Yeah, I think we discussed this problem a few years ago. I’ve sometimes stuck doggedly to the PROW marked on my OS map only to realize no cartographer could ever have walked that way and that often people have literally voted with their feet and made an alternative path.
I disagree. But their routes should be modified. However, I suspect County Councils [etc] have no motivation for doing so.
It’s not the only problem. We enjoy many more rights on a public right-of-way footpath than we do on CROW access land (i.e. Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000).
I can remember trying to find one path on an OS map and not finding it. It was there 50 years previously when the Hydro were building the dam and pipelines to the power station. But was reclaimed by nature due to insufficient boots on the ground. However, I did find the bridges the Hydro put in at the time so vehicles could cross small ravines on the return path. It was only when half way across I realised the steel bridge sections had succumbed to 50years Scottish weather and I beat a hasty retreat before I fell 20+ feet into the wee stream followed by the bridge remains. Boy it was sketchy.
I now tend to check OSM maps and OS maps to see if the paths agree. I’m hoping the OSM maps get the paths because someone adds it when they have used the path and not that they are copying it from the OS map
I enjoyed reading your report Matthew. You do get out for some proper adventures! I considered my adventure of Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar as a one off trip, but you’re doing similar all of the time.
I did enjoy my solo overnight at the foot of Great Gable in 2022, it took me over 10 years to actually get it done. I took the scree route, following the map.
I do dream about doing another wild camping trip but I don’t think I want to do one as big as my previous trip though.
Seatallan is a good one Colin, but don’t tell Matthew as he’s been known to give that one a go. Summer time is very busy nowadays and you’d do well to find one of the more accessible places without others. I got woken up at 5am once by someone flying a drone over my tarp. They wanted to get some good early morning shots
I agree, Seatallan is a great overnight choice. It has good views in all directions, a nice grassy summit, and easy descent. Also, there is a water source close the summit which I recently found, so no need to carry water to the top. I have spent many nights camping on Seatallan, and it is very quiet in terms of other visitors.
You need to distinguish between the map showing a path and a right of way (dotted black and green, respectively, on 1:25000 maps). For the latter the OS are simply showing what is held on the definitive map maintained by the highways authority. For most of England and Wales the right of way and the path coincide (although some are badly maintained). The problem is on the open fells of the Lake District (and probably other mountainous regions) where you need to follow the paths and be wary of the green dots on the fells.
I’m not anti-technology on summits - that would be hypocritical but I’ve also had a drone flying close over head whilst trying to activate on a very popular summit and it’s like having a persistent flying insect buzzing round you only much noisier and larger. It’s hovering over me made me think its owner was trying to work out what I was doing via its on-board camera. I wished I had a surface-to-air missile by then.
I once walked early morning past some campers on the edge of Stickle Tarn. They can’t have been more than a metre from the footpath. That got me thinking that one day I’d like cook and eat my early morning bacon bap slightly upwind. That’s just the evil in me. Obviously I wouldn’t be sharing…
However, given the choice between packing a saucepan or an extra radio battery, the battery wins every time. Don’t think the tinned mackerel will have quite the same effect.
Had the same thing when I was on Steeple in 2020, but then I met the guy Black Crag operating the drone and ended up in one of his videos 1 min 46 seconds in you can see me setting up for a VHF WOTA activation.
If it wasn’t yet another thing to carry up a summit I’d consider it. Unfortunately a good friend who was very into drones has given it up, otherwise I’d have dragged him up a summit at some point. I think he lost one drone too many…
That was a good report and a great read. I too came off Gable in thick mist heading for Windy Gap and Brandreth, and but for Magellan we might have descended the “quick” way. Thanks for bringing these places alive.
Well I am obviously one of the ham world’s slowest video editors. But at long last I found a free evening and some renewed enthusiasm to get in and edit the video of my Flinders Peak VK3/VC-030 activation from back in February, in which I work Matthew M0MZB (mentioned at the top of this thread) on Kirk Fell S2S and 2xQRP.
Video link below … it’s a nice illustration of VK3 late afternoon conditions, both RF and environmental, which were both good. Wx a warm mid 20C after a high 30C summer’s day. And RF-wise, conditions also good, judging by the strength and consistency of the Big Gun European 14MHz chasers. You can easily hear the ethereal ‘flutter’ on the Eu stations presumably due to multipath, becoming more noticeable as the sun sets.
You did well to pick out the weak S2S on the speaker. I have to do CW with headphones even with strong signals and it would be impossible to pick out a weak signal from a speaker. My homebrew rigs don’t even have speakers!
To be honest I would probably pick out weak sigs better with headphones, but I prefer a speaker so that my smartphone video recorder can pick up the rig’s audio. Even if the video is never edited, I like to have the activation recorded to confirm anything I mighy have missed.
I know the audio could be split to two loads, but I haven’t got around to trying that yet.
I’m the same. Listening to weak-signal CW on the (poorly-located) KX2 loudspeaker in the open air can be difficult at the best of times. But it’s impossible when sheltering from the wind and/or rain under a tarp (or in a tent). The noise of the flapping tarp/tent inches away from my head forces me to use either over-the-ears Bose headphones or clip-over-ears earphones with a close-fitting woolly hat.
That lesson I learnt from failing to work Transatlantic S2S stations one very stormy day in a tent …
One saving grace is the joyously low background noise on the HF bands away from civilization. [At the risk of boring you again with this old anecdote] the first time I used my KX2 on summit, the S0 noise on 30m on switch on convinced me something was broken (e.g. antenna), Then I tuned around and a strong CW signal nearly blew the headphones off my ears.
I had that happen on 30m with my 817. I was convinced I had a fault until I tuned across a loud signal with the audio gain turned up which was not a particularly pleasant experience.
I always use headphones regardless of mode and band… the only slightly worrying issue is that I suppose I could be attacked by someone I’d not heard approaching. I have a similar concern in relation to wild camping after a friend of mine was attacked while wild camping in Norway of all places, but in general those involved in such criminal activities don’t tend to climb hills.
I’m always so engrossed in the task of doing CW that that could easily happen to me. Any distraction (walkers, biting insects, sheep chewing my antenna supports) causes me to miss copying or make sending mistakes
Obviously I wouldn’t be sharing…
