Fan Brycheiniog Hike - GW/SW-003 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 1st May, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Fan Brycheiniog, South Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/SW-003 (8 points).
Summit Height: 803m elevation, 425m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 51.88467, -3.70957. Maidenhead Grid IO81dv.
Also Activated: GW/SW-006, GW/SW-007.
Distance: 22.2km travelled with 1408m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T3.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 7hr 55m (incl. operating and other summit(s) on the same hike).
Weather: 6°C, 10 mph WSW wind, 90% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, Diamond SRH771, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 16 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Fan Brycheiniog is the highest mountain in the Black Mountain range in the western part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Standing at 803 metres, it offers stunning views across South Wales and into the Brecon Beacons. The mountain features a precipitous northeastern face with a glacial lake, Llyn y Fan Fawr, at its foot, and has a prominent escarpment along its eastern edge.

This activation was part of a challenging three-summit hike that included Fan Gyhirych (GW/SW-006), Fan Nedd (GW/SW-007), and Fan Brycheiniog (GW/SW-003), covering a total distance of 22.2 kilometres with over 1400 metres of ascent.

Starting from the summit of Fan Nedd, which I had activated earlier in the day, I could see both Fan Gyhirych and Fan Brycheiniog in the distance. The views across the Black Mountain range were extensive despite the moderately cloudy conditions. After completing my activation on Fan Nedd, I began the journey towards Fan Brycheiniog.

I retraced my steps back towards the gravel forestry road I had used earlier, then dropped down onto the northern slopes of Fan Gyhirych to return to the main A4067 road where I had parked. From there, I followed a path towards Cefn Cul (552m) and descended to the Heol Lan road, which provides a suitable parking spot for anyone wanting a more direct ascent to Fan Brycheiniog.

After crossing the stream near the road, I headed up the obvious grassy path that travels westward towards Llyn y Fan Fawr lake. The path became steeper and more well-defined as I climbed the eastern slopes, with sections of the path having been paved to prevent erosion on this popular route.

The steepest section of the climb brought me to the col between Fan Hir and Fan Brycheiniog. From here, a relatively gentle ascent along the ridge led to the summit plateau, which is marked by a trig point and a substantial stone shelter that provides excellent protection in poor weather.

The summit offers panoramic views across South Wales, with the coast visible on a clear day. To the north, Llyn y Fan Fawr sits dramatically below the steep escarpment, while to the east, the central Brecon Beacons including Pen y Fan can be seen. The open nature of the summit makes it an excellent location for VHF radio operations, with good take-off in most directions.

Given the relatively mild weather conditions, I set up my Yaesu FTM100D at the trig point rather than in the shelter. The 2-metre band was particularly active, and I quickly made 16 contacts. The height and prominence of Fan Brycheiniog contributed to excellent signal propagation, allowing contacts across a wide area of South Wales and into England.

Among the contacts were summit-to-summit (S2S) exchanges with Vicki M6BWA/P and Rod M0JLA/P, who were operating from Burrow (G/WB-014). These S2S contacts are particularly valued in the SOTA community, representing connections between two portable stations on different mountain summits.

After completing the activation and taking some time to enjoy the views, I packed away the radio equipment and began the return journey. I retraced my route back over Cefn Cul and on to the car, completing what had been a substantial day’s hiking with three SOTA activations.

This is a challenging route that requires reasonable hill walking fitness and good navigation skills, particularly as much of it traverses overgrown or pathless terrain. In poor visibility, careful compass work would be essential on the featureless sections. The complete circuit of all three summits represents a significant day in the hills, but the rewards in terms of views and SOTA points make it well worthwhile.

The shorter direct route to Fan Brycheiniog from Heol Lan is recommended for those wanting to activate just this summit, reducing the distance to around 10km return with approximately 600 metres of ascent.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Fan Brycheiniog on Saturday 1st May, 2021.

Walking Route for Fan Brycheiniog

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Fan Brycheiniog. Note that this summit was activated as part of a multi-summit hike and the map below shows the full route taken on the day. The GW/SW-003 summit area is marked on the map with a blue pin icon.

You can download the route shown above as a GPX file suitable for use with most GPS devices. This file is provided for information only, to support your own walk planning and research (it may contain navigation errors, detours and/or safety hazards). The route downloads provided here are governed by the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.

Station Log

I logged the following 16 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/SW-003 Fan Brycheiniog on Saturday 1st May, 2021 (all times shown are UTC):

In the notes field I will usually log the other operator’s name and the signal report they provided. In accordance with the Summits on the Air rules, I do not make a log entry where a complete exchange of callsigns and signal reports was unsuccessful.

Additional Information

The following resources may be helpful to walkers, mountaineers and SOTA activators interested in Fan Brycheiniog:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/SW-003 Fan Brycheiniog.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Fan Brycheiniog.
• Google Earth view of Fan Brycheiniog.
• Wikipedia entry for Fan Brycheiniog.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GW/SW-003 Fan Brycheiniog.

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