Relatively easy GM/SS summits?

Activation Reports Pre-Planning
1

Yes, I know there are very few “giveaway” Scottish summits compared to the several “points on a plate” summits we have in G and GW!

When Jimmy @m0hgy and I had our last GM SOTA trip back at the beginning of April, we enjoyed terrific weather, and got every single summit activated that we’d planned out for the week. We said then that was exceptional, and very unlikely to be repeated on our next trip - which is coming up next week.

Sure enough, the weather looks a bit more unsettled. It will be a case of keeping an eye on the forecasts and swapping where we’re heading - or even have SOTA-free days if necessary.

One thing I did think was that it would be a good idea to have knowledge of any easier-to-access GM/SS SOTA summits south of Glasgow (if there are any!) - then if the forecast on a day wasn’t suitable for being out on the hills all day in the Langholm area, we could use the “wet time” to drive out further afield, especially if that led us to a summit that we could be up, activated and down within a couple of hours. Even more so if there happened to be any super-trivial ones like White Hill GM/SS-289, Lamberton Hill GM/SS-286 or Cairnpapple Hill GM/SS-254 that we’ve not done yet.

The ones we’ve already done are:

GM/SS-029, 030, 037, 052, 074, 082, 083, 087, 094, 100, 119, 122, 133, 140, 142, 144, 148, 154, 168, 172, 177, 179, 182, 187, 196, 197, 198, 199, 201, 203, 208, 209, 210, 211, 214, 219, 225, 228, 244, 246, 249, 253, 254, 259, 262, 263, 272, 274, 275, 277, 280, 281, 286, 289.

I appreciate that many of the more trivial ones will be in that list above. But we’ve hardly touched the area west of the M74 between Dumfries and Glasgow so maybe there’s some in there that might be suitable for a shorter activation?

4 Likes
2

GM/SS-164 Kirkland Hill, isn’t too arduous.
Andy
MM7MOX

3 Likes
3

We’ll also be in GM/SS land next week, but further west than you, being based just north of Newton Stewart, so hope for some S2Ses. The weather is indeed looking more unsettled than we were hoping for, though I’m hoping it’s not as hot as it currently is down in the flatlands. Apart from a couple of exceptions most of our planned hills look challenging, especially as we’re not feeling particularly fit.

We liked Knockdollian GM/SS-267, but that’s a long way west from Langholm. I second Andy’s suggestion of Kirkland GM/SS-164, which we have plans to do later in the year as it’s one Martyn activated before I was licensed, so I need the unique. Another possibility is GM/SS-123 Green Hill - a short steep ascent, and if the weather improved you could add Green Lowther GM/SS-056 on the other side of the valley via the transmitter track. A bit further up the A74 GM/SS-165 Dungavel Hill is a short steep climb from the west.

As usual I’ll be concentrating on VHF and UHF, moving to HF for possible S2S and if VHF/UHF is dead. Martyn will concentrate on HF and move to VHF/UHF for S2S and if HF is dead.

Caroline.

4 Likes
4

It’s in the rules of the game…. @M1EYP

England is SOTA on easy mode
Wales is SOTA on intermediate mode
Scotland is SOTA on hard mode

In any case, I’m in Northwest Scotland, Fisherfield and hope to grab you and Jimmy on a summit!

3 Likes
5

Kirkland is a bit of a joke… 35mins tops from parking the car. There’s a reported GOML of a gamekeeper at Green Hill now. Lots of reports of scaring people away. If you meet him and he’s giving out grief tell him to " Awa An Bile Yer Heid ". Probably best to take a route where you are not visible. i.e. don’t ascend from the village of Wanlockhead. Take the path starting at NS872124 or better NS 872121 (adds 500m) and go up around the side. Still an easy walk.
Dungavel is easy too. The sign telling people to beware of the bull has been there 18 years and I’ve never heard of anyone meeting the bull. Boggy at the start mind you.

