Hillbagging website

Old Reflector
1

Simon Edwardes’ website: http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk is probably already known to most on here. Certainly, mine is not the only amateur radio callsign that is used as a username on there.

I haven’t updated my progress on there for a while, so thought I would do so last night. It seems there are more details and features that the site can tell you about your hillbagging habits.

For instance, in terms of new hills climbed (or in SOTA terms, new activator uniques added), my progress record reads:

2002: 4
2003: 60
2004: 36
2005: 36
2006: 18
2007: 6
2008: 39

The tail-off from 2003 to 2007 follows a quite typical statistical pattern for anything counted once only on an all-time basis. The 39 in 2008 however, sticks out like a sore thumb, and suggests a rather dramatic change in how I am planning.

Of course the truth of the matter is that as we were focussing on repeating summits for M3EYP to get the uniques, my own new uniques record was stalling. Now, as we get closer and closer to that original goal of Jimmy having completed the same record of uniques as I, then there are increased opportunities to activate summits that are new to both of us.

This website can also return your progress for County tops, Hewitts, Nuttalls etc, and for Scotland and Ireland too. You can also zoom down as far as OS 1:50,000 on the maps, which have little triangles on show the position of each Marilyn (or other classifications).

The website tells me I have done 197 Marilyns in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which is 2 lower than my 199 uniques, so I presume it simply disregards the historical but no longer Marilyns of Thorpe Fell Top and Horse Head Moor. It also tells me I have done a mere 51% of the 340 Marilyns of England and Wales. No rest for the wicked…

The original goal of matching the M1EYP and M3EYP activator uniques records is in sight. Those remaining are:

G/DC: 3,4,5,6,7 - will probably do in a week along with DC-001 and DC-002, and the 9 remaining G/SCs.

GW/SW: 1,2,15 and GW/MW-025 - camping trip with SW-009 and others added in.

GW/NW: 13,28 (daytrip), GW/NW-011 (daytrip with NW-018) and NW-072 (probably the most difficult one to plan ahead).

In the meantime, we will continue the daytrips into G/NP to get another region completed.

Tom M1EYP

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In reply to M1EYP:

Sorry to say there is no way back from this Tom… now you have started planning long term, there is certainly no hope for you. You will be preparing itineraries next! :frowning:

On a lighter note, I too must get my hill-bagging record up to date. To some extent Google Earth has taken over - I turn all my activated summit pins white - but this only provides a visual representation of what has been done and what remains to be done. However, it certainly helps with planning groups of summits.

73, Gerald

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No itineraries Gerald. Jimmy follows them far too rigidly. The long-term planning above has actually been in existence since September 2005, when Jimmy became licensed. It is just that the number of items in the plan is now just about small enough to write down without overwhelming oneself with the enormity of the task. But that was Jimmy’s stated mission when he got his licence. With 136 uniques in G, GW and GI under my belt by then, you can imagine I was somewhat daunted by Jimmy’s ambition. But we can see that finishing line now.

That’s quite enough planning for one lifetime. Suffice to say I won’t be adding to that with minute-specific expedition day itineraries. (I still might occasionally take you up on the offers of yours, for reference, but just for interest/ideas).

It was actually Helen M3YHB that brought the hillbagging site to mind. She reminded me that I hadn’t updated my trigpointing log for ages. I decided I couldn’t be bothered doing that, but though it would be interesting to update my Hillbagging record and view the stats.

Tom M1EYP

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In reply to M1EYP:

Just updated my records as well Tom. 184 recorded plus Thorpe Fell Top, Horse Head Moor and the revisit (accessed from and activated on the Welsh side of course) of SW-041 Black Mountain, formerly WB-001 (accessed from and activated on the English side).

The Hill-bagging website has an anomaly in that it still shows Middleton Hill in SW Wales as being relevant, but is up to date with Cracoe Fell. Nowt’s perfect.

What say I sneak an itinerary to Jimmy for your next activation… :wink:

73, Gerald

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…which nicely matches your 187 Activator Uniques Gerald.

Joking aside, Jimmy enjoyed examining your A27 Five itinerary and comparing progress/cross-referencing information when we did them in the summer.

I am just keeping my fingers crossed for a week pass for Jimmy and I to finish G/DC and G/SC sometime in 2009. And another to finish G/SB in 2010. And lots of daytrips, YH stays and camping trips to finish G/LD and GW/NW. Oops, too many plans again…

Tom M1EYP