MW0PDV.co.uk – Enjoying amateur radio on the hills, but leaving only footprints

Cadair Berwyn SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air Reference GW/NW-012, 8 points

Activity Summary

Date : 14th April 2026
Distance : 13.71 km
Ascent : 603 m
Max Altitude : 832 m
Time to Summit : 2:15 hrs
Total Activation Time : 5:27 hrs

Weather

Misty / Showers
Temperature 5 ℃
Feels like 2 ℃
Humidity 95%
Wind Speed 22 km/h
Wind Direction SSE

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
4000 mAh LiFPo4 battery pack
2m, flowerpot
Decathlon 4m travel pole (fibreglass)
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///factoring.vocally.mile

Activation Report

Cadair Berwyn was the next SOTA summit on my list to activate. I approached the summit from the west, although this is a longer walk than other routes, there is less ascent, and so this makes for a steady climb. The parking area is just off the B4391, located at SJ 01709 30534.

This picture was taken on return to the car

Once out of the car, it became apparent that the weather didn’t match the forecast. The cloud hung low over the hills, although I had been expecting clear summits, and also to be a little warmer. Not to be deterred, I was on my way at 8:30. Five minutes from the car, the start of the main path was reached, marked by a sign.

The sign marks the start of the main path

Once on the main path the route is well defined. There are several sections of duck boarding that really help to quicken the pace.

After about an hour of walking, I arrived at a small stone cairn, located at SJ 04091 30937. I was now also well and truly in the cloud, with poor visibility. From here, the ground was also noticeably wetter underfoot. On reaching the cairn on the summit of Moel Sych, there was a very boggy section. This surprised me, as this section had been bone dry the same time last year. I managed to find a drier path by heading slightly east and combined with an amount of zigzagging. Once on the summit there was not much of a view, but as always the 360 video is below.

My chosen operating location was just below the summit rocks, sheltered from the wind. I deployed my new 4m fibreglass mast, AKA Decathlon travel fishing pole. This worked well, giving enough height for a 2m flowerpot, without the SWR problems that I was having with the carbon 6 pole. However, it is much lighter than the 6m fibreglass pole.

Once on air, I soon realised my first mistake. I had decided not to put up my shelter as the rain was only very fine drizzle. Plus, it was a midweek, 2m activation, so I wasn’t expecting to be on the summit for very long. After my third contact the heavy rain arrived. I couldn’t see out of my glasses and my iPad mini touch screen started playing up. I managed to get my radio covered over and continued to log 16 contacts. In hindsight, I should have stopped and put up my shelter. By the time all the callers had been worked, I was now really feeling the cold, and so packed away for a hasty descent.

On the way down it was still raining and the ground was noticeably boggier. I was glad to get back to the car and get warm. Happy with this eight point activation, and reaching 700 points.

The interactive map below shows a track of the route taken. You can zoom in or out to change the scale. The map can also be shown in full screen. The GPX track can also be downloaded using the link below the map.

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit

Manod Mawr SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air reference GW/NW-035, 4 points

Activity Summary

Date : 2nd April 2026
Distance : 2.89 km
Ascent : 166 m
Max Altitude : 661 m
Time to Summit : 1:00 hrs
Total Activation Time : 3:16 hrs

Weather

Partly Cloudy
Temperature 5 ℃
Feels like 6 ℃
Humidity 81%
Wind Speed 3.2 km/h
Wind Direction SW

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
2m, roll up slim jim
Decathlon 6m travel pole (fibreglass)
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///thrillers.reliving.families

Activation Report

My wife had managed to clear her desk of work for the upcoming Easter holiday and so was able to accompany me on a walk. We had decided on Manod Mawr, ideal for a leisurely type of activation, if approached from the quarry. The parking area is just outside the gates of a working quarry. The parking area is located at SH 73266 45606 and is approached via a long single track road. When you reach SH 71576 43106, keep right and follow the signs for the quarry.

We started out at about 10:40 am, following the clearly marked foot path sign. The path takes you around the back of the quarry and then climbs up. A couple of minutes away from the carpark, you pass the large gates that guard the entrance to some underground caverns. I had no idea until Gerald, MW0WML, told me, that these caverns were used to store paintings from the National Gallery during WW II.

After the initial steep ascent away from the quarry, the remainder of the route to the summit was easy going. Once on the summit we were welcomed by the fantastic views across the North Wales mountains and out to sea across Porthmadog.

