Tag: North Wales

Activity Summary

• 📅 Date : 23rd May 2026
• 📏 Distance : 15.5 km
• ⬆️ Ascent : 759 m
• 🏔️ Max Altitude : 906 m
• ⏱️ Time to Summit : 3:02 hrs
• 🕐 Total Activation Time : 7:19 hrs

Weather

• ☁️ Cloudy
• 🌡️ Temperature 10 ℃
• 🌡️ Feels like 7 ℃
• 💧 Humidity 82%
• 💨 Wind Speed 12 km/h
• 🧭 Wind Direction WSW

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

///mulled.vaccines.yacht

Activation Report

I arrived at the parking spot at the entrance to a track where the walk to Aran Fawddwy starts, which is located at SH 81272 21777. There is room for maybe a couple of cars to squeeze in without blocking access to the track, although good ground clearance is recommended, as you park on a bit of a raised bank. As I started walking at 8:25 am, there was some unexpected, very fine drizzle, although otherwise it was a mild morning. After walking for about half a kilometre you join a forestry track, this then continues up for around two and a half kilometres. You cross over a stile and then enter open moorland. Once you have found the best place to cross the narrow stream, you pick up a faint path that is then followed up to the bwlch.

From the bwlch the route splits, either to Glasgwm on the right, or Aran Fawddwy to the left. I carefully followed the route on my GPS device, as there is no defined path for this short section. There are some boggy sections that can be circumnavigated. Eventually, you reach the main path that roughly follows the fence line until you are nearly at the summit. As you follow this part of the path, some sections have been gravelled, others have duck boards. This indicates that the route could get wet, although it was reasonably dry on my visit.

After three hours of walking, mostly in low cloud, I arrived at the summit. I wasn’t too disappointed at the time, that the summit was in cloud, as it was forecast to clear after midday. However, as it turned out, although the cloud briefly lifted at times whilst I was on the summit, I wasn’t quick enough to get a 360 video. The video below is from my visit the year before.

I found a natural shelter between some rocks and set up my station. I was an hour ahead of my alert on SOTA Watch, and so after updating my alert, I took my time having some lunch before getting on air.

I started on 2m SSB and had a nice run of 16 contacts. This included a summit to summit with Tom, M1TJM and Jake, M0PVC who were doing a joint activation on Mickle Fell, G/NP-002. This was a 223 kilometre trip, and so I was pleased to get them both in the log, thanks guys. I then changed to 2m FM to get four more contacts, including another summit to summit with Ian, G7ADF on Billinge Hill, G/SP-017. See the activation summary and map below.

Once finished, I packed away, and then moved over to the edge of the summit. I sat waiting for the cloud to clear. However, after twenty minutes of waiting, cloud banks were still rolling over the summit. I gave up waiting and started my descent, I had soon dropped below any cloud into glorious sunshine.

After about an hour of descending I looked back towards the summit, and sure enough the cloud had completely cleared.

It’s always a nice feeling when you finally get back to the car, especially when there’s coffee and biscuits waiting. I sat on the tailgate drinking coffee, as I swapped my boots for comfortable trainers. Another fine activation, even if it’s one I have kept putting off, as it is a bit of a long trudge.

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. The route may contain errors and should be used only as a guide.

Download file for GPS

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

Activity Summary

• Date : 15th May 2026
• Distance : 7.79 km
• Ascent : 553 m
• Max Altitude : 770 m
• Time to Summit : 1:52 hrs
• Total Activation Time : 4:24 hrs

Weather

• Partly Cloudy
• Temperature 7 ℃
• Feels like 3 ℃
• Humidity 79%
• Wind Speed 15.8 km/h
• Wind Direction NNW

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

///venturing.shunts.stags

Activation Report

For this walk I was heading up Moelwyn Mawr, taking the route up through the old Wrysgan quarry, near Tanygrisiau. This is my second visit to Moelwyn Mawr and I took the same route that I used last time.
The carpark is located at SH 68289 45433, and although there was plenty of parking spaces at around 9am, the carpark was full on my return at about 1:45 pm, see the picture below.

Without a GPS navigation device loaded with a route, navigation through the quarry would have been tricky in places, as the route is not always obvious. Even with a GPS, I made some wrong turns, as you can see on my GPS track below. Once you start to ascend up through the quarry, the path does become steep, care would be needed in wet weather, as wet slate can become very slippery.

Walking past the old quarry workings you can only imagine how busy this quarry would have been in its day. These slate mines were a major industry in this area from the late 1700’s until the 1970’s. On this walking route you can see the old tunnel entrances to the mines, some more visible than others.

Once clear of the quarry the going gets easier, although the path still fades in places. The final half a kilometre or so to the summit is steep, but the views when you arrive on the summit are worth it, if on a clear day.

