Sorry for the no-show on HF. The summit is tiny and there were well over 100 people on the summit coming and going whilst I was there. Nowhere to string dipoles etc. with the number of people. Andy CPZ’s antenna would have been a godsend today, or my Buddistick clone but that was in the car. So I did VHF and just qualified the summit. And broke my pole and lost 3 sections and had to descend the summit cliffs to recover them.
More detailed report to follow.
The October holidays have brought a lot of people out. All of the car parks in Glenshee were packed this afternoon when I drove over. The hill I’d planned got canned when I saw, “Shooting taking place, please stick to paths” signs.
I drove on a bit and found solitude on Mount Blair GM/ES-035.
Nice evening, although a bit cold in the wind.
No such congestion on Sgurr na Lapaich GM/WS-008, I only saw one other walker all day. Also chatted to a Ghillie who was in good spirits collecting the 5 beasts he got this morning in his Argo.
Its getting chilly as Fraser says, winter is on its way
73 Gavin
GM0GAV
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But you did all have good weather today, compared to the wind tunnel experience I had in GM above Loch Maree a couple of weeks ago. But the views were exceptional so Scotland was forgiven. 
Right… I’ve put off doing this hill for ages. Mrs. FMF wanted to do it and so I was looking for a time when we could do it together. However, she’s not impressed by me spending 1hr45 playing radio so I’ve not suggested it for some time. Likewise I was put off by comments about the old path and the boulder field at the top. However, I have 22 days vacation to use and the WX forecast for today was “glorious hill weather”. I’d already decided the WX looked so good I needed to do a “proper” hill although I’m still a long way from my pre-lockdown fitness.
Then Andrew G4VFL was on a uWave raid to GM/SS and it was a choice, do I do some uWaves from GM/SS or stick with a proper hill. There weren’t any summits in GM/SS that I fancied doing with the predicted WX. Such WX is not something to waste, so Schiehallion it was.
The first part of the A9 dualling roadworks are complete now. For the past who knows how many years, you get a mile out of Perth and then there’s 7 miles of slow roadworks. Well they’re open now and it only takes moments to get to Dunkeld. I need a car GPS update as it was telling me about roundabouts that have been removed! Turn off at Dunkeld, along to Milton, over past Meall Dearg GM/SS-076 to Aberfeldy then the tiny back road to Schiehallion. I got stuck behind a tractor full of rolls of hay but eventually he let me passed as one roll fell off. Down to Braes of Foss car park and I was done. I should have stopped in the overflow car park which was nearly full but I drove 400m to the main car park which was full. Mainly because people can’t park but I squeezed myself in, bought a parking ticket, £2 (cash only) and booted up. There are toilets here and they are clean and functional, bonus! Must have been about 20 cars in the overflow and the same in the main park. And a million people milling about.
There’s a fabulous path from the car park now that lets you really make progress… well apart from the ascent which warmed up my knees nicely. At about 875m the easy path stops and the boulder field starts. It’s ok at first but becomes bleedin’ horrible as you never stop climbing till finally they’re big boulders and you need to use you hands now and then.
Suddenly I was there. Computer said 2hr10 and that’s the elapsed time I took. I just kept plodding along till I could go no further. I don’t like clambering over rocks and didn’t like this. I also didn’t like the fact the summit is tiny and the slopes to it are very steep. With all the people, I couldn’t see any place to set up HF wire antennas and be out of the way but in the AZ. So I thought, well I’ll do VHF. But all the nice flat places on the South side (in the Sun) were busy so I went to the North side and it was cold there. It was 10C in the car park and the predict temp with windchill was below 0C. Brrrr. Whilst setting up, my mast collapsed and then knocked the bottom out. I always reinforce the bottom with lots of tape but had jammed this mast a few weeks back so stripped the tape off which is why the collapsing sections cracked the bottom. 3 sections shot out and clattered down the damn steep boulders. Bugger!. The rocks were covered in frost and there were many frozen puddles, so it was a bit slippy as I climbed down about 20m of boulders and found all the bits. Back up and some jury rigging with the reel of insulating tape and the J-pole was up.
2m was quiet. I found Colwyn MM0YCJ for an S2S on GM/SS-041, then Jack GM4COX. I thought things were not good so got Jack to work me with his club callsign as a banker. GM8GXI was running 100W and was 55 but my 5W didn’t make the trip. I heard Steve MM0XPZ working MM0PPD but Steve couldn’t hear me. I was getting really concerned now. I’d motored up a big hill and wasn’t going to get any points. Jack saved the day, he found Andrew GM4VFL/P who he’d worked on 2m/4m/13cm on Middlefield Law GM/SS-184 and got him to call me. Andrew was 59+++ which is surprising for the path. But that was 4, one more QSO and I could dump the banker from Jack’s club call. Peter GM0VEK appeared and it was a struggle but we worked each other. Jack was listening and gave the judgement “good contact”. And that was that, take everything down and get down because it was 1330 local and damn cold.
