Waun Fach Hike - GW/SW-002 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 22nd May, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Waun Fach, South Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/SW-002 (8 points).
Summit Height: 811m elevation, 622m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 51.96279, -3.14319. Maidenhead Grid IO81kx.
Also Activated: GW/SW-009, 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: 4 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Waun Fach is a prominent hill in the Black Mountains of South Wales, standing at 811 metres above sea level with an impressive 622 metres of prominence. As a P600 Marilyn, it offers hillwalkers a challenging and rewarding experience in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

On a cool May morning, with temperatures hovering around 4c and a brisk northwest wind, I set out to activate this summit for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) programme. My plan was an ambitious 21.4-kilometre circular route starting from the village of Cwmdu, nestled in the picturesque Welsh countryside.

Parking proved straightforward, with space available along the main road by the village houses. While a village hall car park exists, signs recommended contacting the hall in advance for use. The initial section of the route involved a significant stretch of road walking, a deliberate choice to ensure a circular route that would later include Mynydd Llangorse.

Leaving the village, I followed minor roads heading north, gradually transitioning to open hillside. The route tracked beneath Mynydd Llysiau, a gradual ascent that slowly revealed the rugged beauty of the Black Mountains.

Continuing north towards Pen Trumau, the path became more defined. The terrain was typical of Welsh uplands - a mix of grassland and heather, with occasional rocky sections. From here, the approach to Waun Fach follows a good path that winds around and up to the summit, providing steady progress with minimal navigation challenges.

Upon reaching the summit, I quickly set up my Yaesu FTM100D radio, equipped with an MFJ-1714 antenna and a Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4 battery. The activation was swift and efficient, completing the required four contacts on the 2-metre band in just four minutes.

From the summit, I continued north towards Pen y Manllwyn, with Mynydd Troed as my next objective. The route promised further exploration of this beautiful mountain landscape, completing a circuit that would return me to Cwmdu after a satisfying day of hiking and SOTA activity.

Photos

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

Walking Route for Waun Fach

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Waun Fach. 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-002 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 4 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/SW-002 Waun Fach 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 Waun Fach:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/SW-002 Waun Fach.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Waun Fach.
• Google Earth view of Waun Fach.
• Wikipedia entry for Waun Fach.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GW/SW-002 Waun Fach.

If you found this content valuable, why not Buy Me a Coffee?