Every time I see this topic title it reminds me of the 10CC Dreadlock Holiday. I imagine you won’t have to declare your love of cricket in Scotland though.
Now it’s in my head…
Enjoy your trip.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2DA
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But Tom is in the heart of cricket in Scotland with Freuchie Cricket club not that far from the Lomond Hills. The clubs claim to fame was victory in the final of the National Village Championship at Lord’s in 1985 against a side from Surrey…
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Three more summits today:
Friday 1st July 2022 - East Lomond GM/SS-198, West Lomond GM/SS-154 & Bishop Hill GM/SS-187
These can be done as a linear walk - leave the car at the start/end point for Bishop Hill (car park beside Holl Reservoir) and persuade a kindly local to chauffeur you from there to the high car park close to East Lomond to start the three summit traverse.
We opted to go for the “easy” option of three separate “there and back” walks from closest parking spots - but I’m not convinced this was indeed the easy option - as each walk-in has to be reversed, ie doubled!
Anyway, 15 miles walked, 30,000 steps. Mainly 20m CW for me, but some SSB, and brief diversions onto 40m and 15m - and Jimmy’s 2m FM kit for a couple of S2S (Paul MM0SNA/P on GM/SS-224 & Andy GM6ZAK/P on GM/SS-277).
Jimmy was pleased to qualify all three summits easily on 2m FM, with an impressive 18 QSOs on the third summit - he must have brought the IO83 fairy dust with him!
More SOTAing today for the last day of the holiday.
GM/SS-198 East Lomond
GM/SS-154 West Lomond
GM/SS-187 Bishop Hill
15 miles walked, 30,000 steps. Mainly 20m CW for me, but some SSB, and brief diversions onto 40m and 15m - and Jimmy’s 2m FM kit for a couple of S2S (Paul MM0SNA/P on GM/SS-224 & Andy GM6ZAK/P on GM/SS-277).
Jimmy was pleased to qualify all three summits easily on 2m FM, with an impressive 18 QSOs on the third summit - he must have brought the IO83 fairy dust with him!
Cracking day in yet more sweltering Scottish sunshine. Later relaxing with Marianne and Liam over beer and dinner in The Bank - our favourite pub in Anstruther
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Me and my dad Tom M1EYP will be back in GM from Sunday 4th September until Friday 9th, this time just us 2 on a walking days where we will be activation some GM/SS SOTA summits in the Scottish Borders region.
We will be staying at Tushielaw Inn which I know that various SOTA activators have stayed at before, but I believe that we’ll be the first to stay there under the current owners. I understand that when SOTA activators did stay at Tushielaw Inn that it was owned by Rab and Gail at the time, the owners are now Allan and Sharon who took over from Rab and Gail in autumn last year. I believe that Tushielaw Inn should be as good as what it was under the current owners as most reviews are good, but with a small number of bad reviews also. I can see as well that the cooked breakfast is still available, but not included as only the continental breakfast is now included. I can see from looking at photos of the bar, it appears that sadly there’s no hand pulled real ale, but I am sure that the lager in there after a days walking will just be as good.
I will be looking to activate the SOTA summits on 2m FM and will be HF SSB/FT4/FT8 backup which I will probably need as I believe that this area of GM is not too good on 2m FM, my dad will be activating the SOTA summit on HF CW/FT4/FT8. We hope you work you on the bands while on our GM/SS walking holiday.
Jimmy M0HGY
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It is possible to activate on 2m FM but I was using 50W to a flowerpot at 4m AGL. Beside the usual SOTA alerts it could be worth getting a list of local FM contacts from the SOTA database and sending some e-mails to get locals to switch ON.
The hardest VHF summits I have been to in the area was Rubers Law GM/SS-210 and Belling Hill GM/SS-244.
73 de
Andrew G4VFL
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Natalie M7NTD and I are on holiday in Anglesey 3rd until 10th September and plan some SOTA activations. Hopefully work you S2S while your on GM.
73 Chris M0RSF
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The 2m Trophy Contest runs Sat 3rd and Sun 4th September. Chris, if you are moderately well sighted looking North then you will be an easy contact from our contest site in Dumfries and Galloway. We’re about 2miles from the sea and can see the IOM most of the time. I’m not sure if Jimmy and Tom will be QRV before the contest finishes but again we’d be an easy contact if they were to snaffle Hutton Roof Crags or Lambrigg Fell etc. on the way up.
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Thanks for the heads up Andy. I was thinking of taking some 2m SSB gear and operating from a SOTA nearby for the first hour of the 2m SSB UKAC on Tuesday 6th September.
Here is a photo of taken on one of our previous visits to where we stay. We overlook GW/NW-069 Holyhead Mountain. There are worse places to enjoy meals from.
