the vicinity of the 608m spot height on Birks Fell, it is clear that you are not on the summit. The highest point on Birks Fell is clearly on the other side of the wall where it always used to be!
Chris Crocker: I agree entirely with Chris Watson's comments.
Richard Webb: I am sure, and have photogrammetric evidence, that the Abdon Burf Top is not the trig but the knoll to the north of the mast enclosure. The evidence is from the independent orienteering survey, where contours are designed to show shape not height, but extra contours are not added lightly. The north top looks higher and is surveyed higher. In mitigation, I think the north top could be artificial, but as this is the most quarried top I can think of it's all artificial. An enjoyable hill and a pleasure to spend an afternoon up there again.
Paul Richardson: I was last there in 1981. My log visit says the trig is 1772ft, whereas 'the forest of aerials and towers' NE is 1790ft.
Richard Webb: The summit is almost certainly outwith the enclosure and there is a lot of land higher than the trig. The road cleaves the summit and the north/maypole side is the highest. Should you wish to get to the highest point, i.e. the reservoir (a grassed over metal tank) the fence is an absolute doddle to cross. No wire, and an old bedstead for a foothold. It is not a problem. There is a fine view from the beacon 100 metres N of the summit.
Rob Woodall: The summit of the spoil heap has a cairn, approx 300 metres E of (and of course much higher than) the trig - so I guess it's official!
David Rawden: In Cornwall I had to abandon bagging Carnmenellis because there didn't seem to be access. On the other hand, Hensbarrow Beacon was very easy but I was amused to find there was towering over it some of the china clay 'mountains of the moon'. I know they are artificial but some look to be well covered in vegetation and better candidates for Marilyn status.
Chris Crocker: I climbed this hill (in pouring rain) and concluded that the highest point is not at SP890089. After tramping around the undergrowth at the grid ref I became suspicious that I might not be on the highest point of the plateau. Some ground to the north looked at least as high if not higher. Eventually, taking a path going east from the car park, I found a large black stone (at least four feet high), placed by the Forestry Commission, with an inscription stating this to be the highest point of the Chilterns. The height was given as 267m. I estimate its grid ref as SP891090 (possibly 891091 - I did not make precise measurements, but the monolith is close to the edge of the wood, somewhat more than 100 metres NW of the right of way which heads NE to the road). The marker stone looked fairly new and I doubt if it would be visible from anywhere off the path.
David Purchase: The only interesting thing about this rather tame Marilyn is that there is a fine stone marker with a plaque proclaiming it to be the highest point in the Chiltern Hills - which is not at the highest point of the the hill! Ground to the SW is clearly rather higher (by between 0.5 and 1m) though it would be difficult to identify the precise summit.
Dave Hewitt: There are three bumps, connected by a pleasant path, and RHB gave the southern bump as the highest. The Welsh TACit Table switched this to the northern one, but the debate is definitely between the middle and the southern. If the latest map gives the northern bump as the highest then it's just plain wrong.
