Activity Summary

Date : 30th April 2026
Distance : 10.63 km
Ascent : 406 m
Max Altitude : 667 m
Time to Summit : 0:31 hrs (eMTB)
Total Activation Time : 1:47 hrs

Weather

Clear
Temperature 13 ℃
Feels like 10 ℃
Humidity 55%
Wind Speed 26 km/h, it seemed a lot stronger.
Wind Direction ESE

Equipment Used

Icom IC705 (10w)
4000 mAh LiFePO4 battery pack
2m, flowerpot
SOTABEAMS Carbon 6 pole
PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///hills.yield.imitate

Activation Report

This activation report for Foel Cedig is the second of two SOTA activation reports for the day, see the separate report for Carnedd y Filiast. I was using my e-mountain bike again to access the summit. This is another summit with a long walk in, but served by a track, so another summit perfect for biking.

I arrived at the parking spot by the side of a single track road, located at SH 94611 27315, at about 11:30. This is directly opposite the start of the track. I have seen a few vehicles using this track over previous years, but there doesn’t seem to be any vehicular right of way that I can find. I started riding up the track at about 11:40. I was surprised at how the wind had picked up from earlier in the day. The gusts were strong enough to blow me across the track at times. After about 30 minutes of riding I reached the highest point on the track. Given the strong wind, I had decided not to activate from the true summit. Instead, I opted to climb up a few metres above the track. I was just above the 660 metre contour line and so well within the activation zone.

I deployed the 2m flowerpot antenna on the carbon 6 pole, using a ground spike to support the pole. After a spot on 2 m SSB, I soon had three calls in the log. By this time the gusts had really picked up and my pole had started to lean over at an ever increasing angle. Regrettably, I hadn’t brought my pole guys as they were in my rucksack. I ended up supporting the pole with my shoulder, but it turned out to be somewhat comedic. As I was trying to type callsigns, the wind was so strong the pole kept jarring my shoulder, stopping my finger from reaching the touch screen on my iPad. This coupled with the wind around my ears making it difficult to hear clearly, it all started to feel a bit shambolic. I was indeed paying the price for trying to save weight, as my headphones and the pole guying kit were snugly packed away in my rucksack at home. Once all of the callers had been worked I had a flick through the band looking for other activators. I managed to chase Don, 2W0KIO on Penycloddiau, GW/NW-054 to bag a summit to summit. Thanks to Don for being so patient as by this time summit brain was beginning to set in, and I seemed to struggle to get his correct callsign.

I packed away and made my descent back to the car. I had enjoyed the day, happy with another 8 activation 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