So, others have had grief off the warden as well then? She was hard work in 2004!
Full story on my website - http://tomread.co.uk
G/WB-009 (Worcester Beacon) has a narrow access road that goes all the way to the top, however the road is not normally open for public access (a locked barrier normally prevents access, but the lock was broken on my last activation).
It may however be possible to get permission from the Malvern Hill Conservators to drive beyond that point (http://www.malvernhills.org.uk ).
Stewart
G0LGS
In reply to G0LGS:
Hi Stewart
As much as I would like to put such a great summit on, it’s not practical to do so.
The gate and getting permission make it a special case and a risk of coming back down and finding a lock there could be a problem.
I guess the wardens may take a dim view if a car was up there as well.
Thanks
Steve
In reply to 2E0HJD:
In reply to MM0FMF:
"The Programme does not accept operation from or in the immediatevicinity of motor vehicles."
How does work at Bishop Wilton Wold where it apeares the layby is the
common place to activate from and it is difficult to get very far from
your car ?
Sorry to come back to this but I think Mick’s question is a good one.
That’s a very good point Mick. There’s a short answer and a long answer. You should read the rest of this message with this disclaimer in mind. The following is my viewpoint, it’s how I would interpret the rules should my opinion be wanted. I have no idea if the powers that be see things the same. Take with the necessary pinches of salt! Your opinion may vary. If it does it wont change my life.
Short answer:
It depends. Don’t take the mick when interpreting things 
Long answer:
It depends on who is doing the activation and when. I’ve not been to TW-004 but looking at pictures of the area, my knowledge of when I’ve been to York and around there and looking at the 1:50000 OS map, it’s fair to say it’s not really The Himalayas. In fact it’s as flat as Suzi Quattro. A very rough guess using Anquet to interpolate the map height would suggest to me that there is about 3 sqkm or 740acres of ground in the AZ. You’ll have to give me some leaway as I’ve not done any serious walking in G-land so I’m not sure just where you can wander and where not. But with 740 acres in the AZ then there’s a lot more to this summit that just the layby near the trig.
If it was my 1st activation of the year and I set up in the layby, and loitered by the car, I’d feel I was taking the mick out of the rules. I should make an effort as I have no mobility problems. I tend to concentrate on HF opeation, so I don’t need to be at the summit and with (just a guestimate) 740 acres, there should be somewhere where I can stash the car and setup shop. Of course, for VHF I’d need the best take off. Given there’s no real climbing involved, I’d be happy to pick a few places where I could get a take off in different directions. Even if that meant a few minutes amble between sites.
When it comes to the 2nd activation of the year, I don’t get any points, only the chasers do. I’d be happy to setup in the layby then. Anybody chasing me doesn’t know my situation and as long as I’m in the AZ, then that’s all that should matter to them. I’m not outside the spirit, I’d have already put a bit of effort in the 1st time, and I’m not benefiting from what I’m doing.
That’s the situation as I see it for me and I’d expect other able people to do the same. For people with a genuine mobility difficulty it wouldn’t bother me if they setup in the layby even for their 1st attempt. It’s not a big deal to me as long people do the best they can. I’d be less enamoured with people activating from the layby when they could make a real effort, but again that depends. Being bone-idle is not a valid reason in my book to get exempted from putting some effort in, not being able to walk more than a few hundred metres before you see stars is.
You might ask what about the guys who did all five TW summits the same day. Different again. Special case, they did a fair amount of legwork on the other summits. You can probably come up with a zillion special cases such as buying a rig in Europe and getting the ferry back to Hull and deciding to do TW004 as you’re in the area on the way home and it’s the 1st time you’ve done it this year and you dont have any decent footware and it’s cold and raining hard. Is the layby OK in that case. Well it depends!
As I said before, this is my view, I don’t mind if people disagree. You have to consider all sorts of things and as long as people aren’t taking liberties then fine. The only person you really cheat if you’re fly with the rules is yourself.
(Climbs off soapbox and wanders off to make a cuppa…)
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Fair comment Andy but :- !!!
