Snowdonia 2018

Me and my dad Tom M1EYP will be in Snowdonia from Sunday 22nd July to Friday 27th July. We could potentially complete all the remaining Snowdonia/GW/NW SOTA on this trip and all these remaining SOTA summits have been posted on our alerts. However from past experience nothing ever goes to plan in Snowdonia ever due to bad weather or fitness/tiredness levels. Lets hope this hot weather continues.

Our plan is below, but could change:

Sunday 22nd July - Rhinog Fawr GW/NW-023

Monday 23rd July - Nantlle Ridge - Trum y Ddysgl GW/NW-024 and Craig Cwm Silyn GW/NW-020

Tuesday 24th July - Y Garn GW/NW-037

Wednesday 25th July - Moelfre GW/NW-041 and Y Llethr GW/NW-017

Thursday 26th July - Foel Cae’rberllan GW/NW-057 and Gamallt GW/NW-065

Friday 27th July - Glasgwm GW/NW-015 and Aran Fawddwy GW/NW-007

On most SOTA activations I will be doing 2m fm with 20m ssb as backup and my dad will be doing 20m cw. However on the day we do the Nantlle Ridge which has SOTA summits Trum y Ddysgl GW/NW-024 and Craig Cwm Silyn GW/NW-020 and also the day we activate Glasgwm GW/NW-015 and Aran Fawddwy GW/NW-007, we will only be using 2m fm and will be trying to qualify these summits with hand held and rubber duck. Only only back up with be an MFD mounted onto a walking pole, we won’t be taking HF, FT-817 or fishing pole on these activations, so it would really help if any local radio amateurs could listen out for us calling CQ SOTA on 2m fm on these activations and work us if you can hear us so we can qualify these summits quickly.

Also we are planning to walk the Nantlle Ridge as a linear walk so it would help if a fellow SOTA activator is happy to join us for these activations so we can have a car at both the start and end of the walk. I know Simon G4TJC and Neil M0WBG have offered to join us for these activations in the past, but we never managed to do these activations. Alternatively, if no one can join us for these activations, any offers of a taxi service from the end to the start of the walk would be appreciated. I know Aled MW0UPH has offered a taxi service in the past.

Please listen out for us on 2m fm and 20m cw while we are in Snowdonia and feel free to join us for any SOTA activations meal or drink while we are in this area also.

Jimmy M0HGY

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I don’t know if it still exists but there used to be a Nantlle Ridge travel scheme, its worth checking on if you haven’t already. I hope you have a good time but I won’t be working you as I’m too far away for 2m and too close for 20m!:disappointed_relieved:

Yeah sorry about that Brian. I did give 60m a whirl from the Channel Islands - but it was awful, as I usually find it to be. It seems to be a band I don’t get on well with.

And as for Jimmy hoping for a continuation of the current hot weather - no thank you. I hope it stays similarly dry of course, but I’d personally welcome a 15 degree drop in temperature before tackling our next batch of Snowdonia summits!

This will be our 16th consecutive year of chipping away at Snowdonia - when will it ever end?

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Thanks Brian, I have heard of this travel scheme and I believe the taxi company providing the scheme still exists, but not sure if they provide this travel scheme anymore. No worries on not being able to work us on 2m or 20m.

Fair point about the weather dad, but hoping the weather that is dry and also not cold or windy.

Jimmy M0HGY

This time next week we will be in Snowdonia and will be there for 6 days. So far we have had a offer of a taxi service from Aled MW0UPH for the day we do the linear walk on the Nantlle Ridge if no one is available to join us and looking like we may require this taxi service as both Simon G4TJC and Neil M0WBG that have previously offered to join us are not available this time to join us. Anyone however is welcome to join us for this walk, any other SOTA activation meal or drink.

So far as well I know that Sean MW3PZO will listen out of us on 2m fm, but hoping other local radio amateurs especially on the day we activate GW/NW-024 and GW/NW-020 and the day the activate GW/NW-015 and GW/NW-007 as will be be only taking 2m fm hand helds and rubber ducks with MFD mounted on a walking pole on these activations to save weight in our rucksacks, so no fishing pole and FT-817 will be carried on these days, so hoping any local 2m fm radio amateurs will listen out for us and work us on these days so we can qualify these summits quickly. On other SOTA activation days, we will be taking full 2m and 20m gear.

Jimmy M0HGY

Jimmy, me and Andy are planning on activating Snowdon this year. I’m in the process of getting my portable set up together again, new aerial and battery :sunglasses:

When Sean? I may well tag along if I’m free - and invited!

No date set yet, my new battery has arrived and is on charge, next is build a new aerial. I will be testing on local summits first.

Are you walking up? I seem to recall that Jimmy caught the train last time (!).

We both did! That was on a day where we had to cancel our alerted expedition due to heavy rain - but we kept the SOTA logs ticking over with a railway-enabled activation of Snowdon and a wander up Mynydd Bodafon on Anglesey (5 minute walk).

I’m pretty certain that Andy and Sean are planning to walk!

It was planned as a walk!

Hi Sean,

Thank you are letting us know that you and Andy M1BYH maybe activating Snowdon GW/NW-001 next week while we are in Snowdonia also. I am think it maybe a good idea rather than change our plans from activating SOTA uniques in favour of joining you guys for Snowdon GW/NW-001, we stick with our plans and work both of you summit to summit in 2m fm as that will be 2 East contacts for both of us and both you guys as well. Maybe we could meet up in The Cwellyn in Rhyd Ddu afterwards for a meal or drink.

