Folks, thank you all very much for answering my calls and returning CQs! About a dozen of Lake District summits are in the log from EI/IE-015 Sincere apologies to whoever I haven’t managed to log, especially Andy G6PJZ. Don’t know why, but I just didn’t heard Helvellyn at all, probably due to timing? Anyway, thanks for the great event !
73 de EI4JY
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No problem Alex. Glad you had a good day too. I had no phone signal which meant I couldn’t see who was on and where. I also missed all the Swiss activators. Still had lots of contacts. Log will have to wait til I get home (there are limits when living in a tent with only a mobile phone!)
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Thanks Dave for sharing you report with great photos, 
cheers 
Geoff vk3sq
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Sounds like you all had some good fun yesterday and am hoping today goes the same way!
Yesterday, I got up onto Beacon Batch (G/SC-003) and by 08:50z I had the EFHW for 40m connected to the FT817 and was calling CQ with MQ0XPO/P callsign. I was there for only 3.5hrs and managed to make the most of the OE SOTA w/end. It was a glorious setting:
In all, I made 52 QSOs (18 of which were s2s) and out of the G/LD party, I only managed to work GQ0WPO/P (G/LD-008) and G4IPB/P (G/LD-005) on 40m.
Am looking forward to reading more reports !!
73, Lea M0XPO
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I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, too much happening last weekend and this weekend for me to get away.
I was delighted to work at least one LD participant today who was still QRV. Jonathan G4IVV/P was 59 from G/LD-015 with me when I nipped up Tinto GM/SS-064 today. I went up mainly for the exercise, when I reached the summit it was drizzling and there was lots of showers visible coming my way. A quick 2m FM activation was the result rather than deploying HF.
Tinto is a GM hill you can guarantee to activate on 2m FM with a simple aerial. Jonathan was fully quieting using his FT-5 and an improved rubber duck on to my old VX-170 using a J-pole on a 5m pole fed with about 5m of RG-174 (not a DX magnet antenna!) on a 115km path that is not LOS.
Hopefully, I can get to the next one.
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It was great to catch you Andy, is there a Q code for “there’s water running off my log book?” 
It was a tad damp up there, but pleased to complete my walk from Crummock Water back to Braithwaite. I can recommend the “Honister Rambler” bus service which dropped me right at the start of the trail.
Jonathan
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Very simply Mark,
Many thanks for organising a superb Weekend. I had a great time on G/LD018 and G/LD017. Then a fantastic evening with friends. Logs tomorrow. It certainly put Sota UK on the map.
Glamping on Activation G/LD017
The Patterdale lucky anvil for dinner attendees
Regards, old cloth ears
David
G0EVV
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Thank you David. It was really good to meet you for a chat. You’re photograph captured the spirit of our activation of Red Screes perfectly. I have no idea how Shane, @G6WBS shoulders such a heavy rucksack but it certainly makes for a pleasant stay on the summit.
Thanks to Mark, @M0NOM for organising this fantastic weekend. It was so good to feel part of such a supportive and welcoming community.
Alison was hard at work in The Brookside Inn and created a true likeness of me in wool. 
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I did think ‘who carries that much stuff up a fell?’. A sota activator obviously.
Funny how different we all are
Really happy to have met both you and Shane and if it’s any help it took me twice as long to get down from Red Screes than it took to get up. Lots of chat and all the better for it.
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There are lots of ways to activate a summit.
I am not sure that we are that different really, it’s a case of choosing the gear, style and bands that suit your plans, the weather, and the summit.
It was really good to bump into you for an impromptu chat Alex.
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Likewise. Fun day out and double plus was managing to get back home before the domestic curfew kicked in.
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I had a really enjoyable SOTA LD weekend; thanks to all the chasers and activators.
I decided to take the opportunity to activate towards the top end of the lakes, knowing that there would be plenty of other operators out on the fells. I booked into a very nice and reasonable AirBnB for Friday and Saturday evenings, into Sunday morning.
Before arriving at the accommodation I decided to activate Melbreak (G/LD-036) on the Friday afternoon. The weather was set largely fine for the weekend and I set off from the Kirkstile Inn sometime after 13:00. I had first booked in for an evening meal at the Inn, then asked if it was OK to leave my car on the car park for the duration of the walk. This is a strategy I shall look to repeat in future!
After a pleasant walk I arrived on Melbreak and got my first contact with M7LLC (Lee) at 14:44 (13:44). A further 5 followed as follows:
2E0MIX Derek
M0DXT Bill
2E0XUP Steve
GM4WHA Geoff
G1OAE Tony
No S2S contacts were achieved, but at least I got the two activator points. Views were excellent which the following photos should confirm.
The return trek was straightforward. I got booked in at the AirBnB, then returned to the Kirkstile inn for an excellent meal. I tried to book for Saturday evening which they were reluctant to do, presumably as I was a singleton booking, but suggested I turn up at 5.30 or 8.00 and they should be able to fit me in.
Saturday’s object of attention was Grasmoor (G/LD-009), an 8-pointer with an epic climb up. It was hard work in the warm sunshine, but got up in time to make my first contact at 12:56 (11:56) with G8CPZ/P on Scaefell Pike, G/LD-001 on 2m FM.
A further 14 contacts followed, all on 2m FM, including another 8 S2S contacts. It was very cold on the summit, despite the shelter, facing out towards the Irish Sea with views of the Isle of Man and Scotland.
Further photos were taken:
I managed to find better paths on the return journey.
Returning to the Kirkstile, at 8pm I was given the same table as Friday evening, with excellent food and service once again.
Sunday morning was time to leave the BnB, but with the intention of activating Blake Fell before my journey home. For a variety of reasons, I had a change of plan and headed back to the South lakes to activate the simple Gummers How (G/LD-050). All of the LD stations seemed to have left their respective summits before I completed four contacts, including MQ7TKL/P on GW/NW-043. It would have been embarrassing not to get the four contacts during a SOTA LD Weekend.
A few more calls were put out to no avail, before the easy descent to the car park and the short journey home.
I notice a date in June has been suggested for next year; I must provisionally book the same BnB before updating my logbook.
Looking forward to next year already!
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Andrew,
I wasn’t on Scafell Pike at that time. I was on Whitbarrow Scar (Lords Seat) G/LD-056. It was David MQ0JKS/P on G/LD-001. I know because I had a 2m FM S2S QSO with David at 11:56.
73, Andy G8CPZ
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It looks like I am going to have to make a correction or two!
Thanks
