GM/NS-land in May 2025 on VHF/UHF now finished!

[M6BWA]

Although the title mentions only the NS region of Scotland we started in the CS region south of Inverness and also walked in a procession up a SS hill on the way south. Sadly, our activities were limited by a slip (M0JLA) on the descent from CS-113 Tom Bailgean which injured his left thumb and (M6BWA) my back started causing problems after the move to Loch Lomond. However the weather conditions on the journey up, stay at Culloden and when we were north of Inverness (staying near Evanton) were superb and the views outstanding so we certainly had some very good luck.

Fyrish monument above Evanton, on the slopes of GM/NS-105

Date Summit 2m 70cm Comments
14.5 CS-078 4 pt 2 1 Steep, used repeater, then QSYd
15.5 CS-113 1 pt 5 1 S2S – swapped summits, dangerous
15.5 CS-119 1 pt 1 1 S2S (M0JLA) only contact!
16.5 CS-118 1 pt 4 1 M0JLA injured so mobile contact
16.5 CS-117 1 pt 4 1 ditto (and next day)
17.5 NS-151 1 pt 4 3 To Evanton, disliked walk and AZ
18.5 NS-105 2 pt 5 4 with M0JLA, visited Fyrish monument
19.5 NS-135 1 pt 9 5 included SOTA GM5AIB/MM7RTC
19.5 NS-138 1 pt 9 4 ditto, lovely walk and hill
20.5 NS-143 1 pt 8 6 S2S swapped summits, hard walk
20.5 NS-144 1 pt 8 3 S2S used car but too far, train contact
21.5 NS-152 1 pt 9 6 Lovely hillock, great views, train again
22.5 NS-150 1 pt 6 1 2 S2S, vitrified fort and ridge walk, trees
23.5 NS-148 1 pt 8 5 2 S2S, tricky forest walk
24/25 moved Newtonmore Inverness, rain and rest
26.5 CS-095 2 pt 1 1 +1HF, then an A9 contact – bingo!
27.5 (ES-027) - nil At summit, wind/cold, did not call
28/29 moved Loch Lomond Rest, moved, rain at SS-129 parking
30.5 (SS-129) - Rain/wind, aborted at steep ridge walk
31/5 Rain, Drymen Show
1/6 SS-139 1 pt 9 6 Some rain, very busy, good views
2/3/6 Carlisle/Hereford Good journey, M6BWA back problems

Grateful thanks to the Inverness Radio Society (Angus GM6AGC and Adrian MM0HDY) who received almost daily updates and forwarded them to their members which made quite a difference (see CS-119!) Also the Sutherland and District ARC (SADARC), via Peter GM5AIB, who were pleased to hear that a different callsign might be within reach. Both of these Clubs were mainly on facebook but we aren’t members so couldn’t contact direct. Very grateful to those who agreed to try for 70cm contacts and there were some surprising results (helped by s2s). We were particularly lucky that 2 SOTA activators Peter GM5AIB and June MM7RTC were in the area some of the time and MM7MOX and MM0FMF passed through on the way to the top left corner of Scotland.
Most frequent local contacts:
10 MM7 IRM Iain, high above Loch Ness – or in/on his Inverness bunker
6 GM0HLV Derek, Helmsdale who had also contacted me on many GM-ES land summits
5 2M0WTN Alistair, Wick – but he drove south to ensure the contacts – also previous years
5 GM0GTU Stewart, Nairn.
Most surprising VHF contacts were
15.5 CS-113 Tom Bailgean (E of Loch Ness) to 2M0AKI Darren nr Stornoway, Isle of Harris
19.5 NS-138 Struie to GM7PBB John near Ness of Lewis (? drove past his masts some years ago)
22.5 NS-150 Cnoc Mor (above Strathpeffer) to GM0HBK Colin, SW Isle of Skye
and, of course, 2 contacts (on both bands) with Graham MM0GHM/RS on the Royal Scotsman hotel train at Tain station (20.5 NS-144 Creag a Ghobair) and Inverness station (21.5 NS-152 Hill of Nigg) It took me some time to believe I was talking to a 5 star train when on a very bleak hill NW of Dornoch! I only resorted to HF (for one contact to actually activate the hill) on 26.5 GM/CS-095 Creag Ruadh west of Newtonmore then returned to my windy rig. I called yet again.. and 2M0IJU/M Graham replied as he drove up the nearest part of the A9 .. and 2m and 70cm were soon in the bag – and the mast dismantled. We quickly descended but not before I was hailed on but I was still very happy!
Special thanks to M0JLA who had to do all the driving despite a thumb injury.

