The Mournes in May

Activation Reports
1

A brief slightly belated note about our trip to the Mournes last week. We activated all of MM-001 through to MM-011, a couple of smaller MMs and two AHs.

In summary, highly recomended. The weather was somewhat variable, but the views were excellent when we could see them (and there were only two of the fifteen summits we did where our time on the summit was completely blocked by clouds). The gorse and the bluebells were particularly good.

It’s a compact range of hills with most of the main hills coming in convenient pairs allowing us to do two summits most days. On some days a combination of challenging routes and/or weather conditions meant we could only do VHF. The only problem noted with VHF was annoying levels of breakthrough on my heldheld which made it harder to monitor S20 for other summits when en route. However the FT-817 had no problems.

Particular thanks to Victor GI4ONL for spotting services, for tips on routes, and for texting other chasers to round up VHF contacts for us.

Now we just need to find time to write up and submit the logs, to enable us to claim Mountain Explorer Bronze. Our other achievement was to have now activated the highest summits in all of G, GM, GW, GD and GI.

Caroline M3ZCB and Martyn M1MAJ

2

That’s brilliant Caroline, I hadn’t realised you had achieved that particular milestone as well. I’m not sure, but it could be that there’s only the four of us that have done that - activated all of G/LD-001, GM/WS-001, GI/MM-001, GD/GD-001, GW/NW-001 - you and Martyn, and Jimmy and I. Any other claimants out there?

We set off for the Mournes tomorrow night. I hope you’ve left us some chasers (and some Ulster Fries)! Our main ambitions for this trip are to complete the MM region (which will mean 3 of GI’s 5 regions completed for us) and to do our first ever non-UK SOTA activation. The weather might mean that these ambitions are too ambitious, and may require an additional future trip. However, that would be OK as Marianne’s dad lives over there and we will be wanting to explore the GI/SW and GI/SM regions at some point anyway.

Tom M1EYP

3

In reply to M1EYP:

We set off for the Mournes tomorrow night. I hope you’ve left us some
chasers (and some Ulster Fries)!
We can recommend John Macs Traditional Fish & Chips on the front at Newcastle.

Our main ambitions for this trip are
to complete the MM region (which will mean 3 of GI’s 5 regions
completed for us) and to do our first ever non-UK SOTA activation.
The weather might mean that these ambitions are too ambitious, and may
require an additional future trip.
Good luck! Weather forecast currently looks better over there. Torrential downpours here.

Caroline M3ZCB

4

In reply to M3ZCB:
Well done both of you. You must be very fit (and water resistant!)

Where did you stay as we have pencilled in a visit next June and have to work out the logistics? We will read with interest any tips you offer on where to park and where paths do and don’t exist. Sorry to hear you had problems with VHF breakthrough - and also getting VHF contacts. Sounds as if my 5w on the VX-7 will find the area a bit of a challenge - let alone my new attempts at qualifying summits on 70cms!!

Hope we manage some more S2S before long as we have plans for 3 small SOTA tours in the next couple of months.

Viki M6BWA

5

In reply to M3ZCB:
Well done both of you. You must be very fit (and water resistant!)

Where did you stay as we have pencilled in a visit next June and have to work out the logistics? We will read with interest any tips you offer on where to park and where paths do and don’t exist. Sorry to hear you had problems with VHF breakthrough - and also getting VHF contacts. Sounds as if my 5w on the VX-7 will find the area a bit of a challenge - let alone my new attempts at qualifying summits on 70cms!!

Hope we manage some more S2S before long as we have plans for 3 small SOTA tours in the next couple of months.

Viki M6BWA

6

In reply to M6BWA:

Where did you stay as we have pencilled in a visit next June and have
to work out the logistics?

We stayed in a very nice holiday cottage in Bryansford near Newcastle.

We took the overnight Birkenhead-Belfast ferry on the Friday night, coming back on the Saturday night the following week, which gave us full days (and two SOTA summits) on both Saturdays. The ferry and cabin aren’t cheap but we thought worthwhile.

We will read with interest any tips you
offer on where to park and where paths do and don’t exist. Sorry to
hear you had problems with VHF breakthrough - and also getting VHF
contacts. Sounds as if my 5w on the VX-7 will find the area a bit of
a challenge - let alone my new attempts at qualifying summits on
70cms!!

We’ll try to put some tracks up sometime, but at the moment are busy sorting out our routes for our next SOTA trip.

We didn’t try Martyn’s VX-7 on the hills, so don’t know if it would have been any better than my Kenwood TH-F7. We did manage to make the S2S with MW0WML on GW/NW-021 using the Kenwood, since we had only just arrived at the summit and hadn’t got the FT-817 out, but the breakthrough made it difficult.

Good luck with 70cms: I tend to leave the second reciever on the Kenwood listening on 70cms calling channel, and didn’t hear any traffic at all when in GI. Martyn did try calling on 70cms from a couple of the hills, with no response (but we didn’t try hard!).

Caroline M3ZCB.

7

In reply to M3ZCB:

The ferry and cabin aren’t cheap…

If you consider it as two return ferry crossings plus two nights’ en suite accommodation, the total price isn’t too bad.

Tom M1EYP

8

In reply to M3ZCB:
Many thanks Caroline. I like the look of the ‘cottage’ and your comments on the ferry are very helpful. Looks as if we had better start saving as well as getting fit.

Best of luck with your next SOTA trip, we will be in Kent in a couple of weeks as we are trying to finish the South of England and then it is back to mid-Wales (weather permitting!).

