Last week Dave G4ASA, very kindly invited me over to his home in Hull, so we could jointly knock off the three remaining TW summits I hadn’t activated, as well as a couple of HuMPs.
One thing is for sure, if G/TW has the two easiest 1pt summits within the whole of SOTA, it also has three of the more difficult. If anyone who hasn’t activated these three summits thinks there are any easy points to be earned from G/TW-001, 2 and 3, then you’re in for a fairly rude awakening.
Wednesday morning, after one of Dave’s monster full English breakfasts, we headed for G/TW-003 Gisborough Moor. Dave directed me to the parking spot, where I decided to take the X-510 collinear and a couple of poles. As I planned to use a h/h, to activate the summit, I suggested Dave us my FT-857 to give him a bit more power on CW and we leave the 817 behind. The start of the track was a bog trot and my choice of walking in trainers was proving to be a big mistake …within 15 minutes my feet were drenched. The walk to the summit was a depressing two miles and maybe even a bit more, carrying a nice heavy collinear, poles and walking in soaking trainers …such joy.
On arriving at the summit, it didn’t take me long to work out, if this this hill has plenty going for the hundreds of grouse that reside there, it has virtually nothing going for the average radio ham, being flat and with very little to see. Dave set up on 20m cw and I erected the collinear and attached the h/h, then called cq and called cq and called cq. If G/SP-002 Black Hill is the graveyard of 2m FM, G/TW-003 Gisborough Moor is where it was finally confirmed extinct 
The thee initial contacts took about 15 minutes the first with G6XBF Walt in Leeds, followed by two more in South Shields and then nothing. After about five more minutes, I threw the handy down in disgust and walked over to see Dave, who had been working a pile-up on 20m. To rub salt into the wound, Dave then qsy’d to 40m, only to make an S2S with MM/OK2PDT/P on GM/WS-001 Ben Nevis!
Not to be defeated, I picked up the Handy and proceeded to qualify the summit by making a 130 mile contact with G1TAG in Kings Lynn and one more into Durham. A further 4 contacts on 20m and we were out of there. After all I’d posted about the the mighty collinear on the Reflector, Dave must have a quiet chuckle to himself on the way down 
Let me say, the long walk back to the car was a pretty subdued affair for me
Needless to say, G/TW-003 Gisborough Moor is not on my ‘do again’ list’.
Back to the car for the 12 mile or so drive to G/TW-001 Urra Moor Round Hill. Once again, easy parking and with the X-510 dumped in favour of the lighter X-300 we set off along the steep path to the ridge and the very long walk that followed. With over 200m of ascent to be gained and a walk of about two miles, you certainly earn every bit of the stingy one point this hill affords an activator.
We set up on the foot path about 100 Metres from the trig point as described by Richard G3CWI. Dave, once again working CW and me on 2m fm. However, G/TW-001 was a far different story working with the collinear. Twenty seven contacts were in the log in just over an hour, which included a lot of rag chewing. In the meantime, Dave rattled off another 34 contacts on 20m and 40m cw. Feeling a lot better, I set off on the long walk back to the car with a bit more spring in my step despite the long drive back to Hull, ahead of me.
Thursday and it was time to activate both G/TW-002 Cringle Moor and on the opposite side of the road, HuMP G/HTW-004 Carlton Moor. We activated HuMP G/HTW-004 first and once again, this was far from an easy ascent.
With the HuMP qualified, we made the descent and returned to the car to pick up fresh batteries. I picked up the 22Ah SLAB and shoved it into my rucksack, Dave took my FT-857 in order to give him a bit more power on CW. Once again, a long, fairly steep walk lay ahead of us to the summit, however, one look around at my surroundings and I knew this hill was well into collinear territory.
On reaching the summit, Dave set off on 20m cw, only this time with up to 100 Watts and a 22Ah battery at his disposal. The hard work of carrying the 22Ah would pay off for both of us with Dave making contacts into USA and Canada including an excellent 5k mile contact with SOTA chaser Phil NS7P in Oregon.
The X-300 collinear was erected and the summit was qualified in just three minutes using just using Wouxun handy. Once again, a great 130 mile contact with G1TAG in Norfolk also a good contact with Mike GW0DSP who was a big signal and a very nice S2S with Barry MW0IML/P, another good signal who was on GW/NW-002 Carnedd Llewelyn. Dave then handed me the 857 and kindly spotted me on the 20m band. Forty nine stations were rattled off in just 30 minutes. Back to 2m on the FT-857 found me working a good contact with GO0HRT Rob in Banks, also a number of the regular chasers as well as GM4FVM North of Berwick. Dave’s haul was 35 contacts including an S2S with Barry MW0IML/P and mine, a very satisfying 90 contacts …a bit more like it.
To sum up, three very different summits with no easy points. At least the collinear acquitted itself after a dismal start, by pulling out some excellent DX. All in all, a couple of great days radio, combined with brilliant wx.
Thanks to all the chasers…
73 Mike
2O0YYY