“Aye you’ll be fine as long as it doesn’t rain much before Saturday.”
Well it did! Lots and lots and lots… several cms of rain fell Friday till Saturday morning. 
Kirriereoch is a relatively new SS summit. I can remember when I saw it had been found and looking at it on the map thinking… that’s a bit of bugger to get to. Two common routes, first climb Merrick GM/SS-028 from Bruce’s Stone car park , 6.4km and 750m ascent but a decent path, about 2hr30. Then off down to the bealach and up to Kirriereoch, 1.6km, 150m descent and 150 re-ascent. Then you have to get back to the car. Or from Kirriereoch car park and camping area that’s 7.5km and 600m ascent and no path for most of the way. Well one day I’ll do it. When I look at who has done it so far, they’re all “a bit serious” in the distances and speeds they can walk at… not me… hmmm!
Well that day came and I was looking at this to nearly complete the SS summits South of the Forth and Clyde. Now Gerald G4OIG and Paul G4MD are a well know activating pair but they’ve been quiet together since Paul was ill and had some significant cancer surgery. Paul is slowly recovering and is not yet fit for this kind of thing. I thought that as this summit is just a bit more than a walk in a park I should ask Gerald if he was interested in doing it together. Yes he was and a plan developed, much more detailed planning than I do but it was sort-of in my backyard and Gerald had a 330mile drive. I say my backyard but this bit of Galloway is a serious pain to get to. For me the best route is not direct, that is a forever drive on cruddy single track roads, no down South to Dumfries then right along Southern Scotland’s coast to Newton Stewart then up inland to the never-lands of the Galloway National Park. Anyway we had dates which were good for all, all we had to do was pick something and hope for good weather.
We decided on 16/17 September and as the WX was OK I managed to find 2 rooms to stay, yes neither of us can really drive there, activate and drive home, so 1 night in Newton Stewart was booked. At a late date the B&B, relatively inexpensive but very, very good was full and so was the hotel I’ve stayed in 3 times, so we went to a slightly more expensive hotel. It was fine and the food and breakfasts were good.
The other week I was talking to Jack GM4COX from Ben Venue GM/SS-058 and he said he was doing Kirriereoch in a few days. I told him that we had it planned for a few days after him and we discussed Andrew G4VFL’s route and the fact that the gates were now locked and you cannot drive to the far car park. Bummer, it adds 3.2km and 45mins extra walk (and the return) but Jack was taking his bike. Anyway I spoke to Jack after he did it and he explained Andrew’s route was fine, the firebreak you walk down is obvious, follow the iron fence posts till you see the wall, follow the wall to the top. Simples! And that’s when he mentioned the river and rain etc.
The WX forecast can be variable down there as the WX blows in from the SW across a lot of water, often the forecast changes hourly. The forecast was for rain and a lot of it on Friday but stopping Saturday morning at 7am, then 10am, 11am, 7am, 9am, 11am. Every time I checked it was different apart from the volume. Damn, damn, damn! As I drove down Friday afternoon at times I thought the M74 was actually a river. It got worse the nearer I got to Newton Stewart. You have to be kidding me!. But I got to the hotel and bumped into Gerald in the car park. We spent time discussing the plan, timings and the WX. I don’t do wet weather activating any more but the hotel fees were not refundable… I had opened my Sporran wide to pay for this so wet or not it was on 
Breakfast was later than we hoped which delayed us a bit but no real problem. We decided just on one car so we loaded Gerald’s gear into mine, Gerald was used to this with operating with Paul so he knew what to take and to check he everything. Apart from the printed map which was on his car floor. I didn’t have one but I had a mapping GPS, a phone GPS with map, a backup phone with GPS and Gerald had a mapping GPS and a phone map and GPS. We should be OK but I still felt a little naked without paper! Paul had been in touch, he was looking at a small hill for a possible S2S with us or a chase from a /A location. That was good, he may not yet be well enough to come but he could join in the fun and games.
The Chuckle Brothers Mk2 as they complete what Gerald calls “faff time”. Or boots on, bags checked and GPS booted etc. We set off at 9.45am.
