Corse Hill GM/SS-236

If this wasn’t on the list then I’d never have gone here. I wont be going back either

Maybe, just maybe, on a nice crisp Winter day with frozen ground a little snow, no wind and a piercing blue sky, maybe if you had that then this would warrant the trip. Otherwise avoid it.

150+ wind turbines, lots and lots of Sitka plantations, roads everywhere and god-awful bog everywhere else. If I didn’t want the unique to complete the GM/SS summits then I’d never have gone near. There are no redeeming features at all.

4.8km and 80m of ascent took me from the parking place at Ardochrig to the trig. It was 10C or so but windy and the sky touched the ground. When it didn’t there was heavy drizzle. But the wind when the drizzle stopped was enough to dry me off. Zero visibilty most of the time. Just the whizz and thump of many turbines as you pass by.

There’s S8 noise on 60m here but I managed to bag 12 contacts. 40m had S2 noise but this was less of a problem with the narrow CW filter. 8 worked on CW and 6 on SSB. I thought about 30m but I was later leaving home, late setting up and I didn’t want to spend any more time in this most miserable of places. I packed up and the mist lifted. So I could see what I had walked past on the return. Back at the car the mist came back.

Trig point and one of the many turbines… distinct lack of mist when this was taken.

4.7kms and 80m ascent… it’s basically a flat walk. But there’s no need to find out. Boring and awful place. Avoid!

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It must be a bit like Billinge Hill, then.

:wink:

73,
Walt

I’m getting the feeling you are not keen on this one… :grin:

I live near a few Turbines out here in the Fens, 60m is again the worst band for noise. Top band and 80m is reasonable, very odd.

Scotland is full of marvellous hills - why torment yourself with this dross?

Well, I’m grateful anyway. Thanks for the summit & trig, Andy!

I’ve avoided it for 10+ years. The main reason to do it is to cross it off the list of SS summits South of Edinburgh<>Glasgow. Secondly I was a little slow in getting up after spending Saturday evening trying out assorted Martini recipes. Finally, at 8.45am it was still so dark here you would have needed lights on your car. The WX wasn’t conducive for long trips and climbing high.

Indeed most of the enjoyment from this activation was giving the points away to the chasers. And walking nearly 10kms of walking justifies a eating Toffee Crisp on the return!

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Actually it makes quite a nice warm up for a second summit later in the day. That’s the problem Andy, your day was unbalanced. Maybe bear that in mind on your next outing. All that driving for just one summit… :wink:

The list of list of GM/SS hills remaining is decreasing nicely, down to 29 now.

Bainloch Hill
Benbeoch
Bengairn
Bengray
Berneraird
Black Craig of Dee
Blaeloch Hill
Brown Carrick Hill
Cairnkinna Hill
Cairn Pat
Cairnsmore of Carsphairn
Caulkin Rig
Craigenreoch
Craiglee 1
Craiglee 2
Craignell
Criffel
Fell of Fleet
Grange Fell
Grey Hill
Hightown Hill
Hill of Stake
Knockdolian
Millfore
Mochrum Fell
Mullwharcher
See Morris Hill
Troweir
Woodhead Hill

There are several in there than get grouped into multiples and a few which will be singles. The biggest issue is some are a long way across rubbish roads. I think it would be worth an overnight stay for the more remote ones to get the greatest amount of bagging per litre of fuel used.

A plan is forming that I’ll “complete” this section with Mullwharchar. A fine hill that is really quite remote for the UK should be the one that completes a notional area.

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For me all the most worthwhile summits in SS are north of that line!

As an aside, the Scottish regional boundaries have always puzzled me, they are so illogical. For instance if I was to define Southern Scotland I would say that the northern border should be the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs roughly from Arran to Stonehaven. The rock, the structures, the style of the hills changes profoundly across that fault. But IIWII!

When you have completed this project, Andy, do you have another one lined up?

Brian

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GD in a day. But that isn’t going to be a long lasting project :wink:

Aye, he is going to come North and try for ES completion but he will only do that when he moves the summit of one of them so that my complete record is no longer. I wouldn’t mind, but now I have moved qth that summit is now a long drive away for me.
On the plus side, there are about five ES hills within spitting distance and Andy will need somebody to look after his bottle of Malt while he is up the hill and I can offer safe hands :grinning:

Completing ES is a fair old challenge. Though there are some mighty fine looking 1pt summits not too far from your new home. I was going to say I wont be deleting that ES summit till I’ve done it, but I did it earlier this Autumn. There are a few more activators who want to bag it before it goes, so it’s safe for some time.

When it goes and is replaced by the other summit a km further away I’ll need to do that one. That seems like a good reason for a few of us GM activators to bag it en masse and we can all stay in Braemar or Ballater and check the local hostels are keeping their beers and malts in good order. I did have a few spectacular glasses of Cairngorm Brewery’s Trade Winds last time in Ballater.

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One of the finest craft beers ever produced (and I have supped one or two)

Not to mention a certain GM/SS summit as well. It’s on your “to do” list… :wink:

I’ve made it plain, they don’t go till I’ve done them. Anyway Troweir is part of the Girvan Three… Brown Carrick, Troweir/Saugh and Grey Hill. As they are in Neil’s 2M0NCM’s backyard it would be good to ask him to come and play as well when I finally get to bag them.

Thanks Andy, on the blacklist.

Redemption for Corse Hill?

I find some of the ‘negative waves’ [ref: Kelly’s Heroes] on this thread about Corse Hill GM/SS-236 a bit disappointing. I enjoy all kinds of outdoor walking - not just the dramatic peaks with Himalayan views - and try to find something of interest in every walk.

In the 1990s - before they built that vast wind farm in the woods I used to cycle to work from East Ayrshire several times a week on the tiny back road where I parked [at Whitelee East Windfarm Parking] to start the walk (or bike ride in my case). Not been there in more than 22 years yet I recognized every inch of that road - that’s country cycling for you.

Despite the bad press about Corse Hill, I enjoyed it as a bike ride through the woods with the dozens of giant wind-turbine towers making it look like a scene from War of the Worlds. I agree it’s a bit of a dull walk [though there were a fair number of walkers and summit visitors when I was there]. Although very cold it was mainly sunny with just one sharp shower whilst sitting on the summit. The view of the southern Highlands is pleasant and it has a decent VHF/UHF take-off [I easily qualified the activation first on 2m FM].

I took my 60/40/30/20 inverted v linked dipole and decided to try SSB on 60m [a rarity for me] with just 10W and got a mini pile-up [I’ve noticed this before that SSB ops often get more chasers on 60m than CW ops].

This has inspired me to make an 80/60 linked dipole for occasional SSB/CW activations on the L.F. bands as an alternative to my default 60/40/30 CW using my vertical antenna.

regards, Andy

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Thanks for giving it a go… I was listening for you but nothing was penetrating my S8-9 local noise :frowning: Hope to catch you at the LF end with your new antenna.

73 Paul G4MD

Thanks for listening Paul. I too suffer S8-9 noise on 80m with the home antenna so looking forward to enjoying lower noise whilst portable.


The remaining components arrived from SOTAbeams this morning so no excuse now to getting it built and tested.

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