M0JLA hard at work on GM/NS-150 Cnoc Mor above Strathpeffer

All further instalments have now been added with pictures (with dates on them as, sadly, I didn’t notice until too late) and brief (or not so brief..) descriptions. Good luck to anyone who decides to read them all.
73 Viki M6BWA

[M6BWA]

Just to recap, this is an account of a visit in late May written by M6BWA - accompanied by M0JLA, except when injured, who did all the driving and most of the preparation including researching hillbagging and printing superb individual activation maps. We had driven up from the Welsh Borders with a 3 night stay booked at Culloden (south of Inverness GM/CS-land hills), a week near Evanton north of the Black Isle GM/NS-land), 4 nights near Newtonmore (west of Aviemore and surrounded by higher GM/CS/ES-land) and 3 near Loch Lomond (GM/SS-land). For the previous 2 years we had been exploring the smaller GM/ES-land hills north of Aberdeen and on Speyside but always bearing in mind that I only work on 5w on 2m fm and 70cm fm so we did need some local contacts. We also investigated the many Pictish stones and museums in the area and were looking to continue this on this more northern trip. I was unexpectedly particularly unfit for this trip and was looking for easier hills – especially at the beginning!

14 May 1925 The Sow of Atholl GM/CS-078

We drove up from south of Glasgow to Culloden, where we were staying for 3 nights, and were looking for a hill to do on the way. I thought that The Sow looked a rather tough hill to use as a ‘training’ for the hills to come but Rod felt it was just a short distance off the A9 and not involved in the major roadworks further north which might block access to the more obvious Meall Mor GM/CS-109. (He turned out to be correct in that the relevant laybys were all blocked as we passed and looked as if they might be unusable for some years judging by the amount of work to be done. We never did decide how this hill should currently be approached.) The turn to Dalnaspidal Lodge was well signposted and we shortly found a smallish parking area. just before the level crossing, which started to fill up soon after our arrival. A variety of routes are available, including to a Munro, but we were intent on ascending only one hill – unlike the fitter Martin and Caroline (M1MAJ and M3ZCB) who, in 2019, ascended CS-028 as well and thus used a different route up CS-078 (see SOTA database). We crossed the railway, passed the mast and over the river on an estate road and then turned right on another track towards the hill – much to the annoyance of the nesting lapwings (this was the only time we saw them on the trip) who were circling ahead. I had expected a clear path at least part of the way up the hill

but we couldn’t find one.
The only solution seemed to be to head up the hill and keep on going

and admire the views which were appearing… We both found this rather hard going but

the sight of some interesting flowers on the way up did provide a diversion and an excuse to stop and take some photographs.

As I got slower and slower I found myself repeating the medical advice to ‘avoid any strenuous activities for the next 3 weeks’ that I had unexpectedly been given just 2 weeks before and thought they were probably right! We eventually reached the flat top with good views of the surrounding hills and I remembered that VHF was going to be a challenge.

