Foel Fynyddau, GW/SW-029 - 370m ASL - SS 782 936 - OS Explorer 165 - 1 SOTA point            

Easter Sunday 20th April 2014 - Foel Fynyddau GW/SW-029.

For this one we parked in the wide track entrance at SS772935. However, greater observation by me would have revealed that the tarmac track climbing the hill was mapped as a byway open to all vehicles. It was only at the top of that lane by the stile into the PROW through the field that it dawned on me that I could have easily left my car right there. Mind you, this was also next to a sort of scrapyard with a hotchpotch of portacabins and all manner of aggressive notices, so perhaps best not!

The path now curved uphill between the yard fence and a forested area, before opening out onto a grassy path up to the transmitters on the summit. I chose to set up by the metal fence of one of the transmitter compounds, where I figured I could obtain the double benefits of shelter from the cold breeze - and a backrest! Jimmy had already peaked and was setting up the MFD beside the trig point.

Jimmy MW0HGY/P made his qualifying four QSOs on 2m FM in little over 10 minutes. He wandered over to inform me he had qualified, and asked if I had done likewise. "I've not even made my first contact yet" was my rueful response. Again, I was struggling to get anything at all in the logbook on 12m. Eventually, this box was ticked courtesy of a SSB QSO with Gosho, operating Bulgarian special event station LZ1808SNS.

Contact number two cam after QSYing to 20m CW and working MW/SM0GNS/P on Pen y Fan GW/SW-001 for a S2S. I couldn't repeat that feat with Jurg HB9BIN/P on Eichelsberg HB/NW-015, so that was marked SWL - his pile-up was enormous.  Going down to 40m did enable a second S2S though, this time with DL8JJ/P on DM/HE-128. Moving up 1kc from there, I soon worked three more chasers to finish on six contacts and the points in the bag.  After a speedy descent, we made out way across towards Mynydd y Betws GW/SW-028, which offered a very easy "walk", thus giving us flexibility with the incoming poor weather.