Road Trip - Day 3 - Monday 18th February 2013 (part 3)

From Mynydd Llangyndeyrn GW/SW-039, our second activation of Monday 18th February 2013, we continued along the B4306 through Pontyberem, then took the second right up Sylen. Parking was easy in a wide, but clearly unused access drive by a locked and tied-up gate. This was right next to the transmitter access road to Mynydd Sylen GW/SW-036. Liam and I wandered up the road and plonked ourselves down on the tarmac between the transmitter masts and the trig point. No shelter was available, and it had gone 5pm, so it was getting rather chilly!

   

A tractor was working on the field in front of us. We were on a PROW, but that does not automatically give anyone permission to erect a temporary antenna, so I wondered if we met get approached. In the event, we didn't, but I didn't really want to be hanging around.

   

However, hang around we did. It seemed Jimmy M0HGY had not got my text requesting an alert be placed, thus enabling automatic spotting by the RBN. Spotlite seemed very slow and unreliable, although I did eventually get something through. Skip was lengthening, and the bands were noisy and congested.

       

After a long period of unanswered calling, it was music to my ears when DL7URB responded. That headed up a run of five QSOs in four minutes - but that was it - no further calls! The sun had set, twilight was running out, the wind had picked up and we were both very cold. Plus, we were going to try and return home that night. Time for a sharp exit!

Liam's directions were excellent as we made our way home via Llandovery, Brecon, Leominster, Kidderminster, M5 and M6. We listened to 'Just A Minute' on BBC Radio 4, with Paul Merton at his brilliant best. Liam had never heard the show before, but loved it. At Leominster, we decided to take in an evening meal at just past 9pm. We went into an "OK Diner" and enjoyed buffalo wings, tower burgers with bacon, cheese and chilli con carne, chips and cookies and cream milk shakes. After three very easy summits, we were definitely in the red on the calorie count!

   

We reached Macclesfield at 1.15am and went straight to bed! Many thanks to all the chasers that supported the five activations. The theme to the trip had been Emeli Sande's "Clown".