Up went my dipole at the highest (2½m) above the ground and I started calling and calling and… Not a good omen for the next 10 days as we were heading north of Inverness where there seemed to be a lot of sea but a rather sparse population. Eventually I remembered that Pitlochry was my only hope and discovered I’d got the repeater in my Yaesu VX7R and I could get into it. Gosh! Someone replied and I soon had contact on 2m and 70cm with GM4ODW (‘only drinks whisky’) Ruraigh who I’d spoken to a few years ago when staying in Kirkmichael. I tried for further contacts for another 15 mins and was picked up by MM0INL George near Glamis (an old friend) which we thought was a very unlikely contact (52/41) as there was a fair amount of solid rock between us but we hoped for better later on – and we never spoke again.

Rod was more successful with 11 contacts on HF. The wind was cold and it was time to descend and I was glad I’d actually activated the hill - and made the first contact on 70cm from it

but it still seemed a long way back down.

More to follow

[M6BWA]

15 May 1925 GM/CS-113 Tom Bailgeann and GM/CS-119 Creag nan Clag

During our 3 night stay in Culloden we hoped to activate some low hills east of Loch Ness but knew that I would have difficulty in getting VHF contacts but at least 2 of them (and possibly 4) would let us ascend opposite hills and then swap summits thus getting at least one contact on each hill and, hopefully, a couple of completes but things can go wrong.

In the continuing good weather (which lasted until we drove south through Inveness 9 days later) we drove almost into Inverness and then down the B862 on the east shore of Loch Ness to Dores. Then SE to the north end of Loch Ceo Glais and very close to the start of the path up CS-113 but we ignored this and forked left towards the second hill. We had expected to find a parking place on the shore of the larger Loch Duntelchaig, but nothing was found until we reached the cattle grid NH602292.

GM/CS-113 Tom Bailgeann

I then had a longer walk back to the start of the track to the masts at NH598298 where there is room for a couple of cars.

Looking up to the masts just visible on the left with the mast track visible on the right.
This a good track which, after a very steep section **, zigzags up the hillside in a rather lazy fashion so short cuts can be taken and, once most of the height has been gained, there is a pleasant alternative lower path off to the left, which rises only slowly and then decides to go up to the top at the last moment. This path is ideal in dry weather but might get rather muddy in the more usual wet conditions when it might be more sensible to keep to the main vehicle track. Meanwhile Rod was clambering up CS-119 which looked the tougher choice

with a steep section and then a very flat top which isn’t ideal for VHF.

On reaching the top of Tom Bailgeann

I found the trig point and one of the masts

and then got some distance away before setting up!.

I started with the planned s2s on 2m and 70cm just across the small loch and valley (not apparently a feasible route!). Ithen started calling from the 464m high summit with quite good take-off – if anyone was listening. After 30 minutes I was delighted to have 5 contacts on 2m, including Nairn, Alness (very close to where we were spending the next week), MM7IRM Iain ‘somewhere high up on the other side of Loch Ness’ and then - Stornoway, Isle of Lewis (2M0AKI Darren). Well, I didn’t have to ask whether ‘my signal was getting out’ and, it seemed that, the weeks I had spent warning the local Club that I was going to be visiting and desperately needing contacts, had obviously paid off.

It was agreed that Rod would probably be quicker on the descent and would drive to the bottom of the mast road and ferry me (I don’t drive) to the start of the second hill before retuning for this ascent. I packed away the kit, descended to the lower route

with a quick look at my next summit,
before joining the main track. I still had to negotiate the steep section of track labelled ** with some loose stones and I looked unsuccessfully for an alternative. After extending my two trekking poles, I inched my way down extremely slowly and was very relieved when I reached the more gentle gradient. I am emphasising this difficulty as Rod, when it was his turn to descend the hill, had only one pole (he always says he’d trip over a second one) was not so lucky and stepped on a stone that moved and went down on his left wrist. His left thumb was very painful (but luckily was not broken as this would have meant we would not have got any further north) and it has now been checked since returning home and been told to wear the wrist/thumb support (Tesco, Inverness!) for probably at least the next year. This is why I have labelled this route as potentially dangerous unless another approach can be found. It took him longer than expected to descend his hill (I soon found out why!) so I had time to walk a short distance down the road before he picked me up and ferried me to to his starting place, with lots of advice and we faced our second hills.

