What a wonderfully enjoyable day out it was for the last day of the 10m/6m SOTA Challenge. I was gigging with this lot on the Friday night...

...so after getting in at 1am, I would manage only 4 hours sleep if I wanted my customary 5am get-up on a SOTA day. With ambitions to do the classic five 2-pointers across Shropshire (and just into Wales) - a popular winter bonus SOTA day - I decided to go for it.  Surprisingly, I sprang straight out of bed when my Pure One Flow internet radio (my Christmas present from my XYL Marianne) wakened me with the sound of the Caroline bell and some album rock music. I turned the radio off quickly so as not to disturb (or annoy) Marianne and went down to make the soup.

The soup of the day was Heinz Lentil "with fragrant Indian spices" soup which seemed interesting, and it was indeed very tasty. I was away before 0530 on Saturday 13th February 2016, with the GPS enabled on my phone and Google Maps shouting out the directions to me.  This was interesting in itself, as it surprised me by taking me on some routes I wouldn't have thought of. Nonetheless, it has the current traffic situation to hand and seems reliable. Instead of driving to Congleton and onto the M6 at J17 Sandbach, I drove out to Chelford, then down past Jodrell Bank to J18 Holmes Chapel. I was then directed down to J13 of the M6 and down through Shifnal and Bridgnorth for Titterstone Clee Hill.

Then the Google Maps directions app started to surprise me. I was approaching the distinctive Titterstone Clee Hill, topped with its oversized golf ball, but didn't appear to be heading towards the A4117, from which the access road begins. My confusion intensified when I arrived at a gate across a rapidly deteriorating road at the back of a farm. I could see that the pot-hole ridden and stony track ascended up to the familiar car park beneath the summit, which I could see a few hundred yards in front of me.

I made the decision to give it a go, drove though the gate and then very gingerly up the poorly maintained road. I was relieved to reach the usual access road and then the car park a few yards later.  Emerging from the car and I was greeted with a strong and icy blast of wind. It was very very cold! My second fleece and coat went on before changing into my walking boots! To save on weight, I decided to keep the flask of soup in the car and feed myself between activations, and in a little more comfort.

I walked up the ramp onto first section of this hill, which is shaped like a horseshoe due to quarrying. A few minutes of gentle grassy ascent took me up past the golf ball and buildings, and to the trig point and two stone shelters. Neither of these actually afforded any shelter due to the directions of the wind. According to Met Office online, it was 1 degree C (which it remained all day according to my 60kHz clock) but with a windchill effect of -7 degrees. My instinct is that this factor remained all day too!

I walked around the end of the hill beyond the trig point and found a nice hollow with complete shelter from the gales. It was before 0830 and so I was over one hour ahead of my alert schedule. I turned on my radio and was heartened to find lots of activity on both the CW and SSB portions of the 10m band.

Unfortunately, none of my CQ calls were answered on either mode, neither were any of my attempts to answer the CQ calls of others. For nearly twenty minutes anyway. Imagine my delight to hear "Golf Six Whisky Romeo Whisky" blasting out of my 817's speaker! Carolyn was quickly followed by three further M stations, and then RV9DC, who finsihed by saying "See you on CW". So before packing up, I called one more time on CW - and got RV9DC into my log for a second time, followed by a Ukrainian station.

G/WB-004 - 7 QSOs - 5 on 10m SSB, 2 on 10m CW.  Next it was Brown Clee Hill G/WB-002.