Thanks to all who called in. I forgot some of my kit on the way to gw/nw-065 so it was not a good set up with what I had. My Dad would like to go up again so I will be up again soon this year hopefully. I now have a never again summit being GW/NW-057 Foel Cae’rberllan but as you say if you are there you will go up.
Out of interest, what makes a summit count for SOTA, e.g. why isn’t Craig Fach-Goch a summit?
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
If you mean the Craig Fach-Goch just east of Tywyn, this is a minor protuberance on the north-east flank of Corlan-fraith with only one closing contour line on my old Imperial map - barely a summit at all. The defining property for a SOTA summit is a prominence of 150+ metres: if you drop down 150 metres from the summit there will be a closing contour line on the map at that height. There is more detail in the General Rules, accessed as a pdf from the website.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to MW6GWR:
A couple of stiff ascents indeed Ricky, but I found them both pleasurable in their own way. The way to look at these summits (as indeed with many others) is to consider all the positive points. Be pleased that you have successfully ascended the summits and carried out successful activations and forget about the pain in the legs and all those stops for “photographic opportunities”.
73, Gerald G4OIG
P.S. What was that, you didn’t stop on the ascents?.. what are you complaining about? 
In reply to G4OIG:
I went the wrong way up gw/nw-057 and neary fell half way back down and still could not see and easier way up or down but i enjoyed it all the same. need to look again for a easier way.
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
Hi Ricky,
Basically Paul G4MD and myself found the edge of the forest to be the best route up Gamallt GW/NW-065. We headed for it as soon as we could see it clearly from the track out of Abergwynolwyn. There is no easy way - it is a hard single pointer.
As for Foel Cae’berllan NW-057, we did find standing on the steep section rather difficult and it was a real pain to descend, but all in all the summit doesn’t get anywhere near my “never again” list. I see David M0YDH posted part of my report onto the summit page. The original report is at http://live.sotawatch.org/reflector.php?topic=3234#26129
You’ll find I’ve written about most of the GW summits somewhere on the reflector. 
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to G4OIG:
Well my dad would like to go up nw-057 he was at the bottom at the time and he would like to go all the way on nw-065 he only went half the way with me so thats a good one to do again but I have only been up 3 being gw/mw-001 nw-057 nw-065 so I have been up the easier ones so far.
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
We went up the side that castle y bere is. the arrow pints on this map where we started
then you can see where to go from here
from there to the top. you can see the top of the hill on the map.
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
I have only been up 3 being gw/mw-001 nw-057 nw-065 so I have been up the easier ones so far.
Hi Ricky
If youve done Foel Caerberllan you can consider yourself to have done one of the harder ones
When me and the XYL went up there we went from Abergynolwyn direct (not advisable)
You can also do Gamallt from the road that passes Rhiwerfa . Its a public road with tarmac which goes to about 200m .It has two very tight hairpin bends. I parked in a pull-in in the forest 1/4 mile after Rhiwerfa and set off across the fields
Sorry i missed you on these activations but i’ll be looking out for you on the next one.
Keep up the SOTA
73
Aled MW0UPH
Blaenau Ffestiniog (origianally from Bryncrug)
In reply to MW0UPH:
Thanks Aled I think I will be doing NW-063 next when I have find a path to go up on if there is one I know there was one, or one on the way back from wrexham soon.
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
We went up the side that castle y bere is…
Ooo eer, thee likes to do it th’ hard way! Much easier from Abergwynolwyn as you can cut across the face of the hill and reduce the steepness of the slope… but it is still steep!
As for Fridd Cocyn, you should find where to park, the ascent route, etc in my report. Technically it is private farm land, but there seems to be “an understanding” as the people from the caravan park walk up the hill and there was the remains of a BBQ when I was there. Nice spot for a summer’s evening social.
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to G4OIG: Hello Ricky.
As a local you can go back next year. I bet you’re looking forward to that? Actually this hill has a much easier route - no doubt thanks to EU hill farming grants…
I read the reports on the reflector and looked on www.hill-bagging.co.uk for mountain 2157. I decided to use the footpaths around the base and see what routes modern shepherds on their motor-quads had built to access the upland pasture.
My notes on Hill-Bagging :- “GW/NW-057. From Castell y Bere joined footpath anticlockwise around the base of the hill till around the “Cae’rberllan” farm name on the map found the route of the newish farm access tracks by spotting gates in the fence NE above me. Good route for a SOTA Activator”
So around 670078 there are gates in the fence and the start of a farm road that zig zags up the slope to the top pasture. I’d fallen on Esgair Ddu the previous day so this ascent and descent was just what my ankles demanded! It was really straightforward. You’ll have to go again Ricky to dispel the myth that the west face of Foel Cae’rberllan is akin to the Eiger.
Pity that the activation was poor with no free frequencies on 40m and one station on 60m who could hear me. I should have had all my clubmates from Telford and District ARS at their Marconi day station GB8MD in Tywyn on 2m FM lining up to talk to me. This was not to be. I waited my turn after the American visitor only to find that our club had won RSGB club of the year and all the operators were rushing around the field punching the air in delight after abandoning their posts!!
73
David M0YDH
In reply to M0YDH:
NW-057 is a summit that I haven’t climbed, but out of curiosity I looked at it on my 1:25,000 map. It looks at first sight as if the easiest approach is from the east via the footpath from the road junction at 692082 then up the relatively easy angled ridge westward from 688083, exchanging steepness for distance, but no doubt there is a reason why people prefer the steeper other side of the hill.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
I took a photo of nw-057 from nw-065 and had a look i could see a path that the farmer uses on the west side but I think the east side is better but did not look when up there.
Ricky
In reply to MW6GWR:
my route up 063 ffridd cocyn if too complicated to write on here . i,ve been up there quite a few times (before i was licenced) If i bump into you around tywyn i’ll tell you. For now take the footpath from Gwyddelfynydd and head toward the obvious “landrover” track (you’ll have to cross a locked gate). This goes nearly to the summit . Good fence for fixing HF wire .Just use common sense crossing the gate at the start of the track. Look forward to chasing that one Ricky.
73
Aled
MW0UPH
In reply to MW0UPH:
well if you can tell me when you are next in tywyn and the time perhaps we can meet up and you can tell me. If it is easy to get up I will do it more then once a year if I run out of summits around hear.I do hope to do it in june and one in gw/sw-???
Ricky