The day started off 0600hrs with a good frost as I looked out from my room window at the “SORBIETREES” Farm House B&B just south of Newcastleton
(www.sorbietrees.co.uk) had a good night’s sleep and was ready for it as been up since 0300hrs, a good full breakfast to start the day and I can say it was a good breakfast as well, Sand & John who has run the B&B for 13 years were good host well recomended.
I was on my way by 0715hrs as it was a good 7 mils to the start of the walk at The Flats, car paked and and on my way along the forest track which was very muddy 1.24mils into the walk till around 2.17mils from the forest trucks that had been up and down after the tree felling, getting to the point were I turnd into the forest at NY 587809 and it was a bit wet underfoot but when out onto the fell was ok, but no path so this was where things got tuff headed around the crags and up to NY 594408 I headed in a stright line for Sighty Crag not very nice I can say, lots of bog’s to go round I headed for a fence which was going my way and that was a lot better walking but you still had to go around a lot of the wet parts.
On arrival at Sighty Crag I just sat and got the flask out and had a coffee before setting up and what a nice day it was, no one around just me, it was so still no wind and the sun was out not like the day before when on G/SB-004 Peel Fell so windy, well got setup with the new Travel-5M pole from life’s a breeze (www.lifebreeze.co.uk) £16.99+pp they are only 57cm long (555g) when collapsed I also have the 6M one as well and that also is only 57cm long (725g) just fits in the bag nice, so the 20,40,60 dipole went up along with the 2M antenna both conected to the FT857 and the Zippy Lipo 13.2v.
I started on 2M and 1st in the log was Karren 2E0XYL/P 59-56 at 1215 s2s on LD-028 alnog with Mark M1MPB/P 59-55 who also was on LD-028 and then I picked up GW3PZO/P on GW/HNW-053 56-57 but can not remember his name, the gray matter not working so well since I got to 65, I also made contact with Phil G4OBK in Pickering 44 both way’s and Derek 2E0MIX/P on LDW-122 59-59 and then came Richard G1JTD/P on LDW-147 59-59 so just 11 on 2M not bad for a Monday.
Then onto 40M G4ZRP Brian 44-55 I did alot better on 40M than 2M I think everyone wanted this summit as it is not done that much as it is a bit out of the way, I then went onto 20M this was the band that I think the world came on lot of EU’s and US also some VE’s and then I went onto 24M this band was full I just could’nt get on at all but did get Mark AB0ON,YR88CV,SV2AMD and HA88IE so it was time to start packing up as a long walk back, so got packed up took a video on the GoPro and set off walking back it did not seem long before I got back to the crag’s over looking Long Bar, I headed for the place where I thought I had come out of the forest but no, went wrong some how anyway I headed for the fence next to the forest at NY 588806 and found an old forest track followed it down to NY 586806 and came out over looking the forest track that I had come on, I had cut off about 1/4mil, it was a place where they had dug out a lot of rock, well I was happy about that and was on my way back to the car arrived about 1715hrs boot’s off made a cup of tea, as always have the my little stove with me.
I was staying at Colin’s and Heather’s in Milnthorpe for the night, thank you both for letting me stay the night before heading back to York but was doing Pendle Hill G/SP005 first, I was going to do G/SP-008 but coming down from Pendle Hill the old right knee started to swell co’s of the stone path down I just dread them as I know the knee’s do not like them, anyway I decided not to do G/SP-008 and not make things worse.
I had a good few days walking and the wx was good for a change and thank you all for working me on G/SB-004,GM/SS-161,G/SB-005 and G/SP-005 and a big thank you to the guy’s for spotting me.
G/SB-004 Peel Fell
2M 5 Contact’s
No HF high winds
GM/SS-161 Larriston Hill
2M 4 Contact’s
No HF high winds
G/SB-005 Sighty Crag
2M 11 Contact’s 2 s2s
40M 24 Contact’s
20M 28 Contact’s 2 s2s
12M 4 Contact’s
G/SP-005 Pendle Hill
2M 15 Contact’s 1 s2s
73
G0VWP
Terry
