Facebook users will be aware of ‘memories’ popping up eg. on a certain date x years ago it reminded you of whatever ill deeds you had been up to.
Thus last month a ‘memory’ popped up to say I had activated Elidir Fawr GW/NW-005 5 years ago. I remembered that the walk had been very hard work, it had been my first hill after the end of that Covid lockdown & I was quite unfit.
As I hadn’t been there since, it seemed only right to pay my respects again to one of the 14 Welsh 3000 foot peaks. So my pal Ken & myself set off one dreich morning up the track towards the dam & lake of the Dinorwic pump storage scheme.
Our plan was to do what we at least call the Elidir Horseshoe, map here:-
The distance is about 6 miles, from memory. So up the rather dreary tarmac track we went, then up the hillside to the bwlch & then up the short but steep path onto Carnedd y Filiast.
From the stoney summit of C y F ( mind where you tread), we set off towards Mynydd Perfedd when we came across a heft or herd of genuine mountain goats
On we plodded in the clouds (sorry, no glorious panoramic pics yet!) & lunched in the shelter on M P. Here’s looking back to Carnedd y Filiast:
Then down to the narrow Bwlch y Brecan :
and the long slog up up to the summit began.
At the summit I set up shop on 2m & obtained 8 qsos in a short time. It’s interesting to see that apart from a few very local qsos, the rest were all on the west coasts of Wales & NW England. This was mostly the same pattern for my previous activations. I can only assume that the great bulk of the Carneddau, Glyderau & Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon ranges tend to block easterly transmissions. Having said that, I have chased the summit several times from my Merseyside QTH, so its not impossible.
We then set off down the steep path towards Elidir Fach as a change from going back to the dam & heading down the road. At the Elidir Fach summit we were in thick cloud, so unusually had to revert to map & compass to find the path down the northern flank of E F.
As we descended the clouds lifted at last, & we had good views over Marchlyn Bach reservoir, Carnedd y Filiast & Elidir Fawr summit ridge.
Finally back to the dam road & a sunny walk down to the cars.
73 John GW0MHF.