Thanks to all those who worked me today on Kinder Scout. I was unable to self spot, unable to contact my mate who normally spots me.
It was a hard activation, the wind was a real beast
Ive been up Kinder many times, but usually on the obvious parts, what i tend to call ‘the moon’ (anyone who knows this hill will know what i mean!), but this was the first time i’d ventured to the true summit and into the peat haggs! and i thought ‘the moon’ was desolate!
It’s a pain when that happens. I’ve looked into get an Orbcomm satellite modem for when there’s no phone coverage but the cost per byte really does make your eyes water!
and i thought ‘the moon’ was desolate!
Might I suggest the col between Meall Leathen Dhail and Uamh Bheag.
(There’s a bonus of 10 pts if you can say both of those names!)
It’s not far from the A9 (our main route North/South) nor far from Callander, a substantial town. Yet the col feels stupendously remote with no signs of human life. A very real feeling of total isolation from other humans for not much effort.
Your spot appeared on SOTAwatch, but it just said 145.500 and I never heard you call and could not find you on the band. I work plenty of stations from Kinder and I had my ten element crossed yagi switched to vertical and pointed in the right direction.
When I was up Kinder (October 2006) I worked Don G0RQL in Devon (and 16 others) on my 2m hand held in to a mobile whip on my rucksack. We never had the ability to self spot back in 2006 either. We came up via the waterfall and activated from the true summit so I know what you mean about the peat hags.
I think by the time a spot came through i was low on battery power. I did manage to get an SMS to Andy who normally spots me about 5mins before the battery failed. I switched to 70cm FM then as this was the only other small radio i had available, but of course its even harder on there!
I did work GW0WTT, so some signal did make it your way! Guess it was just a timing thing.
Might I suggest the col between Meall Leathen Dhail and Uamh Bheag.
(There’s a bonus of 10 pts if you can say both of those names!)
I’ll have a go for the bonus! My-owl Lyeh-han Gha-il and Oo-a Vake.
Am I close?
73
Brian G8ADD
PS Its a devil transliterating Gaelic into anything meaningful in English. By transliterating Dh into Gh I am trying to convey an aspirated G which just doesn’t ever happen in English!
Anyway, what’s the problem; Gaelic is pronounced exactly as it is
spelt (so my daughter in law, a native Gaelic speaker, tells me)!
I’ve heard that before from other Gaels! It’s probably true as long as you know how the spelling is supposed to sound, and what bits don’t sound at all (and in some positions they sound and others they don’t!)
That’s the problem though. They spell the words using Gaelic letters that cunningly look like English letters causing great confusion to people like me!
Beinn an t-Sidhein = Ben Shian or Ben Sheen
Sròn an t-Sìthein = Strontian
Gaelic place names always remind me of the Monty Python sketch about Britain’s leading skin specialist.
“It’s spelt Raymond Luxury Yacht but pronounced Throat Warbler Mangrove!”
There are habitual mispronounciations to deal with, too. Beinn is usually said as “ben” but listen carefully to a gaelic speaker and it sounds more like “pane”. Buachaille Etive Mhor, known to southerners as the “Buckle” or if a bit more sensitive to how it should sound, as the “Boo-a-chil” should be “Boo-a-chil-ya”, the final e always sounds. Another example is Beinn Eighe, normally pronounced “Ay” but it should be “Ay-ya”…and I gave up long ago on Liathach, even the locals can’t agree on how that one should sound, but it sounds curiously like clearing your throat!
That’s the problem though. They spell the words using Gaelic letters
that cunningly look like English letters causing great confusion to
people like me!
And of course the spelling has changed for modern usage!
My father in law (who was a native Gaelic speaker from Raasay) always used to argue - light heartedly of course! - with other Gaelic speakers in the family as to where the “purest” Gaelic was spoken. They never did agree.
I went to evening classes in Gaelic (when living in Scotland and married to a Scot from the Highlands …) - but I don’t think it helped my pronunciation of some of the wondrous mountain names that much either.
Maybe we should have a Marilyn name pronunciation competition at the proposed Scottish gathering …
In reply to G8ADD:
"Buachaille Etive Mhor, known to southerners as the “Buckle” or if a bit more sensitive to how it should sound, as the “Boo-a-chil” should be “Boo-a-chil-ya”
Try the pronunciation of ES-027 if you really want to test the vagaries of Gaelic:
Meall a’Bhuachaille - hint: the “a’” dramatically changes the following letters!!
John (GM8OTI) - how about one of our local hill (ES-041) which the whole of my daughter in law’s family cannot agree on the pronunciation:
Try the pronunciation of ES-027 if you really want to test the
vagaries of Gaelic:
Meall a’Bhuachaille - hint: the “a’” dramatically changes
the following letters!!
John (GM8OTI) - how about one of our local hill (ES-041) which the
whole of my daughter in law’s family cannot agree on the
pronunciation:
Carn a’Ghille Chearr
I think the rule is that in this case the Bh becomes a V, but its a minefield. The double “r” at the end of Chearr bothers me - you roll a single “r”, what more can you do for a double? Anyway, the OS has got so many spellings wrong, who knows what some of these names should really be?
Big Hill/Peak/Crag
Small Hill/Peak/Crag
Black Hill/Peak/Crag/Choire
Red Hill/Peak/Crag
Green Hill/Peak/Crag/Choire
Yellow Hill/Peak/Crag
Hill of the Pig/Goat/Deer/Eagle
An interesting discourse that hitched a ride on a totally unrelated topic, but that’s just how things go I suppose.
As a relatively pure Sassenach (at least post 1600) and so having little or no Gallic blood in me, I reserve the right to totally mis-pronounce names north of the border and indeed look forward to having the opportunity to do so for many years to come ;-).
Martin - you didn’t mention the warden up there on Kinda Scoot, so I assume that you avoided seeing him. Many years ago I operated 2m and 3cms up there and despite being in the middle of all that hag, I still managed to get an ear-wigging from the warden on account of causing a visual disturbance in the wilderness. I guess that says it all - it must be official.
Streap (Climbing) and Streap Comhlaidh (Climbing adjoining)
Mulla-fo-dheas (Summit to the South) and Mulla-fo-thuath (Summit to the north)
Puist Coire Ardair (Post of the high corrie)
but my all time favourites are Cac Carn Beag and Cac Carn Mor, and if I gave a literal translation of those I would have to ban myself!
I guess that despite the official zeal when the tourists are about, the wardens dont feel so duty bound as to bother going up in even the slightest of adverse weather! It was dry, reasonably bright, but the wind was vicious! perhaps the wardens found it preferable to patrol the hikers bar at the Nags Head instead!
On the subject of the gaelic pronunciation, well i work at the national TV control center, and even our resident Black Isle scot cant pronounce half of em! It doesnt bother me, Im a Tyke, i saw what i like! and i tend to be in charge of Wales and Westcountry! Theres some awkward placenames in that part of the world i can tell ya!
… my all time favourites are Cac Carn Beag and Cac Carn Mor, and if
I gave a literal translation of those I would have to ban myself!
Yes, you’d certainly have been caught cac-handed - and that phrase was in use in Nottinghamshire when I were a lad. So perhaps we sassenachs are not that different after all.
Yes, that expression is still about, but I think that few now know what it is a euphemism for - and the difference, I think, is that up in gaeldom it isn’t a euphemism, it’s the real McCoy!
