Cadair Berwyn, GW/NW-012 - 830m ASL - SJ 071 323 - OS Explorer 255 - 8 SOTA
points
Thursday 19th July 2018 - M1EYP = 48!
I made myself unavailable for supply teaching so as to be
able to spend my birthday on the hills. Mind you, if a gig had come in, I
would have found that irresistible - but it didn’t. I'd tried to get to
bed at a decent hour on the Wednesday night, but all to no avail, and I still
hadn’t nodded off after 2am. I realised that my 5am alarm setting was now
moving into the “stupidity” category, and reset it for 7am. When I awoke
with the alarm, I was initially assuming my plans would have to change.
Marianne had booked a local restaurant for 6.30pm that evening, so a daytrip to
Greater Oswestry would surely not be viable - or would it?
I did a bit of a schedule calculation in my head and
realised it was still on, if I didn’t muck about. Only thing was, I was
now in the prime morning rush hour time bracket. However, the M56 was pretty
clear all the way, and I was in the car park at Tan-y-Pistyll before 10am.
A lady came out from the cafe to collect my parking money of £4. I could
have parked for free a few hundred yards before the cafe, but I was happy to
cough up for ultimate convenience. Since my last visit (excuse the pun),
there is now a prison-style high metal railings enclosure completely around the
toilet block, complete with turnstiles requiring 20p to activate. The
mathematician in me started calculating how many 20p’s would be required to
recoup the cost of the railings, less the reduced vandalism savings. Then I had
a word with myself, grabbed my pack and poles, and made a start!
I started by ascending to near the top of the waterfall,
then joining the wider track that comes up from the valley. Shortly after
this, a surprisingly faint and narrow path leads off uphill on the grass.
I knew the route though, having been this way a few times before. I had
forgotten how many false summits there were though, and kept anticipating the
route to level off on the ridge - only to be frustrated! I wasn’t carrying
a map - perhaps if I was, I wouldn’t have kept suffering from these false
expectations!
As I started to climb up Moel Sych, I surveyed the spur of
the land off to the right for a possible descent route. I always enjoy the
long path along the side of the valley back to the cafe, but not so much getting
across to it, curling around above Llyn Lluncaws. The main path here goes
far too close to a high edge with sheer deep drops for my liking, forcing me to
walk on the long grass a few yards to the side, which isn’t so great underfoot.
Anyway the summit quickly got closer from here, and I was soon selecting my spot
for setting up, right on the actual true summit. This was quite rare for
me to set up here - normally, it has been too windy at this spot, or I was
overnight wild camping, but today it was perfectly still, and I was only
daytripping.
I set myself an approximate 1.30pm deadline for packing
away, bearing in mind that evening’s restaurant booking. I’d made it to
the summit by 1pm, so I had enough time, albeit not “plenty”. This being a
selfish birthday activation, I just went for my current favourite working
conditions. On 20m FT8, I made five QSOs, at least three of whom were
known chasers responding to the self-spot on SOTAwatch. There were a few others
who called as well, but from who I didn’t RX anything further after calling them
- so they were NIL. Operating on FT8 was pretty cool as it allowed
simultaneous consumption of soup, which for today was a new one from Baxters -
Fiery Fish Bisque. Very nice too. It was on special multibuy offer
at Waitrose in Sandbach, so there was more bought in ready for the following
week’s trip to Snowdonia with Jimmy M0HGY.
Before packing up, I called out on 2m C4FM (Fusion), and
worked Gary M0XGS in Westhoughton (near Bolton). Despite a self-spot on
SOTAwatch, and a note on the North West Fusion Facebook Group, there were no
more takers, so I quickly tidied up and commenced my descent. I managed to
get myself through the section above Llyn Lluncaws that I never look forward to,
and onto the lovely path along the glacial valley that I always do! I
reached the car at 3.15pm - brilliant, all on schedule to be home in plenty of
time for a shower before going out for dinner.
Unfortunately, someone had had a big smash on the M56 just
before the M6 interchange causing a one hour delay. I got past that and
was about to exit at Lymm, just 30 minutes from home, when two coppers waved me
to the left, forcing me onto the M6 North. Disaster! This meant
going up over the Thelwall Viaduct to J21 and turning back there - and both
sides were badly congested - another hour lost! Ultimately, I had to just
go straight to the restaurant and meet the family there. I was glad I’d
taken a change of clothes with me and had changed at the Tan-y-Pistyll car park
after my walk! The shower would have to wait until I got home after dinner
though.
Time |
Call |
Band |
Mode |
12:11z |
EA2LU |
14MHz |
FT8 |
12:15z |
SA4BLM |
14MHz |
FT8 |
12:17z |
IK2LEY |
14MHz |
FT8 |
12:21z |
DK7UY |
14MHz |
FT8 |
12:27z |
OH2FQV |
14MHz |
FT8 |
12:38z |
M0XGS |
144MHz |
C4FM |
|