Day 10 - Tuesday 3rd August 2010 (part 2)

I returned to the tent on the campsite after my early morning activation of Selworthy Beacon G/SC-005.  The three lads were all still asleep in their sleeping bags!  Once the boys were up and dressed, it was out of the tent and back down to the Oggy shop in Minehead for tea, coffee and pasties. Liam snagged the last Beef Madras pasty meaning I would have to wait a further day to sample that flavour.  From Minehead, Jimmy directed me along the A39 to Nether Stowey, and then south on minor roads to a large car park at ST163359. Here we met Peter G3TJE, whom Jimmy had arranged to join us for a joint activation.

   

This was an easy and short climb out of the woods around good paths up to the summit. In fact the paths had been so generally good and benign in the G/SC region that Liam and I had ignored our boots and done most of the walking in trainers for a few days now.  The routine at the trig point and cairn was becoming predictable. Liam would find somewhere to sit and play his games console. Jimmy would insist on setting up for 2m FM when HF SSB would be far more logical. Craig would find somewhere to go back to sleep!

       

Peter and I compared notes on the likely positions and angles of our dipole wires in order to best set up, and he set for 5MHz while I reverted to 40m. My first QSO was on SSB, a S2S with Walter PA/ON7PX/P on Observant (Sint Pietersberg) PA/PA-003. Thereafter, I reverted to 40m CW making 19 QSOs on there, and one on 15m CW, a total of 21 contacts altogether.

Peter G3TJE made a small number of contacts on 5MHz, but it was a zero-pointer for him having already activated the summit earlier in the year. Jimmy M3EYP was finding the going easier on 2m FM on the summits that could aim at Bristol and South Wales, and he had no difficulty in getting to six contacts.

       

After the quick amble downhill, we adjourned to the Carew Arms in Crowcombe at Peter's recommendation, and enjoyed a couple of pints of Exmoor Ale and natter in there.  Our only other plan for the day was that evening's 2m activity contest, for which we would use Dunkery Beacon G/SC-001 as our site. There was plenty of time to kill, but we drove up onto Exmoor anyway in search of a hearty late lunch/early dinner.