Apologies, no photos. My last 3 activations have been in mist with no views at all.
27/12 saw me squelching through Irish bogs to reach the summits of GI/MM-008 & 009. There’s a perfectly located stone seat at the top of Eagle mountain in the shelter provided by the corner in the wall. I think this was the best activating position of the trio. Although the wind didn’t feel too strong during the walk, it was a bit of a struggle controlling the 7m mast (too lazy to guy it properly). So the mournes were boggy and misty. At least the deluge we had in NI over Christmas and Boxing Day had finished.
Today I finally completed NP with a squelch up to G/NP-002! 
. I got a permit for yesterday and today to allow me to pick the best day. Yesterday was forecast to be very windy, today slightly less so 
. I could only get the mast about halfway up, but still managed to get the contacts (largely thanks to jumping onto the end of the Hambleton net). On the way down the heavens opened, but I was warm and (mainly) dry and seemed to float over (most of) the bog on a tidal wave of euphoria at having completed NP AND finally activated Mickle Fell!
Hopefully next weekend will see me finish LD and allow a bit more leisure time on the tops!
Thanks to everyone who’s helped me so far on my SOTA journey.
HI Andy
I had a look for you 10 minutes after your spot on 145.500 at 12:13z but no working frequency was spotted by any of the stations who you worked. So I searched around the usual frequencies from 145300-145600 in vain, but couldn’t find you. It really helps people like me with a beam using 2m FM over 50-100+ mile ranges if we know where the station is operating as the signals often appear for long enough for me to complete a QSO, although in the case of Mickle Fell I’m sure I could have worked you with your aerial mounted on a 7m mast without relying on the vagaries of propagtion to help, as its only 66 miles direct.
Its a good summit to get done with the firing range restrictions, so well done. Is that your last G/NP summit?
73 Phil
PS - Just out of interest I looked back at my 13 Chaser QSOs with G/NP-002. Only 4 were on 2m from Pickering. 2 were SSB and 2 were FM, one from my previous QTH down the hill, and one from where I live now:
20/11/2005 G1INK/P 2m SSB
30/12/2010 G4OIG/P 2m SSB
03/10/2015 GX0OOO/P (G4YSS) 2m FM
02/10/2021 G6WBS/P 2m FM (55 sent 58 received)
73 Phil
PS Great it this is your last NP Andy - you do right not to hang around in a bitter wind. Glad you got back in really good time to be writing it up on the reflector.
Hi Phil sorry I missed you. I was mainly on 450 and 425. I confess I didn’t linger too long, it was getting quite cold in the wind (and I’m glad I was part way down before the rain hit). I should have a bit longer (weather and wife permitting) on Mellbreak and High Stile in a week. High stile will be my last LD gods permitting. Yes Mickle Fell was my last NP - a good one to finish with. I can just do NP summits for fun now 
. Happy new year
Well done - If the wx was as interesting as it was at home 8 miles and 1000 ft lower you did brilliantly. I’m saving Whernside for my last NP hill and that is going to be in good wx…
What is next? G/SB. G/SP or Scotland
All the best
Thankfully there are still plenty of hills! 
G/WB and most of Wales are still fertile grounds for me and GM could keep most people interested for a while! Now I’m retired I really need to pull my finger out and get MG. Still loving the hobby though!
Now you have done this fine bog, your next target must be Sighty Crag SB-005.
. Fortunately I’ve already done that one! I’m not planning to return. I think I enjoyed Mickle Fell more actually, I like the wilderness (can’t think why I didn’t see a soul yesterday 
)
There’s another topic here - which SOTA summits are once only ‘experiences’?
Chno Dearg GM/WS-032. 8 Points. It’s a vertical bog with a rounded, featureless top.
If it wasn’t a Munro, no one would climb it.
It’s linked in a horseshoe with Stob Coire Sgriodian, a much finer Munro (non-SOTA). However, this peak has the worst descent imaginable. Wet boggy, rough and craggy.
Robin, GM7PKT has activated it 11 times however, so perhaps we caught it on a bad day!
Out of a total of 17 activations. I take it Chno Dearg translates as Robin’s Peak? 
Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain (Walkhighlands)
If you listen to the pronunciation and translation on this link, it’s quite interesting!