Looking out of my front window there is Kinder scout in all it’s glory.
It’s where I first started walking, prior to Outward bound in the Lake District, then the three peaks Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough & Whernside. Later I did my Mountain Leadership on Cadair Idris.
The battle to gain access to the countryside was going in the 1890’s, but the trespass brought a lot of public sympathy which resulted in legislation being passed in 1949 which gave us the 1st National Park the Peak District National Park. Even now with the Crow legislation in 2000, we are still not up to Scotland’s status.
The hills have given me much pleasure over many many years, so I thought I’d activate Kinder tomorrow, in memory of those who fought for those rights even being put in jail.
My first Sota activation which was 4th July 2011 was Kinder.
In reply to G3WFK:
The WX is fairly miserable here at present, so I hope you have better WX today. Don’t forget if you go deep on to the plateau and you’re doing 2m you’ll need to get the antenna well clear of the ground.
Andy
MM0FMF
Kinder is also where i started hillwalking, back as a cub many years ago, eating chicken curry a la meths and slyly drinking my dads pint at the back of the Nags Head in Edale!
My last activation of Kinder was in a gale, sheltering in a peat hagg. A compass error and the wind blew me off course on the way back and put me on the wrong side of the hill on the wrong side of teatime!
I’ll be watching the spots and listening out on HF for you
Good luck!
In reply to G7MRV:
I’m off up Kinder for the first time on Sunday… really looking forward to it!
Rob G7LAS
…it would be slightly ironic if today the Rangers on Kinder tell John to pack up (as they have occasionally to others in the past).
73
Richard
G3CWI
Hope the activation went well, sadly I didnt hear you, as during the time you were on the weather here cleared up and i took the opertunity to work on the HF antenna mount on the car!
In reply to G3CWI:
Hi Richard,
Yes that would have been fun. As it’s been on tele every night I would have had got some good coverage at the National Trusts expense.
Last time I was up there two wardens and their dog came over and we had a cracking conversation about what all the new fencing work was for, costs etc, helicopters flying the kit. They were really friendly.
Alas I only saw about seven people all day on the hill.
One man I met had been on the 50th Anniversary walk on the hill and every one since !!!
John
In reply to MM0FMF:
Hi Andy,
Had a cracking day on the hill, cloud with short bursts of sun then full sun coming off the hill. Operated on 2m-fm and 7-ssb working EI/g4asa/p as my first
EI summit.
Came home happy and had educated a few people about the history of the right to roam.
I wonder how it came about in Scotland?
That reminds me I have to get hold of the Fetlar bird santuary people to get permission to operate that summit.
My 2m aerial was on a 5m pole and the 40m dipole on a 7m pole.
John
In reply to G3WFK:
I wonder how it came about in Scotland?
It was more something to do with the differing definition of trespass under Scottish Law. IANAL but ISTR that under Scottish Law trespass was defined as causing damage on someone’s property, i.e. not just being on the land but causing damage to crops, fences, livestock etc. So if you just walked across a moor you weren’t trespassing and it has developed from there.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to G3WFK:
I trust that your vocal cords were singing loud and clear the famous folk song penned by James Henry Miller AKA Ewan McColl.
The version by Kirsty is possibly the best.
In reply to G6DDQ:
It can’t be that famous, I’ve never heard of it! What’s it called?
When I first joined the Mercian Mountaineering Club over forty years ago, one of the trespassers who had been jailed used to drop in occasionally on the Thursday night meetings at a pub in central Brum. A very quiet ordinary sort of bloke, I’ve managed to forget his name, but he said that his only regret was that they achieved so little at the time and things happened so slowly afterwards.
I think our American friends rather envy our “Right to Roam” as so many of their summits are off limits due to being private property. I guess it will take them sixty years to catch up, and only then if they put their minds to it!
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
The lyrics appear here:
For Ewan MacColl’s version:
Pete, M0COP
In reply to M0COP:
Ah yes, thanks Pete - I have heard it, years ago when I was dragged kicking and screaming to a folk club a few times!
73
Brian G8ADD