Skiddaw via Long Side

[M0NOM]

It’s been two years since I ventured up Skiddaw. Although the WX forecast wasn’t great I wanted to get the SOTA points, and tick off the related WOTAs for the year.

The route covers the Wainwrights Ullock Pike, Long Side, Carl Side and Skiddaw itself. Wainwright himself recommends this route for the ascent of Skiddaw. I would agree, although being a ridgeline walk probably not the best approach with high winds.

Parking

As you traverse the A591 there are a number of potential parking spots. I chose a pull in at Rabbit Warren which can take about 10 cars, and free!

Parking Position

Parking

I made the mistake of taking the low footpath to the Ravenstone Manor. The path up from that position (although labelled as a Bridleway) is very steep and muddy with low overhanging branches, not how you want to start such a long ascent. Better to start in the opposite direction (South) from the car park into Rabbit Warren and after about 50m you can turn to the North East for a much more pleasant ascent through the woods to the foothills.

Initial Ascent from Rabbit Warren

Ascent GPS Track

The ascent takes you through some fantastic woodland - it would be worth a trip to walk through the woods on its’ own.

Amazing Woods

The path to the rideline of Longside Edge is good, and before you know it you are looking back down on Bassenthwaite and across to Skiddaw.

Bassenthwaite

Obligatory Lake District Sheep Photo

Conditions under foot were good although visibility was poor. You have to remind yourself that when you arrive at Ullock Pike you are already at 680m, because it feels like it!

Ullock Pike

WOTA ID: LDW-098	Height: 680 m (2231 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: NY244287
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84JP
Book: The Northern Fells	Lat: 54.647618 Long: -3.171726

Just as I reached the summit I heard Peter G5AIB/P calling SOTA from Great Gable G/LD-005 so he was the first in the log, followed by a quick chat with both Derek G1GDB from Bothel and Reg @2e0ldf.

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
10:08	G5AIB/P	145.550	FM	59	59	G/LD-005
10:14	G1GDB	145.400	FM	59	59
10:18	2E0LDF	145.400	FM	59	59

Contacts from Ullock Pike

It is then a very easy 10 minute walk to the next Wainwright, Long Side.

Walking in the Mist

Brief views down the Bassenthwaite

Cain stones on Long Side

Long Side

WOTA ID: LDW-070	Height: 734 m (2408 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: NY248284
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KP
Book: The Northern Fells	Lat: 54.644982 Long: -3.165451

Just the three contacts from Long Side.

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
10:32	G1GDB	145.500	FM	59	59
10:33	2E0LDF	145.500	FM	59	59
10:35	M0DXT	145.400	FM	59	59

Contacts from Long Side

The plan was to the ascend via Carl Side but in the mist I took the left hand track and ascended Skiddaw via the northern route, rather than Allerdale Ramble. I preferred this route to the ramble, especially when I realised that it reached the summit, and not half way up Allerdale Ramble which is how I read the map!

Skiddaw

WOTA ID: LDW-004	Height: 931 m (3054 ft)
SOTA ID: G/LD-004	Grid ref: NY260290
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KP
Book: The Northern Fells	Lat: 54.650551 Long: -3.147009

Skiddaw Summit

Summit Selfie, not the best expression!

Thankfully although misty it didn’t affect the activation.

VHF Contacts

I used the FT1XD with the Spectrum Communications 49cm Whip to do the VHF activation, as I had once again misplaced my Slim J. A nice set of contacts on VHF!

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
11:22	G1OHH	145.575	FM	59	59
11:24	G4WHA/M	145.575	FM	59	59			Centre of Carlisle
11:25	G1FVA	145.575	FM	59	59
11:26	G7CDA	145.575	FM	53	56
11:27	2E0XUP	145.575	FM	59	59
11:27	M1DYU	145.575	FM	53	53
11:28	G1OAE	145.575	FM	59	59
11:30	2E0LDF	145.575	FM	59	59
11:32	M7KOM	145.575	FM	59	59			Dearham
11:33	G0TDM	145.575	FM	59	59
11:34	G8CPZ	145.575	FM	52	54
11:34	M7BUY	145.575	FM	59	59		Kevin	Workington

VHF Contacts

For HF I had the FT-817, with Palm Pico Paddles, SOTABeams Band Hopper IV and 6m travel mast, to support the antenna Inverted V at about 5m. I setup on the easterly edge of the summit ridgeline, and as I was operating from time to time had views over to Mungrisdale Common.

Views to the East

Repairing a path

HF SSB Contacts

It was nice to get some SOTA summit to summit contacts. Band conditions have not been anywhere near as good as we had for the past two weeks, and especially on 20m the QSB was deep at times.

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
11:52	S59WT/P	14.275	SSB	55	55	S5/KS-061
11:54	F4WBN	14.305	SSB	59	59
11:55	G4IPB	14.305	SSB	55	56
11:55	HB9DDZ	14.305	SSB	55	59
11:56	SQ9MDF	14.305	SSB	56	59
11:57	G8CPZ	14.305	SSB	44	44
11:57	OE6GND	14.305	SSB	59	59
11:58	OK2PDT	14.305	SSB	57	58
11:58	SM5LNE	14.305	SSB	57	58
11:59	EA4BQG	14.305	SSB	57	56
12:00	M0MZB/P	14.305	SSB	59	59	G/LD-025
12:01	SP9AMH	14.305	SSB	56	44
12:02	OK2JIQ	14.305	SSB	55	51
12:07	F4HZR	7.158	SSB	56	58
12:08	EA2CKX	7.158	SSB	53	58
12:08	EA2DT	7.158	SSB	51	51
12:09	GI4OSF/P	7.158	SSB	55	55	GI/SM-009
12:09	M0BKV	7.158	SSB	55	57
12:10	DL3HXX	7.158	SSB	44	55
12:10	G4WSB	7.158	SSB	55	55
12:11	2E0WGA	7.158	SSB	51	57		Anthony
12:15	GB250CC	3.716	SSB	55	55
12:16	M0BKV	3.716	SSB	55	55
12:17	EI3GYB	3.716	SSB	52	58
12:17	G8CPZ	3.716	SSB	58	55
12:18	M6BLV	3.716	SSB	53	53

HF SSB Contacts

SSB S2S with Igor S59WT/P on S5/KS-061

Great to get Matthew M0MZB/P in the log S2S from Seatallan G/LD-025. He’d been out camping. I’d recommended the combination of FT-817/8 and a Chinese 50w amplifier and he sounded great on that combination with nice punchy audio via our 20m groundwave contact.

