Graig Syfyrddin - GW/SW-020 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Sunday 19th September, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Graig Syfyrddin, South Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/SW-020 (1 point).
Summit Height: 423m elevation, 235m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 51.88496, -2.86747. Maidenhead Grid IO81nv.
Distance: 1.7km travelled with 120m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 45m (including operating).
Weather: 15°C, gentle breeze, partially sunny.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 7 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Graig Syfyrddin, also known as Edmund’s Tump, is a modest hill located in Monmouthshire, South Wales. Rising to 423 metres, it lies near the village of Grosmont and forms part of the eastern edge of the Black Mountains range. The hill takes its Welsh name from King Edmund, who is said to have had connections to the area. The summit is topped with a trig point and features remnants of ancient earthworks, hinting at its historical significance in the border region between Wales and England.

This activation was the third and final summit of my three-hill tour in South Wales on 19th September 2021, following earlier activations of Sugar Loaf and Bryn Arw. After the challenges of dense ferns on Bryn Arw, this straightforward hill provided a welcome contrast.

I parked at The Dawn of Day, a small spot on the roadside where there is space for one or perhaps two vehicles. This location offers convenient access to the hill, situated just a short distance from the A465 Hereford to Abergavenny road.

The route heads directly west from the road up to the summit, crossing open farmland along a clear path. This is a particularly easy walk across grassy fields with a gentle gradient throughout. The ascent is uncomplicated, making it suitable for walkers of all abilities, and I reached the summit in about 20 minutes from the car.

At the summit plateau, there is a small cellular communications mast, but I experienced no radio interference from it during my activation. The trig point marking the summit provided a convenient surface to set up my Yaesu FTM100D transceiver.

Operating on the 2-metre band with my MFJ-1714 antenna, I made seven contacts in quick succession, including regular chasers Stewart G0LGS and Matt 2E0MDJ, Lee MW7EJH (who I had also worked from the previous two summits earlier in the day) and Nick G6BPC, another regular chaser. The SOTA activation was brief, lasting less than 10 minutes, but successful.

After completing the activation, I packed up and made a direct descent back to the car by the same route, concluding my three-summit day tour of South Wales.

Graig Syfyrddin proved to be an easy hill to complete, well-suited to novice hill walkers or SOTA activators looking for a straightforward 1-point summit. The open summit area provides excellent space for wire antenna setups should operators wish to work HF bands. Despite its modest height, the hill offers pleasing views across the Monnow Valley and towards the higher peaks of the Black Mountains.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Graig Syfyrddin on Sunday 19th September, 2021.

Walking Route for Graig Syfyrddin

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Graig Syfyrddin. The GW/SW-020 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 7 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/SW-020 Graig Syfyrddin on Sunday 19th September, 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 Graig Syfyrddin:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/SW-020 Graig Syfyrddin.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Graig Syfyrddin.
• Google Maps Page for Graig Syfyrddin.
• Wikipedia entry for Graig Syfyrddin.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GW/SW-020 Graig Syfyrddin.

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