After I failed to activate GW/SW-004 last XMAS (too much snow and ice on the road to the car park) we planned to visit South Wales over Easter. Weather forecast for Good Friday was blue sky, good visbility and almost no wind. Early in the morning I headed for GW/SW-004 and at the car park only two cars were already there. Guess both stayed over night. Soon I had my hiking gear on and started the climb the steep ridge equipped with “stairs”. 1/2h later I was on the top and the remaining path was more or less flat. Terrain was very dry. At the top I found the small cairn and I started to setup my shack. 12m and 15 brought no QSO but with QSY to 20m the logbook started filling quickly. On my descent I saw an OM carrying a backback with a fishing rod sticking out. It was Pete, G(W)4ISJ. We had a nice chat for a few minutes and it’s always good to have a face behind a callsign I worked several times before. Pete went up to Waun Rydd (GW/SW-004) while I headed for Cefn Yr Ystrad (GW/SW-008).
18 April 2014: 08:21 – 09:08 UTC
Temperature: 5 C when I left the car park and 11 C on my return
Rig: KX3, 10W, 4400mAh LiPo
Ant: SOTApole, 13.1m Inv. L, 5x 4m Radial
3 CW QSO on 17m
18 CW QSO on 20m, including one S2S QSO with S52CU/p on S5/CP-022
25 CW QSO on 30m, including one S2S QSO with LA1ENA/p on LA/TM-246
13 CW QSO on 40m
Car park: 51.848945 N / 3.371383 W; 420m.
Hiking statistics – uphill only:
Time: 1h 5 min
Distance 4.4 km
Total Ascend: +460 m / -117m
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- From the car park to the top.
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- Just off the car park the stairs help the climb.
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- After 1/2h you managed the steep bit.
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- The locals were out as well.
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- View along the ridge with Waun Rydd still in the shade. It was windy in the early morning.
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- View back to the ridge I just walked.
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- View of the whole valley with GW/SW-008 in the background (my hill for the afternoon)
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- Outdoor shack with the ridge I walked in the sun.
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- My shack with Pen Y Fan (GW/SW-001) in the background.
HB9CZF 