This activation was done last year and I forgot to report it. I’m now writing this article just to get it uploaded for the summits page, because this is an easy summit near Madrid.
Motivation
Last year I visited Madrid with my wife. We spent a few days visiting some museums.
I searched for a suitable summit I could activate near Madrid on my way back without delaying much our return trip. This one is located at 30 km from Guadalajara.
We visited this small charming medieval village and I had time for a quick activation, that would be my first one in EA4 association.
Activation date: Dec 3rd 2024.
The climb
As you can see, Hita is an isolated summit, well located near the highway heading Soria.
The summit is a cone-shaped mountain, with a beautiful small village lying on its basement.
The village is also named as Hita, like the mountain name. While approaching the village, we saw its shape and the remains of a castle on top.
- Trail length from the medieval gate: 0,8 km (one way)
- Mt. Hita elevation: 981m.
- Elevation gain from the village: abt. 125m.
- Walking time to the summit: 18 minutes
We parked at the entrance of the village and walked towards a picturesque and restored old gate called “Saint Mary’s gate”. From this door there is a straight view of the castle in the summit:
I left my wife and headed to the summit, passing some nice traditional buildings.
The trail is indicated in the village, with a sign pointing towards the ruins of the castle on top.
The path is evident and you soon get to the highest area of the village, walking by a gravel road first, and a tiny path later on.
The last meters near the summit:
Then you reach the summit, a flat spacy area with the ruins of the XV century castle and a geodetic vertex on top:
The activation
My gear: FX-4CR rig + 3 x 21700 liIon batt and an EFHW
I found a suitable post where I tied my 5 m carbon fishpole and settled the antenna wire inverted vee.
I ran briefly in 7-CW to log first my dear friend Alf, EA4R, always pending of my adventures.
I then switched to 14 MHz and did a fast run, both SSB and CW.
During the activation I suffered from an uncomfortable QRN. There is no relay on top and I couldn’t identify any source for it. The QRN made it difficult to hear some lower incoming callers, but after 25 minutes I closed my activation with 17 in my log, including a closing S2S with EA1AER/P.
I didn’t want to have my wife bored while waiting for me and I soon got it all back in my rucksack and went down.
That was a brief and easy access activation.
Historical tip of the day
Hita is known for its Medieval Theatre Festival and for the illustrious Archpriest of Hita, author of one of the main works of Spanish literature, “The Book of Good Love”.
Its historic quarter has been declared a Property of Cultural Interest.
The most important display is the wall that surrounded the city and rose up to the castle. In 1441, the Marquis of Santillana decided to fortify the town, building a wall and rebuilding the old castle, located on the top of a hill.
The Sain’t Mary’s gate, the only one that has been preserved (pictured above), is currently the emblem of the city and entrance to the nerve centre of the town. It is made of white stone and has a majestic presence, demonstrating its importance as a symbol and for its use.
At the foot of the wall we find El Palenque, an area to remember tournaments and jousts, awakening the Middle Age from Hita’s memory. El Palenque goes back and it disguises itself during the Medieval Festival in July, attracting visitors that become submerged in the living history. Inside the town.
The underground architecture intertwines with the viniculture and importantly connected with the Jewish community. The wine cellars form a hidden city under the historic centre to hoard the wines in old clay jars. At the foot of the hill, the land is pierced again by the taverns, which make the town so peculiar.
Thanks all, 73 Ignacio