Hello everyone!
Scotland is wonderful; I had an incredible week!
In the end, even if I was ready with my fishing rod for the mast, I wasn’t able to bring my K6ARK EFHW kit—my SWR was too high, and I didn’t have enough time before leaving to test the antenna under ideal conditions. It would have involved too much logistical effort without any guarantee that it would work properly.
On the other hand, I was lucky enough to be able to check a suitcase on the plane and brought a JPC-12 with 4 radials. And last week, the weather was gorgeous in Scotland, a small rain for only 30 minutes while I was in the car. And finally, the JPC-12 was much better I think in some situations where I was located to try to make some QSOs.
Upon arrival, on the second day of my trip, I first tried to activate my first ever summit GM-SS-272, which is Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. It worked out perfectly: the friends who were with me wanted to see the sunset over Edinburgh, and since this was my first attempt to activate a summit, I knew it would take me a little while.
The summit was close to where we were staying, so it was very easy to get there by hiking.
It was very windy up there, and of course there were plenty of other people wanting to watch the sunset. So I had to find a spot with some soil to set up the JPC (not easy on this summit, which is mostly rock) and make sure the radials weren’t a problem to people trying to reach the viewpoint.
I tried to set up an alert in Sotatlas, which I think worked. And another in Ham2Lock, but I never managed to post it—I don’t know why. So I tried my temporary callsign MM/ON4CAN/P !
Only two successful contacts, so no points. I’m still a novice for transmitting, so what a thrill when I heard people answering me—WOW!
I actually wasted a lot of time looking for a clear frequency on 40m and finally found my spot on 20m. Just to remind you, I’m running QRP at +/- 5W and I’m a beginner.
The rest of my trip wasn’t SOTA, even though I did a bit of ham radio and climbed some peaks while out walking. Does that count? 
Later in the week, I set up my antenna one evening on the lovely grounds where we were staying in a small lodge near Stirling. I don’t know if the propagation was miraculous that week or if Scotland is just fabulous for ham radio, but I was able (by night) to make my first contact outside the European continent with a Canadian station. The RST was excellent on both sides, and with only 5W, I was impressed that I could be heard so far away, so clearly.
Then we stayed in Ballachulish for three days to enjoy the Glencoe area. I loved it.
I was able to work my very first POTA, with 15 contacts in two hours, most of which were made in the first hour, around noon. Everyone was so kind and patient, and I even made three contacts with Canada. The park was GB-1736, and it looked more like a rocky beach on Loch Leven than a park, but the spot was absolutely fabulous for ham radio: no one in sight I could disturb, a direct view on the loch and the valley—a dream. In fact, I made 16 contacts, including one hater who frequently jammed my signal and insulted me at length numerous times. Since I had to meet up with my friends anyway, I packed up the antenna.
That same day, I climbed halfway up Bidean nam Bian GM/WS-077 with my friends to enjoy the view of Glencoe. I didn’t bring my radio gear because it was hot; the climb was physically manageable, but my lack of mountain experience made me hesitant to carry any extra weight beyond a water bottle, a first-aid kit, and some cold-weather clothes in my backpack. Of course, we didn’t make it all the way to the top of the summit.
We had planned to climb Ben Nevis during our stay, but we changed our minds. We had already seen so many beautiful sights and wondered if it might be too much without having trained enough.
Later on during the trip, I tried to make QSO contacts from various beautiful locations (including the Glenfinnan Viaduct)—each one more enjoyable than the last—with my friends in Brussels on 40m. Even though I could hear them perfectly, they never managed to copy me.
In short, this trip was wonderful, and I’d like to thank everyone who responded to this post. Everyone we met there was truly very kind. I don’t regret bringing my radio gear—cheap for now—which gave me some wonderful moments. Maybe I should have brought my VHF/UHF transceiver as a backup for the more challenging mountain locations. It also gave me a very nice taste of QRP! I think I’ll continue to move more and more in that direction.
My only regret right now is that this trip is over!
Maybe I’ll come back later, this time to visit the Isle of Skye (which I saw in the horizon and found magnificent) and explore a bit more of the northern Highlands.
I’m a graphic designer and illustrator, and I’d like to share this thought: this trip has inspired me to start a series of badge illustrations featuring the peaks and parks I’ve activated. I think they could also be shared with other activators and hunters! 
73 to all of you!
ON4CAN Arnaud