Jimmy M0HGY

Update:

Jimmy’s assertion that nowt ever goes to plan on Snowdonia trips was spot on. First two days we kept to the alerts, then things kept changing on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis.

Sunday: activated Rhinog Fawr GW/NW-023. A superb and joyful walk - highly recommended.

Soup: Seafood Gumbo

Monday: The Nantlle Ridge - Trum y Ddysgl GW/NW-024 & Craig Cwm Silyn GW/NW-020. Wx much worse than forecast spoiled the day to some extent, more for Jimmy than me TBH. I didn’t enjoy the narrow lofty - but short ridge between the two, but I made it across! Many thanks to Aled MW0UPH for meeting us in the morning, allowing us to park at the end point, with Aled then dropping us off at the start point of the linear route.

Soup: Clam Chowder

Tuesday: We were both exhausted after the Nantlles and ended up with a late start. We did Foel Cae’rbellan GW/NW-057, only a one pointer, but with a huge amount of steep ascent required! We’d alerted for another, but that was plenty for one day.

Soup: Waitrose French onion and red wine

Wednesday: We spent the morning walking on Dolgoch Falls allowing me to relive some very happy childhood memories. Afternoon, we tackled Gamallt GW/NW-065, a beastly steep ascent, much of it through shoulder-high ferns, from Abergynolwyn. The descent was easier thanks to Aled MW0UPH meeting us on the other side for another taxi ride.

Soup: Baxters Beef & Ale

We’re now dining and drinking in the Cwellyn Arms in Rhyd Ddu. Staying at Snowdon Ranger YHA tonight, and tackling Moelfre GW/NW-041 with Y Llethr GW/NW-017 tomorrow.

Wx looks dodgy for Friday, so a final decision for summits will be made tomorrow night. Whatever happens, we aren’t going to finish GW/NW this trip - quite!

Spooky, that very morning Mrs 'MD and myself were on a spontaneous visit to the Tal-y-llyn Railway. Wales never disappoints - mist, drizzle and cool temperatures were exactly what was wanted :wink:

Sorry didn’t catch you… Note to self… take HT on leisure outings even if SOTA not on the cards! (my thoughts did drift to the Tarrens but it was not to be on this occasion…)

Enjoy the rest of your GW expedition!

73 de Paul G4MD

I photographed the eastbound train at Dolgoch station at 1249 BST - perhaps you were on it?

BTW, I understand you and OIG did NW-057, NW-063 and NW-065 in a day. Massive respect to anyone that does that. They are all beasts to get up and much harder than many 4 and 6 pointers in Snowdonia!

About to head out for today’s walk - really looking forward to it.

Hi Tom

No, we were Early Birds - Eastbound at Dolgoch about 11.02, returning Westbound around 12.25. So if you’d been a bit earlier and the train was going in the opposite direction… We got the benefit of the excellent Welsh morning weather - my XYL was delighted because it was the first time she’d felt cool in weeks :smile:

Quite right, certainly was an interesting day out and hard work for three points… although I think it must have been during one of my “fit” periods!

73 de Paul G4MD

Thursday 26th July 2018 - Moelfre GW/NW-041

This was intended to be paired with Y Llethr GW/NW-017, but our physical fatigue coupled with the near 30 degree sunshine meant that was cancelled barely into a quarter of the ascent of Moelfre!

Soup: Baxters fiery fish bisque

So we got 6 of our target 10 done on this trip. For GW/NW, that’s 73 down, 4 to go! Next year’s priorities will be GW/NW-007, 015, 017 and 037 - unless we get to any of them sooner!

Tomorrow we’ll have an easy travelling home day, taking in the Anglesey pair and Great Orme.

Friday 27th July 2018

Holyhead Mountain GW/NW-069
Mynydd Bodafon GW/NW-071
Great Orme GW/NW-070

Soup: Bouillabaisse

And so this year’s Snowdonia jaunt comes to an end. 9 activations, 6 new unique. We’re just sitting out a spell of heavy rain, in the car on the Great Orme car park, waiting for a break in the wx to allow us to conduct activation #9.

Glad we’ve been flexible with our plans - I wouldn’t fancy trying to get off Aran Fawddwy in this!

Well we thought we’d got a break in the rain. After setting up, and being QRV for 15 minutes or so, it returned, quite heavily for another quarter of an hour.

We both retreated into our bothy bags. I was steadily working stations on 20m FT8 and qualifying easily, but Jimmy was battling the mast QRM on the Orme and was stuck on three. The situation was not enhanced when his own mast and MFD came down, and he was reluctant to emerge from his bothy bag to fix it!

When the rain did abate, we remounted the MFD with H-pol to try to beat the QRM. This tactic was successful, and the all-important 4th QSO was made with ease.

A visit to the Amantola Asian buffet in Queensferry has become a welcome tradition when heading home from Snowdonia, and this was no exception.

I got as far as Ollerton, between Knutsford and Chelford before having to pull into a layby and recline the seat for a 30 minute kip. It was only 15 minutes from home, but it had to be done!

And we were a wee bit younger then! Also VFM was one of the prime directives. Maybe we are less concerned about that nowadays. :wink: