Y Garn - GW/NW-004 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 25th September, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Y Garn, North Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/NW-004 (0 points).
Summit Height: 947m elevation, 236m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 53.11569, -4.04708. Maidenhead Grid IO73xc.
Distance: 9.2km travelled with 640m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T5 / Grade 2 Scramble.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 6hr 15m (including operating).
Weather: 14°C, gentle breeze, partially sunny.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu VX6, Diamond SRH770S.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 13 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Y Garn, meaning “The Cairn” in Welsh, is an impressive mountain standing at 947 metres in the Ogwen Valley of Snowdonia, North Wales. It forms part of the Glyderau range and offers commanding views over Llyn Idwal and the surrounding peaks of both the Glyderau and the Carneddau ranges. Though not as dramatic in profile as its neighbour Tryfan, Y Garn’s broad summit and accessible routes make it a popular destination for hillwalkers and scramblers alike.

I previously wrote about visiting Y Garn during a wintry round of the Glyderau in 2019 with Andrew M1CJE and Peter M6XPE. This hike formed the second part of a climbing and scrambling weekend in Snowdonia, following my ascent of Tryfan via Bastow Buttress the previous day. For this trip, I chose to tackle the East Ridge, a grade 2 scrambling route that offers a more adventurous line than the standard footpath.

We began our circular route from the visitor centre car park on the A5 in the Ogwen Valley, where facilities include toilets and a convenient cafe serving refreshments. After walking along the Cambrian Way for a short distance, we took the well-paved footpath towards Llyn Idwal, the glacial lake nestled beneath Y Garn’s imposing eastern face.

Following the footpath around the northern shore of the lake, we approached the prominent eastern ridge that would lead us to Y Garn’s summit. The initial scrambling sections were intermittent and required some seeking out, with wet and slippery rock adding to the challenge.

As we gained height, the scrambling became more consistent and engaging, particularly in the upper sections of the route as we progressed up the buttress. The highlight of the route is undoubtedly the Main Tower, a short but very exposed section that demands careful movement. Despite the wet ground conditions, we found some enjoyable scrambling moves through this section that elevated the route above a simple walk.

After completing the more technical sections, we joined a grassy path for the final ascent to Y Garn’s broad summit plateau. The clouds had lifted enough to reveal spectacular views across to Tryfan and the surrounding mountains, providing a perfect backdrop for my SOTA activation.

Using my 5-watt Yaesu VX6 handheld with the Diamond SRH770S antenna, I made 13 contacts on the 2-metre band. Among these were three satisfying summit-to-summit contacts: Colin GW1KGW/P on Carnedd Llewelyn (GW/NW-002), Shane GW6WBS/P on Pen Llithrig y Wrach (GW/NW-013), and Dave M0JKS/P on Kinder Scout (G/SP-001). As this was my second activation of Y Garn this year, it scored no points in the SOTA scheme, which allows only one scoring activation per summit per calendar year.

To complete our circuit, we descended via the main path towards Llyn y Cwn and then headed down through the impressive Devil’s Kitchen - a dramatic rocky gap in the mountain wall. The path then took us around the southern side of Llyn Idwal before returning to the visitor centre where we had started.

This circuit of Llyn Idwal and Y Garn via the East Ridge proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable day in the mountains. I would certainly recommend this route to those looking for something more adventurous than the standard paths, and would happily repeat it given the opportunity.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Y Garn on Saturday 25th September, 2021.

Walking Route for Y Garn

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Y Garn. The GW/NW-004 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 13 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/NW-004 Y Garn on Saturday 25th 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 Y Garn:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/NW-004 Y Garn.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Y Garn.
• Google Maps Page for Y Garn.
• Wikipedia entry for Y Garn.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GW/NW-004 Y Garn.

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