Whilst I was putting a spot in I heard someone say “have you got the points Andy?” and I turned to see I guy I used to work with till he retired just before the 1st lockdown. There he was with his Mrs. having a bit of Schiehallion in the sun. The three of us walked down together talking about how he was enjoying (early) retirement, my impending early retirement (definitely before end of 2022) and other odds and ends.
It was 1611 local by the time we were back at the car and it was quite sunny again. The forecast did say, sunny then 50% cloud then sunny and it was right.
So this turned into an absolutely splendid day out. I managed to get 4 unique QSOs, I had a great chat with and old friend, the WX was glorious, I got up and down in a good time and I even had 2x £1 coins for the parking. It was one of those “really brilliant to be on a hill days” and there haven’t been too many of those this year. The pole will get fixed tomorrow.
Looking at Loch Tummel. In the background all three summits of Beinn a’Glho have frost on the tops.
About 25mins into the ascent. The brilliant new path which runs to the top of the far summit, about 875m ASL. There’s another 210m of ascent over the horrible boulder field. Nice sky!
Summit Schiehallion GM/CS-005 at 1083m looking West.
The view from my operating position, Loch Tummel and the boulder fields.
Another view of the boulder field. The good path stops on the distant hump. You can see how far you walk and climb over the boulders.
Loads of people had their hounds with them. Must have been at least 10 dogs walk past me.
This shows how busy the summit was. It was like this all the time I was there. The woman taking the photo is standing on the true summit top.
Looking at the Ben Lawers group in the far distance and the Glen Lyon horseshoe just across the valley.
Feeling rather chuffed to have pulled an activation out of a bit of a failure. You can see it has clouded up a lot but was still sunny.
A view over the boulder fields.
I’m surprisingly not-knackered. We’ll see how I am in the morning.
Nice one. Lovely weather. Thx for S2S.
73
MM0YCJ
Thanks Andy for your activation report, very interesting. Great photos too. 
Cheers: Geoff vk3sq
Nice one. The “new” path certainly makes a difference. Worth my membership of the John Muir Trust! My first trip up there was years ago, in winter, in cloud. In those conditions it had an infinite number of false summits. 
I’ve got a chance at some local late afternoon activations over the next couple of days. Now to find somewhere where there is no shooting and no crowds…
That summit is one of he most distinctive hills in Scotland, certainly when seen from further west, at places like Glencoe. Yet for all its prominence I’ve never yet bothered to visit it. I guess because it doesn’t have much appeal from a climbers point of view.
Now I enjoy SOTA, I see the appeal has somewhat increased as its an 8 pointer. 
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I often look with envy at countries like the UK where you can WALK to a 10-pointer - yes, walk - no ice-axe, no crampons, no ropes & protection required. No overnight high-alpine camp or scurry up from a base-camp necessary. And I think ‘I wish I was activating there - those Poms have got it so lucky.’
But then I hear stories like 100 people on a summit and I think. ‘No’.
I wouldn’t swap this for that!
I shared my first-ever summit last week (summit no 73 for me, so I’m hardly a seasoned activator). A rather bemused climber arrived during my activation, clad in full alpine gear, helmet, double ice-axes. Not sure he appreciated the mast, 80m EFHW and my presence. But we had a good chat, and I packed up and left him to his solitude. To quote the song: ‘We don’t know how lucky we are, mate’
Middlefield Law GM/SS-184 could have been a very busy summit but the occupants moved on when I arrived.
After that I was on my own. I was nice to work you Andy.
The operating was a bit frantic becuase I was trying to work North and South. Sorry to those who did not manage to work me.
73 de
Andrew G(M)4VFL
Most times I’ll meet one or two others. Lockdown, stay-cations and social media has meant that a handful of iconic mountains and beauty spots have become overly popular. I live near the Burn o’ Vat, a curious pothole with a small waterfall and a cave like entrance. It was little visited until lockdown. Now they have had to put traffic cones down the road to stop weekend visitors blocking the way.
Not as nice as it was for me as I was getting into a panic! However, it was a wonderful 2 way complete, Middlefield Law was a complete for me and Schiehallion was a complete for you. Result!
The road to the Braes of Foss car park for Schiehallion is a tiny single track road that leads from a wider single track road that runs over some smaller hills from Aberfeldy to Tummel Bridge. That road had signs every 200m or so saying not to park on the verges and doing so will get you a ticket. As Fraser says, Scotland is awash with UK holidaymakers who could not travel abroad or still are apprehensive about overseas travel.
Although Andy’s achievement is of note. He didn’t bother bother to weigh the earth while he was there. Does he have an aversion to scales? For an interesting account that explains why Schiehallion is famous, I recommend this account. Weighing the Earth 2½ Centuries Ago Part Two - YouTube
I get on them every morning in the bathroom and the digital voice says “Just one at a time please.”
Interestingly, contour lines were an accidental invention of this science.