S2S with Matthew M0MZB/P on Seatallan G/LD-025

HF CW Contacts

I braved a Morse activation, and after 25 minutes was thoroughly exhausted! The summit to summit contacts were especially tricky, because there is more information in there and the signals tend to be weaker. I was pleasantly surprised however when checking my log that all but one of the callsigns had been copied correctly. Still struggling to differentiate between U and V, and S and H. Lots of dits, but how many!

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
12:26	HB9AGH	14.058	CW	549	559
12:28	DL1FU	14.058	CW	569	559
12:31	EA7GV	14.058	CW	529	599
12:32	DL2HWI	14.058	CW	579	599
12:33	UT8UU	14.058	CW	559	559
12:35	HB9AFI/P	14.058	CW	559	519	HB/VS-118
12:38	DL6WT	14.058	CW	599	599
12:40	OH3GZ	14.058	CW	559	519
12:42	HB9CLT/P	14.058	CW	569	559	HB/AR-004
12:44	HB9AFI/P	14.058	CW	569	559	HB/VS-118
12:47	G8CPZ	14.058	CW	539	559
12:50	DJ5AV	14.058	CW	549	599
12:51	HB9CBR/P	14.058	CW	449	519	HB/BE-172

Good to get Andy @G8CPZ in the log - another nice 20m groundwave contact.

HF CW Contacts

Furthest contact of the day at 2,311km with Sergey UT8UU

S2S with Kurt HB9AFI/P on HB/VS-118, Pointe des Mossettes at 2,277m, must have been a nice view!

Descent of Skiddaw

I somehow missed the start of Allerdale Ramble which I though would be more direct to Carl Side than the route I ascended by, but at the bottom it was clear they both converged. The Ramble never gets any easier, thankfully it was dry but the loose scree always provokes some Laurel and Hardy comedy.

Views of Long Side on the descent via Allerdale Ramble

Carl Side Tarn

Carl Side

WOTA ID: LDW-064	Height: 746 m (2447 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: NY254280
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KP
Book: The Northern Fells	Lat: 54.641476 Long: -3.156052

Arty Cairn Stone pile on Carl Side

Main path to Millbeck

Mountain Bikers on Carl Side

Contacts from Carl Side

TIME	CALLSIGN	FREQ	MODE	RSR	RST	SOTA-RX	OPERATOR	QTH
13:31	2E0LDF	145.575	FM	59	59
13:36	2E0XUP	145.575	FM	59	59

Just two contacts from Carl Side, this time I was using the stock FT1XD whip. Reg had mentioned that a straighforward detour could be made via Dodd LDW-174 but with the first spots of rain starting I thought it would be best tackled another day. Noted also that Dodd is a HEMA summit. Thanks for the advice Reg!

Heading back to Long Side

The return journey was uneventful apart from the rain starting and making stones underfoot slippery. There was sporadic cursing but I managed to stay mostly upright. My trousers were a bit of a state at the bottom however!

Dodd from Carl Side

Dodd summit from Carl Side

Skiddaw now back in the clouds

One of two obvious TV Masts to the North East

Bassenthwaite

Noisy Rook!

Dropping off Ullock Pike

Descent GPS Track

Descent via a path through the Rabbit Warren

Thanks to all the chasers, the legs were suitably stiff this morning - taking a day off now!

All photos including panoramas

[GM4WHA]

Hi Mark,

Good to get you from Skiddaw from work. Great pictures inspite of the mist! The maps showing the vhf contacts and location of the stations worked was very interesting. How do you do that? I certainly would find it intersting to plot stations i have worked when activating.

Not surprised your legs are stiff! When i did the route excluding Skiddaw with Reg last year the path upto Skiddaw looked very steep!!

73’s Geoff

GM4WHA

[M0NOM]

@GM4WHA

The maps showing the vhf contacts and location of the stations worked was very interesting. How do you do that?

They are generated by a piece of software I’m working on that I will bring to the community when ready. It is written in Java so getting it online is slightly more challenging than the GoLang code that I used to augment the WOTA site for CSV logging etc.

The application take an ADIF file and queries QRZ.COM for location information, as well as knowing about SOTA, WOTA, POTA and HEMA locations, and lat/long locations together with up-to 10 character Maidenhead locators. It generates a Google Maps KML file.

Regards, Mark.

[GM4WHA]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the information. If you are eventually able to release the software i will certainly give it ago. I always think programming is interesting but something i only very briefly played around with and that was very basic. My wife who used to be a senior programmer for Standard Life showed me some of her work and it went straight over my head!

Look forward to working you when you are next out.

73’s Geoff

GM4WHA

[M0NOM]

Thanks Geoff

As I’m testing the software the more types of ADIF files I process the more bugs I find, so if anyone wants a Google Earth file I am happy to process it for them before I’m able to release it to the world!

It can also produce a markdown file with the contact list in, which can be pasted into discourse to produce a contact table as you see in the most recent post.

I’m trying to make it as intuitive as possible and as simple as possible to use.

Cheers, Mark