We made ourselves comfortable in the summit shelter and I deployed my human pole support😊 I then setup my station using the IC705 and a slim Jim antenna on the pole.

First in the log again was Don, GW0PLP. I worked four more callers on 2 SSB before chasing Gerald, MW0WML on Hope Mountain. After a call on 144.300, I managed another couple of SSB contacts, including a summit to summit contact with Andy, G8CPZ in the lake district. I then switched to 2m FM and worked a few more familiar callsigns, including another summit to summit with Martin, M8BIA on the Gun near Leek.

After about forty minute on air I went QRT and packed away. It was nice to be able to relax on the summit and enjoy a flapjack and a cup of coffee in the spring weather. After taking in some more views we headed back to the car, whilst also planning our non SOTA walk for Saturday. Well maybe a handheld transceiver will find its way into the rucksack, just in case 😊

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit

Moel Llyfnant SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air Reference GW/NW-018, 6 points

Activity Summary

Date : 26th March 2026
Distance : 10.75 km
Ascent : 517 m
Max Altitude : 750 m
Time to Summit : 2:03 hrs
Total Activation Time : 4:45 hrs

Weather

Partly Cloudy
Temperature 3 ℃
Feels like 3 ℃
Humidity 80%
Wind Speed 8.3 km/h
Wind Direction NW

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
2m, roll up slim jim
Decathlon 6m travel pole (fibreglass)
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///flop.revives.multiple

Activation Report

Once again, I found myself obsessively studying various weather apps, trying to find a window of opportunity. The cold, wet and windy spell of the last few days, hadn’t done much to fuel my enthusiasm to get out. But an opportunity had appeared, a day with no rain and reasonable winds in the forecast, if not a bit on the cold side.

I arrived at the parking spot, (SH 82260 39266) with a hint of a groundhog day feel. Because, I had parked here for my walk up Arenig Fawr only four days prior. I started out along the track at about 9:30 am. This time however, the track was noticeably wetter and the peaks around me were snow capped. When I reached the stile that crosses over the wall, there was a lot more water that had collected. It was just about passable, without water brimming over my boots. Once over the stile, the track was more like a shallow stream for a couple of hundred metres. Luckily my trusty Altberg boots kept my feet dry.

A little further along the track, you arrive at the abandoned buildings of Amnodd Wen, before then picking up a forestry track for about a kilometre. Once out of the forest you eventually reach a house, at Amnodd Bwll, from here the track ascends more steeply into open countryside.

Eventually the track disappears, and some navigation is required to progress over the rough ground. This was also the point where I had reached the snow line. Although only a scattering of snow, it was ankle deep in places. Following my route below, you do actually pick up a path that is not marked on the map, at about SH 80865 35655. This makes the final ascent easier than other routes that I have previously used.

After about two hours of walking I was standing on the summit, taking my usual 360 video from the summit.

I setup using the IC705, but today I was using my Decathlon, 6m fibreglass travel pole, and a slim Jim antenna. On my last few activations, I had experienced some odd SWR variation, whilst operating SSB using the flowerpot antenna suspended on the carbon 6 pole.
I soon had two regular chasers in the log, Don, GW0PLP and Dave, G6AEK on 2m SSB. After another ten minutes of calling on SSB with no takers, I switched to 2 FM and soon had Mark, M7DBF, another regular caller in the log. Getting the fourth contact, that I needed for me to get the summit points, was not easy. Many thanks to Don, GW0PLP who was trying his best to find me a fourth contact. Eventually after 18 minutes of calling on 144.300 and 145.500, MW0WMW came back to my call, giving me the crucial fourth contact. I had only been on the summit for half an hour, but I was already feeling the cold, and ready to get down.

After packing away, I found shelter from the cold wind below the summit cairn, where I enjoyed a coffee and a well deserved Eccles cake before heading down.

