In reply to G8ADD:
Brian,
… but at least when you are on a Marilyn you have a guaranteed
height differential of 150 metres, something that you can see.
No so! There are plenty of Marilyns I’ve been up that do not give the impression that they are 150m above their surroundings. It is purely a convenient measurement to establish those summits that qualify for the programme. Maybe you should try Hegdon Hill or Aconbury Hill sometime.
but if you want to experience the granite of Cornwall or the mica schist of
Lochaber you still have to go there.
Agreed, but that is a choice one makes. I am talking about satisfying the basic desire to activate a recognised SOTA summit. If there aren’t any located close by then you no doubt would say that’s tough. I have suggested a different approach which I would hope would be helpful to those who would like to give SOTA a try, but who are currently put off by long travel distances.
I have not seen Beacon Hill in Norfolk, its 102 metres may or may not
be impressive, but is it not true that you only want to add it to bump
up the numbers, and not for any other virtue it might possess?
I am not looking at the situation based on the virtues of the summit, but the situation of the potential SOTA activator. I was fortunate in my interest being kick-started by a Club SOTA activity day amongst the members of the De Montfort Uni ARS. I chose Walbury Hill SE-001 which is 1 hour 30 minutes drive away and I had a super day complete with Red Kites overhead at 20 feet. I tried the CE’s on the strength of that and I was not especially impressed with them apart from Bredon Hill CE-003 which is quite pleasant. What made it for me was the timing - I was due to go for a week in Northumberland and the SB’s got me well and truly hooked.
It is worth remembering that the Victorian pioneers of Welsh
mountaineering and climbing had to travel by train to Caernavon and
then walk or take a stagecoach to Ogwen cottage, a 3.15 start from
their homes on Saturday to climb hills the same day would have seemed
a heavenly luxury to them!
Of course, but times surprisingly have moved on. The Victorian pioneers had just one aspect to focus on. Now we have two. Anyway, a 350 mile round trip behind the wheel (however much I do enjoy driving my car) after a 50 to 60 hour working week is quite a task in itself. Others start earlier than I do and walk in the dark as well, so don’t belittle the effort that is made.
The argument now seems to say that if there are no qualified hills
close to where you live, don’t go to the hills that are qualified,
instead saw off the bottom of the goal posts to invent a few more hills.
This is not the arguement that I have put forward. If you are aiming that comment at me, I can only assume that you are making reference to the fact that I do not re-activate summits more local to me. That is a purely personal goal to activate unique summits and is totally irrelevant to the discussion. The suggestion that I put forward was made after considering the wider picture which shows an imbalance in the distribution of summits within England resulting in discrimination, particularly against those resident in the eastern counties.
When you recall yesterdays summit, do you remember the hill or the
contacts. I remember the hill and dream of the next one. I suspect
that you remember the contacts and dream of a better ODX for next
time. If so our minds will have difficulty meeting on this!
Far from it Brian. Just read my reports. Why do you think they do not include lists of individuals worked? That information is unnecessary as everyone worked knows who they are and the information is available on the database anyway. My reports describe sufficient detail of my route and the hill to give a good read and provide me with a measure of nostaglia in my old age, assuming I make that goal. My photos on Flickr are not endless shots of antennas and rigs, indeed I often take photos before and after the radio session rather than during it. No, like you I remember the hills, good and bad. I have an excellent photographic memory, but don’t ask me who I worked where, when or on what band. That’s what my log book is for.
73, Gerald