Saturday 12th May 2018

I had a choice.  Either go and trudge up a hill in persistent drizzle and mist, or stay in to watch the Eurovision Song Contest on television.  Tough decision.  Now where’s my coat and boots…?

I started the walk about 8.50pm local BST, and reached the summit about 9.25pm.  I managed to set up the MFD on the SOTA Pole in the last embers of daylight, but then needed my headtorch while connecting the feeder to the FT70D.  I also then needed my bothy bag as the fine drizzle intensified.  I connected into SOTA-LINK via WIRES-X on the Shrewsbury node MB6SY, but no-one else was there.  This was not the case on C4FM simplex on 144.6125MHz, where my first four QSOs were all made using 2m Fusion.

This was supplemented by eleven contacts on 2m analogue FM, making 15 for the activation in total. The rain persisted throughout the packaway and descent - but it was still better than watching Eurovision!

First, the headlines:

• Shining Tor G/SP-004, Gun G/SP-013 and The Cloud G/SP-015 all activated in a single circular walk from my home QTH in Macclesfield.

• The three summits all activated on the same day - 14th August 2018 - with no vehicle support.

• Total of 71km walked - 91,000 steps.

• Walk completed - home QTH to home QTH, via 3 SOTA summits (5 activations), 2 overnight wild-camps and 3 pub stops - inside 48 hours.

• The traverse from Shining Tor G/SP-004 to Gun G/SP-013 is a classic walk.

• A full charge on my Yaesu FT70D is (just) enough for five activations.

• A full charge on my Petzl Activ headtorch is plenty enough for two nights of backpacking.

• A full charge on my Samsung S3 smartphone is wholly insufficient for 48 hours away from home!

And now, the news in detail:

Shining Tor G/SP-004, Gun G/SP-013 and The Cloud G/SP-015 are three of the four most activated SOTA summits in the world.  They also happen to be my three local summits to me here in Macclesfield.  “Treacle Town”, “Silk Town”, or plain old “Macc” also has a decent claim to being the centre of the SOTA universe.  Aside from being in the vicinity of these three hugely popular summits, it is the home of one of SOTA’s founders, two former and one current MT, and the G Association Manager.  Since acquiring a decent-enough backpacking tent (Karrimor Ultralite) a few years ago, I kept wondering about an ambitious attempt to activate these three local summits, without use of a vehicle.  The idea being to start, and finish at my home QTH on the west side of Macclesfield (near Broken Cross), visit and activate each summit, and wild-camp as necessary.

Monday 13th August 2018 - Shining Tor G/SP-004

I finally got around to putting the plan into action on a Monday afternoon, with a fairly sudden decision to go for it, secure the domestic pass-out and prepare kit.  As such, I was a little later setting off than I would have preferred - 6.30pm - but this at least allowed me to enjoy dinner with the family first.  The initial walk was down Merebrook Road (where I live) and onto Chester Road to walk into town.  Cumberland Street, Hibel Road and onto Hurdsfield Road accounted for the first couple of miles of my trek, and here I went into the Co-op to get some provisions.  In the reduced to clear section, everything was marked down to 10% of original price. I was able to get a chicken hoisin noodle box, carrot sticks with humous, sushi and egg butties - for a total price of 74p.  I loaded this into the rucksack and resumed my walk up Hurdsfield Road, into Higher Hurdsfield and then Rainow.

On Tower Hill in Rainow, I turned right on the Gritstone Trail and walked up to the dam at Lamaload Reservoir.  Once at the top of the dam, I continued around the back of the wood, and onto a short section of country lane.  It was now getting dim, and darkness would not be long.  I was mindful that my headtorch needed to last for two nights out, so I switched it onto the lowest setting (I normally use it on the middle setting).  I reached the sign saying “Footpath to Burbage via Shining Tor” and struck out again into the moorland.  The initial section was easy enough, as the path was clearly defined and followed the edge of a small forested area.  After that though, navigation became a lot more challenging.  It was now dark, very foggy - 2m visibility in all directions, and the path on the ground was very indistinct.

I concentrated hard on following what appeared to be a very faint line on the ground, while trying to keep the pace up - I wanted to be on summit in time to activate in the current UTC day, and establish camp as soon as possible. I’d only done this route once before, and that was as a descent - in broad daylight and excellent visibility.  This couldn’t be more different.  It was pretty unnerving when the terrain seemed to flatten out, and then gently descend for what seemed like a long time.  The path on the ground still seemed to be there though - at times - and the compass was indicating that the direction was correct - although there was no way whatsoever of using it to pinpoint my location.  I did not want to consult GPS on my phone as I was keeping it switched off most of the time, trying to conserve its charge for photos. 

You can only imagine how delighted I was when the path started to ascend, with the wind picking up accordingly.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so pleased to be climbing a steep hill!  I must have been euphoric, because I remember this section as being quite a lengthy and relentless slope, but I was soon on the paved section on the ridge to the summit, and it came as a (very welcome) surprise to me.  Seemingly seconds later, there was the trig point on the other side of the wall, and the famous wooden bench in the wall corner.  Again, this came quicker than I was expecting - though I certainly wasn’t complaining.  Good grief, I’d just walked from home to Shining Tor summit - in an evening!  According to my Fitbit watch, I had covered 18,000 steps and 14km.

