Mynydd Troed Hike - GW/SW-009 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 22nd May, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Mynydd Troed, South Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/SW-009 (4 points).
Summit Height: 609m elevation, 286m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 51.95530, -3.21554. Maidenhead Grid IO81jw.
Also Activated: GW/SW-002, GW/SW-015.
Distance: 21.4km travelled with 1184m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 7hr 40m (incl. operating and other summit(s) on the same hike).
Weather: 4°C, 13 mph WNW wind, 85% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 9 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Mynydd Troed is a distinctive peak in the Black Mountains of South Wales, rising to 609 metres with a prominent 286-metre elevation gain. Situated in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park, this hill offers walkers a classic Welsh mountain experience with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape.

My approach to Mynydd Troed was part of a larger 21.4-kilometre circular route, continuing from my earlier summit of Waun Fach. The route followed a path north from Waun Fach towards Pen y Manllwyn, descending the dramatic feature known as the Dragon’s Back via Y Grib (640m).

The approach to the mountain offers multiple access points. While there are convenient parking options at Pengenfford for those seeking a direct ascent, my route followed a more circuitous path. Starting from the farm road, I tracked west before turning south to tackle the steep slopes of the mountain. The path, predominantly grassy, proved to be well-defined and surprisingly good underfoot.

As I reached the summit, I paused for lunch and prepared my radio equipment - a Yaesu FTM100D with an MFJ-1714 antenna and Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4 battery. The 2-metre band activation was straightforward, with nine contacts logged. A highlight was a summit to summit contact with Malc on Esgeiriau Gwynion.

The weather remained cool but dry, with temperatures hovering around 4C and a persistent northwest wind of 13 mph.

From Mynydd Troed’s summit, my route continued the circular walk, descending towards Cockit Hill and onward to Mynydd Llangorse. This interconnected route showcased the beauty of the South Wales mountain landscape, combining hiking challenge with the technical enjoyment of SOTA amateur radio operation.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Mynydd Troed on Saturday 22nd May, 2021.

Walking Route for Mynydd Troed

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Mynydd Troed. 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-009 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 9 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/SW-009 Mynydd Troed on Saturday 22nd 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 Mynydd Troed:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/SW-009 Mynydd Troed.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Mynydd Troed.
• Google Earth view of Mynydd Troed.
• Wikipedia entry for Mynydd Troed.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GW/SW-009 Mynydd Troed.

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