On Sunday morning, 10th December 2017, I got up and left the other band members asleep in the Travelodge (Medway M2).  I accessed Detling Hill G/SE-013 - the highest point in the North Downs - via the road to the public car park for White Horse Wood.  Pay & display cost £1.50.  There is a trig point a short walk into the woods, but as far as I can tell, the actual car park itself is the highest point.  It’s all pretty flat up there and the AZ will be considerable.

The whole area was covered in a couple of inches of snow. After pottering about the country park for half-an-hour or so, I returned and set up the 20m GP beside one of the picnic tables next to the car park. Although it was snow on the ground, it was persistent rain dropping out of the sky, so I was soon inside the bothy bag. Fortunately, there wasn’t any wind, so I could drape the bothy bag over me and my gear while sat operating at the picnic table, without it flapping about everywhere. Conditions seemed rather down on 20m, but seven QSOs were made on CW, including S2S with HB9/OE9TKH/P on HB/AR-004.

Next, it was down to Gravesend to meet back up with the boys in the band, and a fry-up at Nell’s Cafe. Then it was a tortuous 2.5 hour drive to Edgware for parking, and catching the tube into the West End. That night’s show was at the small but lovely Leicester Square Theatre. Afterwards, we had to wait for the crew to pack down and load the huge sound system onto the truck before putting our bass and drum gear on there. We caught the last tube back to Edgware, then drove up to Toddington services on the M1 to retrieve our gear from the truck. Very tedious and time-consuming. Made me wish I’d gambled on finding some free street parking in the vicinity of the theatre and carried my gear in two trips from my car to the stage door!