It was around this time last year that I started to organise Gaulfest 2023 and although in the end I made the decision not to to partake in Gaulfest 2023 due to the weather on the day the Gaulfest 2023 took place, this event was still a success.
Although I am now looking to organise a Gaulfest 2024, there are no guarantees that I’ll be partaking in this event either. Gaulfest is traditionally an event that takes place on one of the days between Christmas and New Year where SOTA activations take place either on a G/WB SOTA summit in the Shropshire area or on a GW/NW or on a GW/MW SOTA summit near to the England Wales border, afterwards we would meet up at Mr Bun The Baker in Church Stretton for coffee and cake.
Gaulfest 2024 will take place on either Friday 27th December, Saturday 28th December, Sunday 29th December or Monday 30th December. The actual Gaulfest 2024 date will be confirmed much nearer the time. We will need to check the weather forecast and see which of these mentioned dates has the best weather. Just wondering if anyone is up for taking part in Gaulfest 2024 and more importantly, is anyone up for a meet up at Mr Bun The Baker in Church Stretton afterwards?
I’m up for it, depending on which day it ends up being and other family commitments.
If I do get to take part I definitely want to include a visit to Mr Bun!
The above being a copy and paste of my response from last year! This year I will endeavour to make it to Mr Bun before it closes. Did someone say 10M ground wave S2S fest?
Well a good summit to try a contact for me would be Criffel, GM/SS-130 that gives a 270km path to a typical Gaulfest summit like Long Mynd. Which is pushing things somewhat on 10m. More likely with 10W SSB on 2m with a wee Yagi each end. Worse, Criffel is a 2hr drive and a 1hr30 climb.
I guess that’s Monday 30th or Tuesday 31st…or Sunday / Monday…?
Anyway, thanks for posting!
I’ll have to wait until much nearer the time before committing - it will depend on familly arrangements, weather, and how my recovery is progressing.
I had a big operation in August, and although everything seems to be going to plan, I’m not quite up to winter activating yet. I did manage a slow walk up Stiperstones g/wb-003 (40 mins instead of the usual 20mins) on a fine day a couple of weeks ago, with a quick HH activation on 2m. It felt soooo good!
If I’m available I’m up for joining in. As always, depends on family stuff etc. Probably Caradoc unless someone else is desperate to do it… fingers crossed for reasonable weather.
Sorry about this Adrian, I have now corrected my initial post to say that Gaulfest 2024 will take place on either Friday 27th December, Saturday 28th December, Sunday 29th December or Monday 30th December. Gaulfest 2024 will certainly not take place on Tuesday 31st December as that day is New Years Eve to which I am sure most people will be very busy on that day and usually my dad Tom @M1EYP gets booked to do a gig on New Years Eve, although no one has booked him yet for a New Years Eve 2024 gig.
Hopefully you’ll be well enough Adrian to take part in Gaulfest 2024. If you don’t feeling like activating a SOTA summit on the Gaulfest 2024 day, you are always welcome to attend the meet up at Mr Bun The Baker.
We’re now not available on Friday 27th December either due to us attending a pantomime with our family this day. Looks like Gaulfest will now either be Sunday 29th December or Monday 30th December so therefore I am hoping there will be some good weather on one of those 2 days.
Hi Adrian
Very glad to hear you are making good progress and taking things very slowly. Well done for getting up Stiperstones which is certainly not one of the easiest as the path is so rough. I hope you’d be able to do Pole Bank sometime as the path is much softer and I don’t think it is any longer. Thinking of easy access hills (but not necessarily very close to you…) Long Mt Beacon Ring, View Edge, Aconbury Hill, Hegdon Hill (please look for my missing peg in the verge - but not by driving over it and busting a tyre as we managed on the Begwns last week - except that was a sharp stone). I can’t think of any more at present but definitely NOT the Wrekin or Corndon or Caer Caradoc just yet. Look forward to hearing from you before too long either from home or from up a hill.
73 Viki .
Free transport available with Jimmy and I. Tentative plan to do Corndon Hill, Stiperstones and Long Mynd. As Jimmy mentioned to me in the pub this evening, you gave Ben’s event a try and enjoyed it - so you never know. Plus of course once you did a kind of Gaulfest with us on that snowy day with Ian G7ADF and Lewis all those years ago. Go on Richard, you know it makes sense.
