A few months back, the diary looked clear, the recommended campsite had space, and the plan was set: three nights in the North Pennines, a couple of busy days climbing hills as a family, catching up with friends, and meeting new faces. What could be better?
Well… discovering on Thursday afternoon that the campervan’s MOT had expired a few days earlier wasn’t exactly the dream start. The van was packed, spirits were high, and then, no MOT, no tax, no trip. Brilliant.
After a flurry of messages and a mild panic, I managed to book the van in for an early Friday MOT. Fingers crossed, we hoped to be heading north by 09:30. After a surprisingly restful night, we dropped the van off, walked and treated ourselves to a Costa breakfast while waiting, and an hour later, success. MOT passed, van taxed, weekend saved. Happy days.
The girls were buzzing, ready for adventure. Three and a half hours later, we pulled into a large lay-by, the starting point for our first two summits: The Calf G/NP-013 and Yarlside G/NP-019.
The Calf - Family Determination & Blue Skies
Before setting off, we tucked into Martha’s prepped meatball pasta, fuel for the climb. Little Arti was strapped into the carrier on my back, and I can confirm she’s definitely heavier than Lyra was at 22 months!
The route began over a newish bridge where Lyra threw stones into the water while I chatted with a local farmer about to shear his last batch of sheep. The first mile was a gentle stony path, then the climb began, steep and relentless.
A group of four lads were ahead, and Lyra was determined to keep pace. She overtook them whenever they stopped for snacks, marching on with purpose while Martha and I followed behind, smiling at her determination. She was excited to see everyone back at the campsite, so she was on a mission.
The weather was perfect, blue skies, a refreshing breeze, and stunning views. After the first steep ascent, we followed a trickling stream along a damp, stony path before tackling the final pull to the ridge. The wind picked up, but after weeks of 30°C heat in Wales, wearing layers again felt almost novel.
A gentle 300m stroll along the ridge brought the trig into view. We’d made it. The views were fantastic, and across the valley stood Yarlside, our next steep target.
HF was impossible in the wind, and being half a day behind schedule thanks to the MOT drama, I stuck with the FT5D and slim‑G on the 6m mast. Sheltering behind the trig, I worked a steady pile‑up, including seven S2S contacts - thanks @M8BIA, @G1JKS, @M9OUD, @M7GTU, @M1BUU, @MM0EFI & @M7MOQ. A great start to the weekend.
Yarlside – Solo Sprint & Server Woes
The descent from The Calf was diagonal and gradual, ending at the col between the two summits. Martha and Lyra sensibly decided to head back to the van after seeing the climb ahead. Arti was asleep, so I gently transferred her to Martha, grabbed my rucksack, and the girls headed down while I jogged up Yarlside.
It was a steep pull, the wind strengthening with every step. The summit was marked by a small pile of stones. I set up for 2m FM, but the SOTA spotting servers were down. After several CQ calls, I scraped together four contacts.
Finding a sheltered peat bog, I set up HF and managed four more on 7‑SSB with the QMX. Just as I packed up, the spotting servers came back online, so I spotted on 145-FM and made another three contacts. Both summits qualified, happy days.
I ran all the way back to the van (a decision my legs regretted this week), reunited with the girls, and we headed to the campsite. After parking up, dinner was a well‑earned beef stir fry, followed by catching up with old friends and meeting new faces. Plans were made for the next morning: a joint activation of Mickle Fell G/NP-002 with Dave, G1JKS. The forecast? 50mph winds. Lovely.
Mickle Fell – Rain, Wind & Wildlife
I woke to birds chirping and blue skies, maybe the forecast was wrong. I quietly cooked a fry‑up in the camper, the smell waking the girls one by one. After breakfast, I found Dave, ready and waiting beside his tent.
An hour and a half later, we parked in a lay‑by at the start of the southern route. Mickle Fell requires a permit from the MOD, applied for months in advance, and a phone call before setting off. As we got ready, the heavens opened. Waterproofs on for the first time in months.
With no signal, we had to climb the first 25m before we could ring the MOD. Once sorted, we pushed on. The route was around 8 miles, boggy, windswept, and soaked with rain. After a mile, the girls wisely turned back. Arti went onto Martha’s back, and Dave and I continued into the storm.
Despite the weather, we had a great time. We’ve done several joint activations, and there’s never a dull moment (well, we actually have quite a few 
). Field mice darted through the grass, frogs hopped around us, and grouse exploded from the heather, making us jump every time. We each fell into bogs more than once, but once you’re wet, you can’t get wetter, skin’s waterproof, after all.
Near the summit, we agreed to stick to 2m FM only. The wind was far too strong for a mast. We engineered a handheld mount on the tallest post we could find. Dave logged on his phone, nearly impossible with water streaming down the screen, and we shared the mic, working six contacts, three of them S2S - thanks @M7GTU, @M0NJH & @MW0PJE. We’d hoped for more, but the weather wasn’t inviting us to stay, nor for other activators out in the North Pennines today.
The descent was a long slog, but the girls greeted us with coffee, snacks, and biscuits - perfect. Despite the conditions, we’d had a brilliant time. Would we do it again in that weather, hey Dave @G1JKS? Of course we would, wouldn’t we 
we had a ball.
Back at the campsite, we dried out, made dinner, and spent the evening chatting with everyone about the day’s adventures and all things SOTA.
Final Thoughts
A huge thank you to everyone who called in over the NP weekend. We had a fantastic time, great summits, great company, and great memories. Already looking forward to next year’s event. Hopefully somewhere we can all gather in one place and enjoy another brilliant weekend together.
73, Ben
G4BML/p
