Another contender for the most-boring summit in the area is GM/SS-236, Corse Hill [which I’ve been to by mountain bike with friends but never activated for SOTA].
Back in the early 1990’s, long before they built one of the UK’s largest wind farms in the Whitelee Forest area, I walked one lovely warm summer’s afternoon and evening from my place of work in East Kilbride to my home in Darvel, a 4.5-hour walk via Corse Hill much of it over what was then open moorland.
Except that the Forestry Commission had dug many long parallel troughs [called grouts, I think] and put the soil in between the troughs into which they had planted conifer saplings [probably tall trees now]. The troughs were almost a metre wide which made for very hard walking across then, actually more like hopping for several hours which made my legs very tired.
The hill will almost no elevation gain from the car park. Cycling between the windmills would be fine but I did it around Christmas time one year just for the walking exercise. Dire. Still the exercise was useful. It’s a tick in a box.
Here’s an online version of the article if anyone wants to read it.
5 mistakes in the physical newspaper, 4 in this online version. @G3CWI predicted 3!
It really seems to have gathered momentum this story! Last night I was asked to provide a Lockdown Walks feature monthly for the next year in a regional magazine! The posts on Marianne’s and my Facebook timelines have attracted huge numbers of likes and shares.
Who’d have thought that a middle aged married couple going out for a local stroll would be so newsworthy?
Yes, they have to say broadcast don’t they. When I met the guy who does the walk reports for The Scotsman on Craig Each GM/SS-084 he was fascinated by finding some numpty sat in the snow playing radio and took photos and featured me in his report on his Craig Each walk. But… and this is unusual he let me proof read his words beforehand as he wanted to ensure it was technically accurate as he hated reading articles done in good faith but wrong in some way. Amazing stuff. I think he may be unique.
Anyway Tom, if only you had a dog you took on the walks you could get them to call your article “Tom’s Monthly Dogging Report” and that might garner many more readers.
…although I know some would argue that my current AR fix - having my 817 hooked to the shack PC and running FT8 with automated operating and logging via WSJT-Z and Logger32 - is even less tasteful…
If Lockdown restrictions are still around in March, I will be using these routes to keep me busy on a challenge to do 11,000 steps a day for the whole month. If restrictions are eased, I’ll be aiming to get them SOTAing as much as possible.
The 11k steps per day is in acknowledgement of the 11k lives lost each year to prostate cancer. An old friend of mine called me this evening and told me about “March the Month”. He actually called to get my advice on local routes, without any steep uphill involved, that would get him his 11,000 steps. he had seen the article in the local paper.
I thought that this March the Month campaign and fundraiser was the perfect thing to combine my Lockdown Walks project with, so I not only promised my mate some routes, but said I’d get involved myself. I fancy the challenge, plus it’s a great cause.
The web resources seem pretty neat too - when you sign up, it sets you up with your Just Giving page, steps tracker etc. This is mine:
Maybe others would like to have a go too? There’s one or two walking enthusiasts on here I guess! Hopefully we can do it by SOTAing, but if not, then Lockdown Walks it is for me!
I’m amazed that you found some “previously unknown footpaths”. I’m reasonably confident that they are all on the OS maps. If not, I feel sure that the local Ramblers group will be interested.
Thanks for the link Tom, I didn’t know about it.
As somebody who has (had?) prostate cancer I encourage all men of a certain age to be aware that it may be there without the usual symptoms and get checked
Serious point though, we men are far too carefree and don’t want to be considered hypochondriacs when we have ailments. I lost a fried to bladder cancer. He’d had symptoms something wasn’t right for a while before he did something and saw the doctor but it was too late by then. A good friend from work lost his father to prostate cancer last September. He’s running 76 miles in January, 1 mile for each year his father lived. People in my office have joined in sponsoring him and my employers have a charity matching policy. So he’ll raise what we donate, the Gift Aid tax rebate and then that whole sum is matched by my employers. With a following wind, the 20 of us in my office should be able to raise about £1000, not a huge amount but every little helps.
Another 13 mile circuit done today with my wife Marianne. The snow was lovely in the morning, and up in the hills where it hung around later into the afternoon. 27,000 steps today, so training for March the Month (11k steps per day throughout March) looks to be going well. Obviously, the challenge will be topping the 11k steps target on work days and bad weather days - and indeed bad weather work days! But the fact I’ve set myself up for this publicly, means I’ll have a bit of pressure on myself that I can use as motivation.
I’m taking a handheld on all my walks at present. Today I worked G3CWI (several times) and M0ABR. Both were also out, like me, doing walks from their home addresses, with their partners and carrying handhelds!
I’m hoping to encourage more people to be taking out VHF hand-portables while getting their daily exercise. After all, it’s the nearest we’re going to get to SOTA in the foreseeable, plus it’s quite pleasant to have a natter rather than a fast exchange and logging!
More training for this, this morning and early afternoon:
As outlined in the previous post, I’ll be QRV on 2m FM with my handheld. Any company from home-based chasers or fellow HRH (Hikers Receiving on Handhelds) is most welcome.