GM/CS-119 Creag nan Clag

I had read the account submitted by Martin and Caroline (M1MAJ and M3ZCB) in 2013 and knew this wouldn’t be easy… Starting from just past the cattle grid NH602292 I walked back down the road to the far side of the fence which I followed up through the trees to where it met another fence

and looked back to my previous summit.
Here my original fence was easily crossed and I followed the second fence uphill to to my left

to just before the crags where there was a crossing place. All this way I had been on a slight path but this soon disappeared as everyone took a different route up the daunting steep mixture of heather with odd trees and shrubs and any path found soon disappeared into the next patch of vegetation. I didn’t enjoy this but I later found that this was very easy compared with working out how and where to come down this lot to regain the fence and reach civilisation once again. When the slope lessened it was easy to reach the top of Creag non Clag at a lowly 407m and set up

with little hope of getting any contacts as my previous hill (the masts are just visible) was in the way of my previous contacts (except Nairn).and they probably weren’t still listening out as it was now nearly 1500 BST and some 3 hours after my previous summit. I polished off the 2 s2s with M0JLA on CS-119 and, after calling for about 30 mins, had to admit defeat with any other contacts as the time went by. It was lucky that Rod was on the other hill or I would have had no contacts at all.

The view down to the loch and to the other side of Loch Ness was extremely pretty but how was I to get down to lake level again? I rarely carry a GPS but on this occasion it was very useful in steering me towards the ‘route’ I’d come up (as it was very tempting to try to descend too early) and I just had to pick my way down slowly, recognising a few places on the way but unable to find any usable path. Once back at the fence crossing it didn’t take long to reach the car and hear about the accident. It was obvious that changing gear was not very comfortable but manageable, thank goodness. We returned to Culloden ignoring the SatNav and using a route via Loch Ruthven (visited the next day) and the B861 and B851 to reach the A9 once again.

[MM7MOX]

Thank you for the S2S when I was on Hill of Nigg, and thanks for the information about Sow of Atholl. I was wondering about doing that one having passed it numerous times going up and down the A9.
Andy
MM7MOX

[GM4LLD]

I remember The Sow of Atholl being more challenging nearer the bottom. Dalnaspidal for parking then along the track, finally off an estate track for a short distance then UP. The lower reaches consist of many, many moraines and so there’s lot’s of up and down. Only higher up did the ground become better and then it’s a constant pull to the huge flat top.

I was 15 years younger then and did Sgairneach Mhor GM/CS-028 after this. The issue was trying to get to the beallach without descending the very steep ground. So it was take a longer route but a lot easier then up. ISTR the ascent of Sgairneach Mhor was straightforward as there was a very decent path. The hardest part of Sgairneach Mhor was nearly getting caught out by the fact the clocks had reverted to GMT and the walk from the beallach back to the tracks was hard work through the vegetation and more moraines. It was getting dark when I got back to Dalnaspidal. Doesn’t seem like 15 years ago!

[M6BWA]

Glad to hear that you found it a bit of a slog, Andy, - even 15 years ago - but we don’t recognise the description of going up and down the moraines. Perhaps we managed to skirt them - and forget to ascend the second hill! However the top dosesn’t seem to have changed too much in the last 15 years - and you got some blue sky as well.
73 Viki

[M6BWA]

16 May 2025 GM/CS-118 Stac Gorm and GM/CS-117 Stac na Cathaig

This had also been planned as a possible ‘swapping summits’ day but I was doubtful as I don’t like rocky summits on my own (Stac Gorm) but now there was no choice. Rod was wearing a wrist support and decided he needed to take a few days off but would drive short distances and supply some vital contacts as these are, once again, very small summits (430 and 446m).