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit

Arenig Fawr SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air reference GW/NW-011, 8 points

Activity Summary

Date : 22nd March 2026
Distance : 8.19 km
Ascent : 549 m
Max Altitude : 854 m
Time to Summit : 1:54 hrs
Total Activation Time : 5:57 hrs

Weather

Cloudy / Hazy
Temperature 7 ℃
Feels like 7 ℃
Humidity 73%
Wind Speed 4 km/h
Wind Direction WSW

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
2m Flowerpot antenna (homebrew)
20m 1/4 wave telescopic ground plane antenna
SOTABEAMS Carbon 6 pole
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///flop.revives.multiple

Activation Report

I had been looking forward to activating Arenig Fawr on a day with good weather, as for my last two attempts the weather hadn’t been great. It was 9 am when I arrived at the parking spot, located at SH 82260 39266. The weather was a fine spring morning, sunny although fresh. The parking spot is at the start of a farm track that runs along side the now disused Bala and Festiniog railway. There is room for two cars to tuck in either side of the track leaving plenty of room for access.

I set off up the track at about 9:20 am, I soon arrived at the point where the route leaves the track. I have previously seen the area around the gate here completely flooded, and so I was glad to see that it was easily passable this time. The first section as you leave the track is a bit boggy, but once some height is gained the ground becomes dry under foot.

The route heads left in the picture, following the wall from the nearside

Once you leave the track, there is no noticeable path as such. Sometimes you can see a faint path, or animal runs that seem to logically circumnavigate some of the steeper sections. Once the 710 metre contour line is reached there is a short rocky section. This marks the end of the steeper climb, as once above this section it becomes a gentle climb to the summit.

The summit is marked by a trig pillar and a summit shelter. On a wall in the shelter is a memorial to the eight men that had lost their lives on the 4th August 1943. They were the crew an American B19 flying fortress bomber that crashed on the summit.

I took a moment of contemplation before turning my attention to the views, although it was hazy the views were still magnificent.

I was in no rush to get off the summit on such a glorious day. I setup my station a few metres from the summit shelter, and then sat on a rock to enjoy a cup of coffee and a flapjack before getting down to business.

I was using the IC705 running 10w, I started on 2m SSB with a vertical flowerpot antenna. I soon had five contacts in the log and after a short stint on FM, I returned to bag seven more SSB contacts. After an hour on 2m, I swapped to 20m, using the quarter wave telescopic ground plane antenna. 20m conditions were not great, but still managed nine more contacts, including three summit to summit contacts. I switched back to 2m SSB for one last time and managed another four contacts including a S2S to Northern Ireland. This had given me a total of sixteen, 2m SSB contacts. I had logged a total of 7 summit to summit contacts for the day. See the summary activation summery below. This report is automatically generated by the PoLo logging software.

I had a really enjoyable activation, the good weather makes such a difference. I headed back down the same way that I had ascended, although I did try and avoid the boggy section just before the track.

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit

Arenig Fach SOTA Activation

Summits On The Air reference GW/NW-027, 4 points + 3 winter bonus points

Activity Summary

Date : 4th March 2026
Distance : 5.39 km
Ascent : 368 m
Max Altitude : 689 m
Time to Summit : 1:28 hrs
Total Activation Time : 3:34 hrs

Weather

Clear
Temperature 6 ℃
Feels like 5 ℃
Humidity 88%
Wind Speed 9.7 km/h
Wind Direction SSE

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
2m Flowerpot antenna (homebrew)
SOTABEAMS Carbon 6 pole
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///fatherly.printer.region

Activation Report

I arrived at the parking spot in a lay-by, just off the A42112, at around 8:30 am. The lay-by location is at SH82988 40021. It was a glorious spring day, and so I was looking forward to my first walk in good weather for a while. It was 8:50 am as I started walking along the roadside verge for a few hundred metres.

After crossing a stile into the field, the ascent starts. There are some way marker posts that can be followed on this first section. After passing through a gate at the second wall you are now on open moorland. Using a route uploaded to SOTA mapping by Simon, G4TJC, I managed to keep away from most of the deep heather by following animal tracks. A quad track is reached at roughly SH 820 407, just above a lone, small tree. The track is faint in places, and sometimes becomes a single track, but it can be followed all the way to the plateau just below the summit.

The summit was reached in about an hour and a half. Although, there was some haze, visibility was good with very pleasant summit conditions.

There is nice summit shelter on Arenig Fach, with high walls, and a stone that makes a perfect desk to operate from. I setup my station and was soon on air starting with 2m SSB.

First in the log was Don, GW0PLP, followed by four more 2m SSB contacts. A quick change to 2m FM yielded another three contacts from regular chaser / activators. I had searched around for any summit to summits, but didn’t have any luck. I packed away and headed back down the same way that I had ascended.

Download file for GPS

Further information can be found on the SOTA resource page for the summit