It was still raining a bit but was brightening up. What I had missed in checking the WX was wind, it was very strong. Winter is coming… fleece and bigger hat needed. 2 weeks back it was 23C 100miles further North. The good thing was the wind encouraged evaporation. So the rain fell and the wind dried. Despite it raining for the next 90mins I was only a bit damp in normal walking gear. But a little colder… walk faster then fatty
3+km along a forest road and we got to where we wanted to park at 10.30am. I put gaiters on when I saw the vegetation in the firebreak. We had 300m gentle descent in not quite knee high very wet long Galloway grass. And moss. And boggy areas. And wet holes. Ah, Galloway Ground: it’s delightful. Then there was a moment’s confusion as we wondered where next… check the GPS! Gerald’s GPS64 has a fabulous display I could read without glasses. I need glasses now for my Vista HCx. I have an old pair of my varifocals for walking (expendable which are fine but have sun reactive tints). Great but when it gets colder they get darker and so in the winter they can be too black in the gloom I need some cheap readers for the winter.
More soft ground and then we found The Nile… or the Cross Burn filled with 24hrs quite torrential rain.
We were prepared. We both brought sacrifice shoes, an old pair of trainers in my case, as we knew this was a possibility. We spent 20mins checking for the best spot as it was all around 30-40cms deep and very fast flowing. Then Gerald said “let’s do it.” Boots off and sacrifice shoes on and in I went. I didn’t fall (an FMF stream crossing trait) 3 points in contact at all time from feet and walking poles. And I was across. We’d put car keys, phones and stuff that must stay dry into dry bags before crossing and both checked our boots and socks could not fall off the rucksacks and get washed away. Easy!
Other side and it was socks and boots on. I had thought how to dry my feet but they were so cold I didn’t care. They felt warm and dry in moments. From here it was follow iron posts and we went up in a heavy cross wind. I didn’t actually think it was that hard. I don’t think I’m actually getting fit, I just don’t want to give up so easily any more. Gerald has a few turns more on the coil than me and whilst we both have a plethora of drugs in us for our chronic diseases, he is just a tadge slower than me. I made sure I stopped and waited for him so we never got separated too much. Hell you invite someone to come with you, you can’t race off and leave them on their own. I was only a tiny bit faster TBH.
We stopped for a longer break after we had been in the mist for a while. We wanted to let Paul know we were an hour behind. I had my home brew satellite spotter so I could post a spot with a detailed comment or we could text him. If we had cell service. Well Gerald’s phone didn’t like the cold and damp and wouldn’t stay on. I looked an I had 59+60 signal on my phone so I changed the alert time. Later on when Gerald had slapped his phone about and got it working, he had 59+++ on O2. Just ridiculous considering where we were. We pushed on with 1.5k and 125m to climb, Gerald told me to go on as he would be right behind me. Finally I was at the top and I had a drink and recce and Gerald was 4mins behind.
We were in the AZ but not at the summit… blow that, the summit is on a exposed top, the wind was howling, the mist was lumpy and there was a bit of a wall. We were 200m horizontally and 6m below the summit. Wall to shelter or absolute top? Wall won. We’d agreed bands at the car, Gerald 60m and 2m and I would do 40m SSB and some HF CW. No mutual interference. We also arranged for me to wander over and work Jack on 2m on Gerald’s kit. “Ah we need to add in Jack time on the itinerary”
Bah another windy summit to try and hear that tiny KX2 speaker, grr! Up went a 5m Decathalon fibreglass pole and my Hamshop.cz 20/30/40 EFHW with an AA5TB matchbox. Good for 40/30/20/17/15/12/10, about 4.7m vertical then rest slopes down to a 1m pole. A 4m counterpoise sits under the sloper. Satellite spotter booted and KX2 powered up.