GM/CS-118 Stac Gorm

Using the A9, B851/B861 route we returned to Loch Ruthven near Tullich and the small RSPB car park NH678281 so Rod went off to the bird hide. I had read the excellent account by Martin and Caroline (M1MAJ and M3ZCB), who were not as lucky with the weather, and took the faint path

up to the enormous boulder

and then threaded my way up through and over the rocks with

good views down to the loch.

In good conditions the ascent was fairly quick and I soon reached

the trig point with not much space for a mast

but very good views downwards which upset my vertigo so I didn’t want to stay long. Unfortunately I hit the wrong button on my camera so all the rest of the pictures have the date on them, sorry about that but I can’t easily remove it. The mast went up quickly and, with the help of Rod, in 20 minutes I got 4 VHF contacts, including Alness and Lairg, and one 70cm (M0JLA) - the first from this hill! The weather was so good and it was still fairly early so

I couldn’t resist looking over to the second projected hill, Stac na Cathaig, and try and work out the route. I think it is the summit just on the right of the picture with the access along the avenue of the trees on the far right. However I had first to get down this rocky hill (not my strong point) but the dry rock and 2 poles meant this was managed much more easily than I feared and I was soon having lunch on a RSPB bench and discussing the second hill.

GM/CS-117 Stac na Cathaig

We decided to move the car to the bottom of the track the other side of Tullich where there was room for a few cars NH635285 and started up the forest road where we met some people who had visited a lochan on our left in the trees. We had researched the route on hill bagging but there seemed to be very little agreement on which way to go. After turning left at a T-junction we went through a fence and started looking for paths up the hill on our right (and for a quarry). Nothing appeared suitable so we returned to a small ride beside the fence and I decided to use the fence as a handrail although the going beside it was challenging (rocky outcrops). I went up under the trees to the left of the ride and hoped to move over to the fence a bit higher up and if this didn’t work I’d give up. Meanwhile Rod went for a walk and listened out for reports. Fortunately my tactics were successful and I could soon join the fence and follow a very slight path up the ride beside the fence until it turned right and went down the hillside. I kept on going until

it seemed advisable to find an alternative route (left or right?). I chose right and threaded my way through the trees, breaking off twigs when necessary (after this much effort I wanted to get up this rarely visited summit!) and eventually came out on open moorland with scattered rocks. Time was passing so I hurried

up to the summit with a little cairn

or was it? There seemed to be another one behind which, of course, was the height 446m marked on the map.

Up went the mast as quickly as possible (it was already 1615 BST) and Rod answered (another first 70cm – but it had only been activated 5 times with the last visit 7 years ago) and then my luck held as in came Culloden, Wick and MM7IRM above Loch Ness. Now all I needed was to dismantle and get down this hill as quickly as possible. The first problem was to re-enter the forest at the right place, thanks GPS, and get through those trees. This time the rucksack and white poles were taken off and carried in front to get under the branches – and knock off a few more! Back onto the ride, find the fence, then leave it, onto the track (phew!) and stagger down to the car. I won’t go up that one again – but it was certainly not boring and, actually, really quite fun!

[M6BWA]

17 May 2025 Drive north of Inverness and GM/NS-151 Mount Eagle

It was time to leave Culloden, cross the Moray Firth and reach GM/NS-land, starting with the Black Isle, at last. Rod was still resting his thumb (except when driving!) so I was on my own when I plodded up the incredibly boring flat forest road from the small parking area at NH639579.

I tried to ignore the enormous mast very close to the start and took the second left turn which, at last, went slowly up hill. When I reached the west/east track I could see the trees on the right were very thick, as expected, round the summit and, apparently, 2 more masts.

