Thanks Martin! glad to get you in the log. hope you had fun today.
1 Like
One of those days when reflecting on it is better than the experience. Totally shattered this evening! But good fun!
3 Likes
When I was surveying Japan summits, I found two or three. One is located right next to the 9th green. I guess SOTA activations should call players through in that instance.
3 Likes
This is correct Rick. You can get comfortably into the AZ without entering the boundary of the golf course, and the associated issues. That area has plenty of gorse bushes, and would appear to be very popular with livestock judging by the evidence on the ground, so finding a spot to operate and erect an antenna can be tricky.
2 Likes
Well done Hamzah and thank you for the interesting report and photos. That one brings back a few memories especially of the lady golfer telling me that I was too loud as she prepared to putt the ball…oh dear.
73 Allan GW4VPX
6 Likes
The trig point on Hensbarrow Beacon in Cornwall is unusual from a SOTA perspective. This used to be the SOTA summit G/DC-004 and is on top of a natural hill. However, it is completely over-shadowed by an enormous spoil heap from the local China clay workings. The spoil heap is very old and is completely covered in vegetation so it too looks like a natural hill. The top of this summit is G/DC-008, replacing G/DC-004 which is now marked in the database as “inactive”. The unusual bit is on the ground the trig point seems to be at the bottom of the hill not the top. Of course it is marking the summit of Hensbarrow Beacon but compared to the spoil heap this is hardly noticeable, looking more like a low bump in the ground.
4 Likes
Hensbarrow is unusual in that the big hill is man-made since the trig was built. But there are many trig points that are not at the high point of the hill. The location was chosen such that optical sightings to other trig points could be most easily made. I think there are a few where the trig isn’t in the AZ even.
4 Likes
Indeed. Hay Bluff on the way up to Black Mountain GW/SW-041 being an obvious example.
3 Likes
Could I put forward Little Ouse? It’s actually below sea level. http://trigpointing.uk/trig/4449
5 Likes
I’d forgotten that one, the trig point on Hay Bluff is nearly 2km from the Black Mountain summit. Makes a SOTA activation a bit awkward for those chasing trig points where from memory you have to be something like no more than 30m from the trig point. 
A further curiosity of Black Mountain is you can activate it about a kilometre from the summit, so flat is the summit ridge.
1 Like
You can also operate the GW summit from G if you like to confuse people 
2 Likes
Impossible actually. There is no overlap of the SOTA AZ and the WAB trig point AZ, despite the fact that the SOTA AZ is rather large on this one. You can certainly combine the SOTA activation and the trig point activation into the one outing, but you can’t do them simultaneously.
3 Likes
If you activate GW/SW-041 from the English side you are also on the County Top of Herefordshire.
2 Likes
Cheers Allan😁
1 Like
Been there done that !
It is well worth the trip in the summit free flat lands.
3 Likes
I think I activated Cliffe Hill from the footpath shown on your map near the 4 in 164. It was quite a busy path but you could easily find somewhere to set up by the fence and half the people passing didn’t even notice me there.
We did G/SE-005 and G/SE-007 by train recently, ended up being a nice day out.
2 Likes
how was the journey like from the train station to the summits? I’m planning on doing them soon. Cheers
Found the Little Ouse one earlier in the year - bit dissapointed not to have found the GeoCache nearby though. Same holiday we found the Daventy Radar experment caches and the Robert Watson-Watt Radar Memorial one though so that was good.
For Botley Hill, we walked up Chalkpit Lane from Oxted. Just after you cross under the M25 and a short section of road with no footway, take the steep (sometimes slippery) public footpath up to The Ridge and find somewhere in the AZ. We went up the by way and set up at the side of the track, apparently some people go to the water works.
Walking along The Ridge to Botley Hill Farm is a bit hairy because it’s narrow with no footway but traffic was reasonably patient, avoid Titsey Road. Pitchfont Lane (byway) had notices up at the top end saying it was closed.
We think you might be able to get from London to Tatsfield using oyster although I don’t know what the walk is like to the AZ.
For Crowborough it’s a straightforward walk from the station along the road. Footway both sides but a surprising amount of distance and climbing to get the the AZ. We set up on the bench at the bus stop by the water works, 2m dipole on a 6m pole behind me while accomplice kept a lookout for police cars!
It gets quite noisy by the road so earphones might help, or find another spot in the AZ.
3 Likes
Thank you very much!!
1 Like