I’m slowly adding new Mid-Wales summits to my activated summits collection, and thought I would submit an activation report about a summit that was giving me some anxiety, GW/MW-005, Llan Ddu Fawr. Hopefully it all adds to the knowledge base!
Based on what I read on the summit info page and also the hill bagging website, it seems this summit is famous for being a bog fest! Even Richard, @M1HAX whose excellent reports are always worth a read suggests that one should approach this summit with caution! Hopefully Richard won’t mind if I quote some of his conclusion on this summit:
“Of all the Marilyn summits I’ve completed, Llan Ddu Fawr stands out as one of the most challenging due to its extensive boggy terrain. While the remote rural environment and easy road access might seem inviting, the exceptionally wet ground makes this a route to be approached with care” Llan Ddu Fawr - GW/MW-005 SOTA (2020) - M1HAX Mountain Radio
Perhaps this would be one to attempt after a period of exceptionally dry weather? Like August 2026? I’d clearly tucked this summit away at the back of my mind, because I kept getting this nagging feeling that it might be now or never! So, a couple of days ago (19th August), I went for it!
Earlier in the morning I activated GW/MW-004, Pen y Garn.
Where I was pleased to work Vicki, @M6BWA for a S2S from G/WB-011. When I told Vicki that I was heading off to GW/MW-005, she suggested that I shouldn’t forget my swimwear! Oh…
Anyway, time to give it a go!
I parked up by the cattle grid to the South of the summit at SN 7836 6830
Before setting off I downloaded the .gpx track that Richard had submitted for this summit, and I have to say that I found this to be very useful. Onwards to the summit!
Thankfully my fears about the conditions underfoot were mainly unfounded. Certainly the ground was rather spongy at times, and the grass was very tussocky and deep in places, making progress slower than usual. But I think I was lucky. It was clear that that it wouldn’t take much rain for things to be very different.
The other thing I noticed was that it was very easy to veer off course, even though I was trying to following Richard’s .gpx track. I activated on a clear day, but I could imagine navigation being a challenge on a day with limited visibility.
As the walking was much better than expected, I was able to take in and appreciate the wonderful views. I’m discovering that this is typical of many summits in Mid-Wales. I’m not sure my photos do it justice. I just loved the feeling of remoteness.
I arrived at the summit in good time and it was time to play some radio. I was feeling very pleased that the walk had been much easier than expected. I was less pleased that someone seemed to press the start button for some high winds just as I arrived at the summit!
I enjoyed a nice hour or so of radio here. First some local contacts on 2m FM & SSB before some more on hf including a couple of S2S QSOs. After I finished packing up I noticed from my handheld that there was some activity on the 2m FM calling channel. I turned up the volume and was pleased to hear Vicki and work her for another S2S, this time from G/WB-008. A nice way to end the activation!
The walk back to the car was reasonably straightforward and included a qso with Rod @M0JLA who was also on G/WB-008 with Vicki. I once again noted that it was easy to stray off course, but thankfully I didn’t deviate too far from the route I was trying to follow.
This actually ended up being a really enjoyable activation. I loved the scenery and although rather windy, the summit was a perfect place to undertake a SOTA activation from.
I think I was very lucky though. I would definitely consider a repeat activation, but only after another a period of very dry weather. I would certainly be wary about trying this one after a period of wet weather. Unless you follow Vicki’s suggestion and bring along some swimwear!
Many thanks to all worked!
73, Matthew M(W)0JSB
Always nice to get feedback on my write ups!