I only glimpsed one of them and never found the trig point just a few fallen trees and deep ruts. As you gathered, I’d gone off this hill! I couldn’t find a suitable place to erect my mast and I could only reach, after having repaired the Sotabeam filter, Rod (by the car) and GM5AIB/P Peter on Ben Horn GM/NS-104 further up the coast using the RH770 telescopic aerial. Despite the proximity to Inverness I couldn’t get any more contacts thanks to the trees so I retreated out of the forest into the more open area

and was a bit further from the mast. At least there was a small tree to lean the dipole against (when fully extended but I only thought of taking some photos when I’d packed everything away again), as well as undergrowth and deep ruts but

there was also a view of distant hills so some chance my signal was actually ‘getting out’ at last. From here I reached Nairn and the ever helpful Derek GM0HLV at Helmsdale who, with GM5AIB Peter still on Ben Horn, made contact on 70cm but the elusive 4th 70cm wasn’t answering. I was relieved to leave the area with 4 2m and 3 70cm (the only 70cm contacts recorded from the summit after 34 activations.) On passing the giant mast again I tried to photograph it

but couldn’t get both top and bottom at once

so you’ll have to knit them together yourself!
It was with great relief that I reached the car and we visited Fortrose

and Rosemarkie with a wonderful museum and a long queue for an ice cream at the sandy beach!

[GM4LLD]

It’s as old as me that mast at Mounteagle.

[M6BWA]

But it’s a tad slimmer than you, I believe, Andy!

[GM4LLD]

Positively anorexic in comparison.

[MW0WML]

Great reports as always Viki. Sorry to hear both of you ended up “a bit crook” as our friends down under would say.

#corrected crock to crook as suggested.

[VK3SQ]

…crook…

Geoff vk3sq

[MW0WML]

Corrected! Thanks

[M6BWA]

Still got some way to go but there will be a pause as we hope to visit GW/MW-land this week and this computer stays at home - but here we go:

18 May 2025 GM/NS-105 Cnoc Ceislein

We (M6BWA and M0JLA) started from the Novar estate outside Evanton and walked up the estate roads (which seem to be depicted fairly accurately on the OS map!)

on the east side of the Big Burn.
We tried to check our position by finding the waterfall (NH597696) and deer fence but finally concluded the stream was completely dry and the fence no longer existed. The right fork would take us to the Fyrish monument (visited later) so it was straight out on to the road going uphill in the open and then take the left fork. We never found the promised track up to the grouse butts and realised we might as well just turn left and just

go up the hill when we felt like it. The apparent path in the picture is a drain from the sandy road and leads nowhere… The bogs were all crisp and dry (it would have been a nightmare in wet conditions) so we marched up, found some small grouse butts with a faint path and followed this to the top at 523m. There was a strange structure

on the top near the trig point with a concrete base which was quite comfortable so I erected the dipole beside it!

There was also a very small tarn beside the trig point but the rest of the ground was so dry it was possible to just wander amongst the cotton grass. I hoped the extra height (and lots of advertising) would mean I would get some contacts and was delighted to get 5 VHF contacts in 15 minutes. Three of them, from Helmsdale, Nairn and Lybster up the coast, could also speak to me on 70cm but it took an extra 12 minutes to get the vital fourth contact from Inverness. Rod, as usual, had found a comfortable spot a short distance down the hill

with the trig point on the skyline behind him. As ever, there was a cool wind even down in his sheltered spot, so he was well wrapped.

We tried following the faint path which we’d come up

back down to the estate road, with the Fyrish monument just visible on the next hill, and eventually found the elusive grouse butts path which disappeared before joining the road. Hint - the grouse butts

are all very small and disused so look for a small mound of green bilberries and there might be a grouse butt underneath and, perhaps, a faint path beside!

On reaching the top of the (non-existent) waterfall again we turned left and ascended to the Fyrish monument as we realised we’d never be so close to it again but the additional 100m climb seemed even higher in the warm sunshine.

This distinctive monument was apparently erected in 1782 on the orders of the Laird, Sir Hector Munro, to keep the locals in work during the clearances.

It is modelled on the Gates of Negapatam, a port in Madras which had been taken by Sir Hector when Commander of the British Forces in India and commands extensive views over the Cromarty Firth. We had to retrace our steps back to the waterfall and down beside the Big Burn as we couldn’t risk trying to find a short cut through the woodland. This was the only 2 pointer that we attempted north of Inverness. We had hoped to visit Little Wyvis but decided that it was a long drive and there were many other smaller summits much closer. We were looking for uniques rather than points so small hills were fine – if I could get contacts and they seemed to be rolling in steadily - fingers crossed.

