Tag: Arenig Fach

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.

The lay-by parking spot

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.

Looking across to Arenig Fawr

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.

It’s nice to have desk

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.

Log for the day
Llyn Celyn in the distance

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