I decided to activate first, and then pitch the tent afterwards.  The hour was late, but activity was good.  Between 2215 and 2227 UTC, I made 7 QSOs on 2m FM with the handheld and rubber duck. (I’d decided to keep the radio side of things as lightweight as possible).  Next job was to sort my accommodation for the night. I dropped down the path in the Cat & Fiddle direction, checking areas either side for suitability.  Careful prodding with the trekking poles was necessary to identify deep bogs, of which there were several! I found a patch of fairly level grass to the side of the path, just about big enough, and pitched the tent there.  It would have been still within the AZ, though I didn’t do any operating from that position.

After setting out my rollmat and sleeping bag, I was pretty hungry so went to finish my supper.  To my horror, I found the that chicken hoisin noodle box had burst, with the contents all over the bottom of my rucksack. It wasn’t going to waste though - I carefully used the supplied plastic fork to eat the good bits not in contact with the dirty wet panels of the rucksack. Well I tried - I did experience a few “gritty” bits in my mouth - and I hoped to be feeling well in the morning, otherwise it would be “Game Over”.  I ate the rest of the items from the Co-op, except the carrot sticks with humous which I saved for breakfast, together with same Belvita breakfast biscuits I’d brought from home.  I didn’t manage to get off to sleep too well.  I was reasonably sheltered from the westerly wind and comfortable on a very grassy area.  I reckon I nodded off around 2am.

Tuesday 14th August 2018 - Shining Tor G/SP-004

At 5.30am I was awake.  It was just getting light. 3.5 hours sleep is 50% of my usual quota, but I decided to take the positive view that in backpacking terms, 3.5 hours was still “money in the bank”, so to speak.  What I did notice, to my horror, was that all my clothes were wet. Most of them I had packed into a large drybag and used as a pillow, with other items left out draped over my rucksack, or hanging from a clip in my tent, for more of an airing.  Anyway, the stuff in the drybag fared slightly better overnight, and was merely unpleasantly damp in the morning.  The stuff left out for airing was unpleasantly wet.  The good news was that I didn’t have a tummy ache from the noodle disaster!

What to do then?  Well, I noticed that inside my sleeping bag, I was feeling very pleasantly warm and dry.  So I chucked all my damp and wet clothes inside of the sleeping bag with me, jiggled about a bit and hoped that my body heat might do the trick.  This seemed to help and take the edge off the dampness, though it also took the edge off my comfort as one can imagine!  After ten minutes of this, I decided to put most of the clothes on, and continue lying in the sleeping bag.  Another ten minutes later, things were feeling bearable. Something in my instinctive plan had seemed to work! 

I had some breakfast then put on my boots and coat, grabbed my handheld, pencil and notepad, and wandered back up to the summit.  I called CQ SOTA at 0456z, and amazingly, I’d got four contacts by 0504z!  How cool is that?  I returned to pack up the tent, and set off down to the Cat & Fiddle on the very familiar route.  I was hoping to see a “reopening soon” sign at the pub, but alas, no joy.

I crossed over the A537 Buxton to Macclesfield road and continued over the moor.  I had never walked this path before. It was nothing spectacular, but a good path over moorland, and some very sleepy grouse that only pressed the “ejector seat button” from their heather when I was very close!  As I descended towards the A54, I could see several portacabins, diggers, dumper trucks, railings, workmen on radios, workmen with surveying equipment, workmen with flasks etc.  Turned out this Buxton to Congleton road was closed due to subsidence, and this was the work to fix it.  Not only the road was closed, but also the entire length of FP21 which starts and finishes on the A54 and is just a few hundred yards in length. Of more concern was the notice that the first 30 yards of FP3 was closed - between the road, and where it crosses FP21.  I needed that to get to where I was going - but I could see that in reality, on the ground, only the southern half of FP21 was blocked with barriers.  I asked one of the workmen if it was OK for me to enter FP3 and continue along it - and he said that was fine - it was just the barriered-off section off FP21 directly beneath the subsidence that was out-of-bounds.

This was a super path, curling around through a narrow valley, and I really enjoyed it. This eventually reached Three Shires Head, so called because it is the point at which Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire meet.  To my shame, I had never been here before, but it is such a beautiful spot, and great walk, that I’d be back soon enough.  I was getting a little concerned that I was out of food, and there seemed to be little prospect of shops or pubs en route!  The next settlement to pass through would be Gradbach though, and I knew there was a youth hostel there.  I had my membership card on me, so perhaps they would sell me some chocolate and crisps from reception?

Turned out that this had not been a YHA for a number of years.  However, it was now Gradbach Mill, a restaurant, cafe and accommodation provider.  It was now 10am, but it didn’t open until 11am.  I chatted to the very pleasant staff present, and they kindly said they’d open the cafe half-an-hour early for me at 10.30am.  That was fine, I was ready for a break. When the cafe did open, I ordered a Cumberland sausage and cheese baguette, and a bottle of Wincle Rambler ale!  Yes, at 10.30am.  And it went down an absolute treat.  And possibly went straight to my head, for the next part of my walking day, as I tried to continue to Gun G/SP-013 was disastrous!