I had arrived being fully prepared for a cold summit, and was expecting that my first job was going to be putting up the shelter. However, on the leeward side of the summit, I couldn’t believe how warm it was. I setup my station just below the summit ridge. I deployed the 2m flowerpot antenna, followed by setting up the IC705 transceiver.

I hadn’t even managed to get a spot out on 2m SSB when Don, GW0PLP was in the log. Don kindly spotted me as my own spot hadn’t sent. I was pleased to see a steady stream of 2m SSB contacts, with most being 5,9 or better. I managed eight SSB contacts in about fifteen minutes. I switched to 2m FM and managed four more FM contacts, including two summit to summits. They were with Tony, M9OUD, on Y Wyddfa (Snowdon), GW/NW-001 and Robert, G0PEB on Yr Eifl, GW/NW-075. Something that was very strange throughout the activation, was how random bits of hailstone kept falling out the sky onto my iPad screen. Literally just two or three pieces of hailstone, whilst it was gloriously sunny.

With all of the callers worked, I packed away and chatted to a fellow walker whilst eating lunch. I descended the same way that I had walked up, enjoying the views and good weather. When I was nearly back at the car, I passed the waterfall looking very picturesque with the sun shining on it. I nice way to end a walk on what finally felt like spring day in May.

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. The route may contain errors and should be used only as a guide.

Download file for GPS

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

Activity Summary

• Date : 10th May 2026
• Distance : 3.79 km
• Ascent : 295 m
• Max Altitude : 734 m
• Time to Summit : 1:05 hrs
• Total Activation Time : 3:10 hrs

Weather

• Cloudy
• Temperature 7 ℃
• Feels like 4 ℃
• Humidity 77%
• Wind Speed 14 km/h
• Wind Direction ENE

Equipment Used

• Icom IC705 (10w)
• 4000 mAh LiFePO4 battery pack
• 2m, flowerpot
• SRH770 antenna
• FT65 Hand Transceiver
• SOTABEAMS Carbon 6 pole
• PoLo logging app on iPad mini

Parking Location What3Words

///silver.removers.encoded

Activation Report

The parking spot for this walk up Rohbell Fawr is located high above Rhydymain, at 460 metres above sea level, located at SH 79732 24979. It is reached by following a single track road for a couple of kilometres. There were three gates to open on my visit and the track is good tarmac until you reach SH 79584 24476. From here, the last half a kilometre had several potholes that would require good ground clearance. However, there is a good alternative parking spot just as the tarmac ends, but this would add another kilometre overall to your walk.

There are several routes on the SOTA mapping page for Rhobell Fawr, they all start from this same start point, see the resource link at the bottom of the blog. Today, I was following a route uploaded by Gerald, MW0WML, labelled as a down route. Last year, I had used Gerald’s up route for both ascent and descent. Which ever way you choose, it’s going to be short and steep. My chosen route did not follow a defined path, and so carful navigation is required to weave through the rocky out crops. It also should be noted, that at several points I was walking across dried out bog. It looks like several sections would be very boggy after a lot of rain. There are several stiles to cross over walls and so there in no need to climb any walls.

As I reached the first stile, I could now just make out the summit trig pillar, a welcome sight after a short, but steep climb. I crossed over the stile and then tried to take a straight course to the summit, whilst avoiding some boggy sections. As I got closer, I realised that I had overshot the stile and so had to walk back down the wall a little. Once you have crossed this second stile, you are pretty much on the summit.

The views were amazing with good visibility all around. It was a bit chilly in the wind and so I setup my station just below the summit cairn. By keeping low this just afforded enough shelter to keep warm, with my three layers plus hat and coat. Hard to imagine its May 😀 I deployed my newly repaired and retuned, 2m flowerpot antenna, before setting up the IC705 transceiver.

After self spotting 2m SSB calls were steady, and I was happy five SSB contacts in the log. 2m FM was surprisingly quite for a Sunday morning. Ironically my first FM contact was John, M0VCM. It turned out he had been on holiday in Wales the same time last year, and chased me on the same summit with a two day difference. After another four FM contacts, including two summit to summits, the cold was setting in, and so I decided to called it a day. I had just packed away when I had seen a spot from Tom, M1TJM on Scafell Pike, G/LD-001. I grabbed my FT65 out of my rucksack and fitted the SRH770 antenna. I broke cover and huddled by the trig pillar for shelter. I was suddenly aware of how sheltered my activation spot had been, as I sat in the biting wind. With not really much hope of getting Tom, I called summit to summit. To my amazement Tom came back to me, giving me not only a S2S but also a complete Thanks Tom.

I packed away and then started to head down. Whilst on the summit I had noticed another stile, this would enable me to descend to the east to cross the wall, saving a few minutes. On my descent even retracing my own GPS track, the route above the gulley was not obvious at first, but easy enough once I was on the right track. Back at the car it was sunbathing weather, very different than the summit 300 metres above.

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