5 Likes
6

Hopefully manage some s2s with you this weekend.
Andy
MM7MOX

4 Likes
7

Great Stuff Andy, I am bringing a compact collapsable 2m Yagi and will beam south !

3 Likes
8

Hi Tom,

GM/SS-224, Bennan (west of Dumfries) might fit your criteria, 2km each way and mostly estate track (and a big lump of a monument to hide behind if the wx is poor)

Slightly longer than your 2 hour specification is GM/SS-130, Criffel, south West of Dumfries, more of a half day summit but apparently much improved path to the summit (those who knew it of old may remember the mud slide of a path beyond the tree line)

Iain

2 Likes
9

You as well? :slight_smile:

2 Likes
10

A wee note…

The Crawfordjohn to Sanquhar road (B740) was closed for unspecified reasons on Tuesday past - it did not appear as closed or roadworks on the car satnav or Google Maps but there was some fairly determined signage . I had about 20 extra miles as a result :roll_eyes:.
Scottish Borders Council are also closing chunks of road during the day in order to resurface - the St Mary’s Loch road was closed from 08:30 to 17:00 too. SBC at least lift the closures if it looks like rain, not sure about the others though.

Alan

2 Likes
11

This is fantastic information and exactly what I hoped for in posting the topic. Thank you all.

1 Like
12

Maps 328 and 329 should do it Jimmy @M0HGY

Do you have those?

(Thinking of Kirkland Hill, Green Hill and Green Lowther Hill to have as out standbys).

1 Like
13

It might have an improved path but it is still a long hard walk IMHO - unless the bilberries are ripe and you are hungry. Green Lowther is an absolute doddle by comparison and you can take the odd short cut as the track is rather tedious. Good luck Tom/Jimmy.
73 Viki

2 Likes
14

Why Criffel? Simples… this is the view from the top.

P1000268 - Copy
P1000268 - Copy1620×1080 199 KB

That makes effort<>reward ratio well worthwhile. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
15

That depends on the weather at the time :unamused:
Rod

1 Like
16
  • Woodhead Hill GM/SS-269. Reltively simple, forest being harvested so hectares of brash to cross.
  • Criffel GM/SS-130. Well worth doing since the path upgrades. Lots of G stations workable on 2m.
  • Bainloch Hill GM/SS-261. Forest harvesting but some ok tracks. Forest ride tramping needed to get to top. Effortfull for result.
  • Bengairn GM/SS-229. Remarkably forgetful but not too unpleasant. Parking issues maybe?
  • Bengray GM/SS-238. Straightforward but awkward fence to cross at end. I worked GI on 13cm.
  • White Top of Culreoch GM/SS-245. Bit of a gem. There is brash at the summit but it’s a good walk. Note that driving down and parking on the Forestry Commission track (saves about 600m walking) is an offence and renders the activation invalid.
  • Pibble Hill GM/SS-232. Another gem. Easy parking, ground soft and entertaining boggy bits lower down. Can be lots of cattle at bottom meaning you need to walk in the even boggier fields.
  • Cairharrow GM/SS-191. Good for 2m/70 down to England but hard effort for the single point.
  • Cairnsmore of Fleet GM/SS-065. 4pt hill so quite a walk and ascent but mostly on good paths.
  • See Morris Hill GM/SS-274. Sometimes you can drive to AZ. Otherwise 25min walk on tarmac surfaces. Simple.
  • Bishop Forest Hill GM/SS-228. Easy parking, easy walk on obvious track. 40mins to the top. Nice.
  • Bennan GM/SS-224. Limited parking options, partial track. Massive stone monement to guide you to the top. And you can hide behind it when the heavens open :wink:
  • Mochrum Fell GM/SS-250. May no longer be feasible since the replanting at the summit was damn difficult through young trees in 2017, hellish now I suspect.

There are others but you are getting a long way into SW Scotland with it’s “wonderful” road access. And also you are getting into Galloway Ground summits which are anything but trivial.

2 Likes