40m SSB first., out with a spot and within seconds a healthy pileup. Reasonably well behaved pileup too. I particularly put on 40 SSB to work Don G0RQL. Don is my most consistent chaser and has been chasing me since 2006. He did a proper CW test but doesn’t like CW so he misses out when I do CW only or go on 20m up. As all the previous activations were on 2m, 4m or 13cms this was a virgin summit for HF. And I worked Don who was a good signal. In fact 40m was in good shape for inter-G. I worked 21 UK stations and EA2CKX as well. After that it was 20m CW and RBNhole did it’s magic. Another big pileup followed. It was a bit manic at times and this is when you know you are working a competent chaser. Jan OK2PDT was working me but someone else was trying to at the same time. In the exchanges, Jan added his callsign to make sure I knew who was sending an RST etc. Likewise I added in his call rather than just his call at the start. It put a smile on my face that here was someone who knew what the activator end of the radio sounded like and wanted to be sure he was credited. 
I worked DL, EA2, F, OK, HB9, SM, OH, OZ, I & 9A on 20m.
Then 4 walkers appeared and we chatted for 10mins before I went to 17m. Now this trapped EFHW doesn’t not tune on 17m normally, so I added a link and it does now. Not many signals but SP5RI and CT2IWW were worked. Then link in and onto 15m and SV2 and 9A worked for with big signals, 599 both ways. I was cold and fed up being buffeted so I thought “time to pack up” but as any activator knows you just do one more CQ. Out it went and boom! Fred KT5X in Santa Fe, NM came back, he was 599 and gave me 339. 7400kms will do for 10W and a bizarre antenna. Fair made me whoop with delight. In fact so much so I had 2 chocolate bars to celebrate. Well they have been shrinkflated to what was once called “bite-size” After that I packed up as it was 5hours since we’d left the car and I was cold.
Of course I forgot to get a photo of my setup so I photographed Gerald by the “wall”.
I had a chat with Jack on 2m FM but first worked MM0KJJ then MM7DCD/p who was no longer in the AZ for GM/SS-222. Never mind. After than a good 5mins with Jack and the tale of the water crossing and the pish poor WX we were having. I’ll leave Gerald to report on his QSOs either in this thread or his own. Gerald packed up we checked nothing left behind and we set off as the mist started to thin. Typical!
As we descend we dropped out of the mist around 625m ASL. Ailsa Craig GM/SS-246 appeared
Improving WX with Loch Moan in the distance.
So this is what we climbed… the summit of GM/SS-287 is about 150m up and 1.5km into the mist.
Once you leave the wall it’s back to following the iron posts and it gets a lot steeper. Amazingly remote bit of Scotland… there is little around here but commercial forests, moors and some sheep.
The river on the left is the Kirshinoch Burn, the one on the right is what we forded, the Cross Burn. They join to form the Kirriereoch Burn which joins the Water of Minnoch and they all feed what becomes the River Cree. Kirriereoch Loch and Loch Moan visible too.
Two hours later we were back at the Cross Burn. We had hidden our sacrifice shoes by a fence. Boots off, shoes on. Gerald volunteered to be photographed doing the crossing.
It was easy because we had planned it and took time in the execution. I have to say I wouldn’t have fancied doing this on my own. Certainly not for the first time. YMMV
Kirriereoch GM/SS287. What you can see is about 1/3rd of the distance to the top and 1/2 of what you have to ascend.
It was shoes off, layers off, big drink, boots on and 50mins later we were back at the car. A slow removal of boots and layers and we were ready to drive Gerald back to collect his car. We got back to the car at 6.45pm, 9 hours after we left and got back to Gerald’s car at 7.25pm. It was noticeably getting dark. I had a 130mile 2hr30m drive home. Gerald had other plans having come this far.
This was a fabulous adventure. I really enjoy my own company on many activations but now and then a joint activation is great. I’ve done about 7-10 with Paul M0SNA/W6PNG this year. My first with Gerald and it was a real pleasure. It was absolutely champion. I got ticks (the nice ones) in many boxes. It was pricey however, I reckon about £41 per point earned. But the price was cheap for the enjoyable time in Gerald’s company and working New Mexico for the first time on 15m.
I usually only chase potential Completes - when I can hear them through the local noise but unfortunately this one will never become a Complete for me 
We spent some time on those hills 40 plus years ago and even then found them hard going.
), so technically we should have been activating by 12:00z, or in my estimation 12:30z. It was 12:15z when Andy arrived at the summit and 12:40z when he placed his spot, so do I get the prize for the most accurate assessment? No, I get the blame for being too slow.