[VK3SQ]

…great report and photos; the history about the monument was very interesting too.

Geoff vk3sq

[M6BWA]

19 May 2025 GM/NS-135 Cnoc Corr Guinies and GM/NS-138 Struie

GM/NS-135 Cnoc Corr Guinies
We drove up the A9 (briefly) and then forked left onto the B9176 (the ‘back’ road inland from Tain) passing many signs warning us of the imminent movements of turbine blades up to a wind farm on that road. Luckily we were a few days early for the first trip and never got held up in the days to come. We turned right up a forest track just north of Stittenham and considered parking beside the many wheelie bins (this space was occupied when we returned) but drove a little further to park beside the track we were about to walk up. We had studied Carolyn and Martin’s account (on the SOTA database) once again and noticed that they didn’t think the forest tracks on the ground agreed with the map – and they were right! After a short distance we took the right fork which rose gently through the woodland. We found a track going up the hill but realised it was going up to the mast 365m rather than the summit further east 396m so turned right along a fairly flat track. This eventually turned left and went up to a cleared area full of furrows and (dry) cotton grass. After a brief attempt to find a flatter spot by a ruined wall, I returned to a comfortable furrow, erected the dipole

and sat amongst the cotton grass in the sunshine.

while Rod was similarly ensconced.
I called quickly and the contacts came rolling in so I’d qualified on VHF and UHF within 20 mins and ended up with 9 on 2m and 5 on 70cm. This was marvellous but the numbers had been boosted by 2 fellow activators Peter and June (GM5AIB/MM7RTC) who were nearby and we arranged to meet after the next hill. I wish all hills were this easy to ascend - and to qualify! I reluctantly left my sunny spot and we quickly returned back to the car and set off further up the road.

GM/NS-138 Struie
This shapely little hill 373m was obvious on the right hand side as we drove on the B9176 up the glen and it did look rather steep at the top. We parked in the quarry just before the bridge crossing the stream and could see a clear path ascending the hill but finding the start of it was not so obvious. We crossed the roadbridge and then negotiated a rather awkward deep dry ditch which was the only difficulty on the ascent. The path went straight up to a stand of trees and then turned left to go diagonally up the side of the hill

looking back down to the road.

The path continued gently

up to the cairn at the top. As it is a very popular summit I set up some distance

from the cairn with superb views

over the Dornoch Firth but a stiff easterly breeze so I didn’t want to stay too long. Within 35 minutes I’d recorded 9 2m and 5 70cm contacts ranging from Aberlour in Speyside, Helmsdale up the coast and GM7PBB, John at the far north of the Isle of Lewis. All this from a hill only 393m high but with superb take-off in every direction. It was time

to return back to the car and meet up with June MMRTC and Peter GM5AIB. Great to meet fellow activators – this doesn’t happen very often even on the more popular South Wales hills.

[MM7MOX]

GM/NS-138, Struie hill does have spectacular views and a great take off for a relatively low height. I was lucky enough to have a Transatlantic s2s from there on a flyby activation last year.
Travelling north a few days after you i was stopped for about 5 minutes as one of the wind turbine blades was being transported on the A9. The delay was worth it to see how they tilted the blade up to turn the corner onto a side road.
Andy

[GM4LLD]

@MM7MOX

does have spectacular views

It’s a real gem of a hill. It’s been on my reserve list for 10+ years before I finally decided I was definitely doing it. Amazing rewards for about 20-25mins effort. Great views and the radio worked OK too.

I think the big hill in the far distance is Ben Hope GM/NS-020, the most Northerly Munro.

[M6BWA]

Andy and Andy
Didn’t we all have super weather … until it changed!
Viki