We south of the border do not have the luxury of the access rights of you up there in GM land.
Check http://www.openaccess.gov.uk/wps/portal/lm/accessmap and enter Bishop Wilton Wold. You will see there is no access to the public within the area apart from a couple of footpaths and the roads. The trig is definitely on private land although I think a few have trespassed to activate from there. The only time I did it was on the way back from doing 2 other TW’s.I parked as far East of the layby as I could and walked West past the Aircraft memorial along a farm access path sheltered from the road by trees. The farmer came out in his tractor and asked what I was doing , after explaining he went away quite happy. The trees got the ends of the Doublet Higher as well.
Roger G4OWG
In reply to MM0FMF:
“You might ask what about the guys who did all five TW summits the same day”.
You can and I will answer!
TW-001 Walked total of 3.76 miles, operated at cairn
TW-002 Walked total of 2.04 miles, operated at cairn
TW-003 Walked total of 3.76 miles, Operated at trig
TW-004 Walked 50ft Operated at Gate. 100-200 ft from the trig
TW-005 Walked 200ft. Operated at the back of the radar station. Only because the field had just been seeded.
Total drive between summits, 127 miles, total drive to get to first summit from home and back home from last summit, 251 miles, plus the drive between summits = 378 miles, all for 5 points!
In my opinion we did all the summits in the right way, all the radio equipment was separate from the car, power and antenna etc.
We both looked at it as the last two summits are a bonus for all the work on the first three. If that lot were not in the “Spirit of SOTA”, then nothing is…
In reply to 2E0KPO:
Me:
You might ask what about the guys who did all five TW summits the same day.
Different again. Special case, they did a fair amount of legwork on the other
summits
2E0PKO:
TW-001 Walked total of 3.76 miles, operated at cairn
TW-002 Walked total of 2.04 miles, operated at cairn
TW-003 Walked total of 3.76 miles, Operated at trig
I’d call 9 miles of walking a “fair amount of legwork”
2E0PKO:
In my opinion we did all the summits in the right way
Good because that’s what I said.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to 2E0KPO:
I guess the wardens may take a dim view if a car was up there as well.
Steve, I see your point, however, if you don’t ask you don’t get.
The lock was not on a gate, but a post in the middle of the access road, it was a combination lock too, so no key would be required, just the appropriate number for the lock.
Stewart
G0LGS
In reply to G0LGS:
I agree Stewart, but its not one that a quick activation could be done on, it needs some planning. I gone for the summits that I know will always be accessible for a simple activation.
In reply to 2E0HJD:
Mick,
In general terms, I think you have raised a valid point about defining a horizontal distance from the vehicle for able-bodied persons. It need not be onerous and could have the advantage of removing certain other contentious issues, such as cars being used for antenna support, However, I do not see this being taken on board as it would need relaxation in the case of disabled persons and would therefore differentiate between able-bodied and disabled persons.
Like other issues that have been raised in recent months, it seems that the rules will continue to be subject to personal interpretation and one’s moral standpoint. No doubt this will continue to fuel debate on these matters.
73,
Gerald
In reply to M1EYP:
So, others have had grief off the warden as well then? She was hard
work in 2004!Full story on my website - http://tomread.co.uk
No grief Tom - I had read your tale and forewarned was forearmed! If you read my report, you will see that I just missed her… but what a miserable faced…! I just hope that she would be sympathetic to disabled activators.
73,
Gerald
Not so much sympathetic to disabled activators, but reasonable to all activators I would hope. This is the true summit after all.
Over the years, I have found the most successful technique is to explain that you will be packing away and clearing off in half-an-hour. I suspect some wardens/rangers look at you and think you are camped in for the day, and they seem much more relaxed once they know there will be no trace of you within the hour.
Also, having explained what you are doing and how long you will be there for, assuring them “I can take it down right now, it will only take me two minutes” tends to go down well. There is a risk with this strategy that they might say “Yes please” of course, and you would have to pack up, but I have only ever had “Oh no, that’s fine, I didn’t realise it was a temporary thing” or words to that effect.
Tom