We worked S2S on 2m FM on one of our Anglesey holidays. You were on GM/SS-015 Ben Chonzie while I was on GW/NW-040 Tal-y-Fan. Nice QSO.
73 Chris M0RSF
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I remember the QSO well as my 817 had failed!
Should be a relatively easy QSO on 2m SSB from where you possibly are located. Trivial if you were nearer Amlwch.
©Crown copyright 2022 Ordnance Survey. Media 041/22
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I think I was the first Soterer in recent times to stay at the Tushielaw whilst under the stewardship of Rab (he had been in oil) and Gail.
The price, service and food was fine. The bar opened when you arrived and closed when you went to bed. Ask about it’s history as a coaching inn from the 1650’s onwards. Most of the hills are relatively easy, but distances can be long, a mountain bike is a big advantage. The Mountain Biker’s cafe in Innerliethin is a good tea / sticky bun shop.
Enjoy.
David
G0EVV
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Did you mean Hawick?
“I think I was the first Soterer in recent times to stay at the Tushielaw whilst under the stewardship of Rab (he had been in oil) and Gail.
The price, service and food was fine. The bar opened when you arrived and closed when you went to bed. Ask about it’s history as a coaching inn from the 1650’s onwards.”
I think me and my dad Tom M1EYP will be the first SOTA activators to stay at Tushielaw Inn under it’s current owners Allan and Sharon who took over from Rab and Gail in autumn last year. I believe that there it’s now more restricted as to when food will be served there of an evening, from what I’ve read it I believe that’s they stop serving food sometime between 7pm and 8pm which may not be ideal for us if we are late back from a days SOTA activations. It will be interesting to see if the current owners will be happy to warm our soup up of a morning or let us use the kitchen for us to warm our soup up and if this will be he first ever accommodation in the 20 years that SOTA has existed where we are denied any facility to get our soup warmed up of a morning.
We will be looking to activate the local summits near Tushielaw Inn, we don’t fancy mountain bikes, in fact I have forgotten how to ride a bike despite the old saying of “you never forget how to ride a bike”.
Jimmy M0HGY
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I do have a mobile number for Ken @GM0AXY will will be able to text him to get him and Christine @GM4YMM to work me. I don’t really know of any others in the area who I can get in contact with though.
I will only be running 2.5w into an FT-817 and SOTA Beams MFD
Jimmy M0HGY
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Hi Chris,
Hopefully me and my dad Tom M1EYP will be able to work you and Natalie M7NTD summit to summit if bands are good.
Jimmy M0HGY
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No plans of Hutton Roof Crags G/LD-052 or Lambrigg Fell G/LD-046 on the way up. Our activations that day will be as soon as we’re across the border into GM.
Jimmy M0HGY
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I had some difficulty getting 2m and 70cm contacts on some of the low SS Borders summits which we visited in September last year and the worst was Belling Hill (GM/SS-244) with 2m-2 and 70cm-1 but it was late in the day (1500 UTC) and we couldn’t stay long. It was the only hill in the tour of 20 summits that I didn’t qualify. I had been more succesful earlier on Rubers Law (GM/SS-210) with 2m-6 and 70cm-5. This is an interesting hill with an easy path and I wanted to explore the volcanic plug but the weather deteriorated from drizzle to rain so we fled!
I am sorry to hear that the Tushielaw Inn has changed hands as it is still on our list to visit as we have a couple of hills nearby that we haven’t activated. We did call in for a meal some years ago and were made very welcome and I just hope that the new owners are as hospitable and flexible - which may be essential if they are to survive in such an lonely spot.
Good luck with your tour Tom and Jimmy
73 Viki M6BWA
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Hi Vicki,
It dosen’t surprise me that this area of GM/SS is very quiet for VHF activity. I do have HF backup through which I am sure in some SOTA will be needed.
From looking at the recent reviews of Tushielaw Inn, it appears that the current owners are just as good as the previous owners, but there is a small number of bad reviews also. I believe that the current owners are not as flexible when it comes to serving food of an evening, so may need to ame sure that we’re off the hills by early evening to ensure that we are there in plenty of time to get a shower and then some food afterwards. Also it will be interesting to see if these current owners will warm up our soup in the morning or let us use the kitchen for us to do this or if this will be the first ever accommodation during the 20 years that SOTA has existed that refuse any facility of warming up our soup in the morning.
Jimmy M0HGY
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I take all TripAdvisor reviews with a very large pinch of cynicism. Especially the reviews of places I’ve stayed and had excellent service and food and see people complaining about the poor service and food.
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There was a recent dreadful review for an establishment near us - the owner bit back, in Spades, pointing out that the complainant had so many errors in their post (including getting the gender of the serving staff wrong) that they could not have visited the premises
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