Viki M6BWA

9

In reply to M6BWA:
You can use your tesco club card vouchers towards your ferry tickets managed to save a £180 pound on my ferry tickets last year travelling over to see the family. Works out a £10 tesco voucher is equal to £30 towards the ferry cost and can be used on stenaline, P&O and Irish ferries.

http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/product.aspx?R=167

73
Graeme

10

In reply to M0OAT:

You can use your tesco club card vouchers towards your ferry tickets

We were all set to do that. Then we read on

“Unfortunately, our Belfast to Liverpool route isn’t included in the scheme.”

Martyn M1MAJ

11

In reply to M1MAJ:

I only ever use the ferry if I “need” to take the car, that is generally because there will be more than 2+ travelling. Otherwise I fly Birmingham - Belfast City for approx £40 return(FlyBe). I always have B&B available at the far end and normally transport too, however if I do need extra transport a small economy car adds £100 to the bill for a week.

The ferry alone (using Tom’s suggested luxury overnight en-suite accommodation!) is £300 for two people vs £200 for flights and hire car for two (1 week -assuming you travel with limited baggage).
Flying is well worth considering especially for those travelling singly or in a pair.

Pete (hoping to be in the Mournes again sometime this summer)

12

In reply to G4ISJ:

The ferry alone (using Tom’s suggested luxury overnight en-suite
accommodation!) is £300 for two people vs £200 for flights and hire
car for two

Well we all have to make our own decisions based on our own circumstances, but I reckon that difference is below the noise floor.

It was a mild irritation not to be able to use the Tesco vouchers having spent the time investigating the deal, but it was hardly bank breaking. There was never any question we would use anything other than our own car and the ferry. Having a cabin and an overnight crossing on the ferry effectively gained us 2 days (4 summits!) and in that respect was a bargain.

You should see what we take with us! Everything we might need and spares of most things that might break. It would be a major logistical exercise for us to contemplate a SOTA trip by air. We don’t get a lot of time to play. It’s worth spending the money we earn to ensure that we can make the most of our play time.

Martyn M1MAJ

13

In reply to G4ISJ:

The ferry alone (using Tom’s suggested luxury overnight en-suite
accommodation!) is £300 for two people vs £200 for flights and hire
car for two

Not the full picture Pete. The ferry cost also includes two nights’ accommodation of your holiday. Like Martyn, I also appreciate the benefit of having my own motor with ‘my stuff’ for a SOTA trip such as this.

Tom M1EYP

14

In reply to M1EYP:

Not the full picture Pete.

Horses for courses!

Everyone will have a different agenda, travel plans and modus operandi.

Whilst Birkenhead is great for those within easy striking distance, someone say, from the SE, would be mad (IMHO) to not fly directly from Gatwick.

I loath driving, so regardless of the overnight on board (which I’ve done too many times to remember) the journey I can do with minimal time behind the wheel will always win for me!

I carry all the kit I could possibly need in a tiny pack which travels nicely on the train and plane :slight_smile:
Obviously those who like to cart the kitchen sink, and dare I mention it, an A99, will have to rethink their options :-?

Anyway back to looking for EA6 flights…

73
Pete

15

Indeed. I’m 50 minutes from Birkenhead, so point conceded on that one.

However I do not have a kitchen sink and certainly not an A99!

Tom M1EYP

16

In reply to G4ISJ:

Anyway back to looking for EA6 flights…

Oi! Get in the queue! ;-

Andy
MM0FMF

17

Indeed. The introduction of EA6 SOTA means that for the first time since Loughrigg Fell G/LD-047, there exists SOTA summits that I have climbed but not activated. Holidays in Ibiza and Menorca beckon!

Tom M1EYP

18

In reply to M1EYP:

Whereas I have climbed literally hundreds without activating them - pre SOTA!

Brian G8ADD

19

Well it looks like Jimmy M0HGY and I will complete our mission successfully. The objective was to complete the Mourne Mountains GI SOTA region, and activate our first “foreign” summit (I had been avoiding all temptation to do such a thing until Jimmy had his full licence and could join me).

Well, already activated previously were:
GI/MM-001, 002, 006, 010, 013, 016 and 017.

On this trip:
Saturday: EI/IE-021, GI/MM-011, 014
Sunday: GI/MM-015
Monday: GI/MM-012
Tuesday: GI/MM-004, MM-005
Wednesday: Rest day (much required!)
Thursday: GI/MM-007
Friday: GI/MM-003.

So we arrive towards the end of our holiday needing just GI/MM-008 and 009 to complete the region, and these are done as a pair from a nearby parking spot to our holiday acommodation. The wx forecast is good for tomorrow, so all should work out.

If we do this, I think we will be the first to have completed all 17 of the originally list MM summits, and will be the only ones ever to do so with GI/MM-016 deleted some time ago. This is a cheeky claim though, and the real first completists are the Victors, who commenced their mission after Knockiveagh was delisted.

Only on MM-012 have I failed to pick up the 12m Challenge multiplier, although that is kind of irrelevant as I mentioned in another thread, as I have zero chance of catching Steve G1INK in the G table, and everyone else has zero chance of catching me. So scoring a hatful of points, or scoring zero this week would not have made any difference! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Challenge though, and got a bit addicted to it!

Activators should come to the Mournes. The views from the peaks, saddles and ridges knock spots off the best the Lake District and Snowdonia have to offer, and yet the routes are mostly empty, even on glorious days.

Tom M1EYP

20

In reply to M1EYP:

these are done as a pair from a nearby
parking spot to our holiday acommodation.

Yes this is a nice pair. Just a warning that we found it very slow going from where you leave the Mourne Way up to Windy Gap. It felt a lot further than it looks on the map.

Martyn M1MAJ