Grisedale Pike - G/LD-015 SOTA (2022)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Friday 12th August, 2022.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Grisedale Pike, Lake District, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/LD-015 (6 points).
Summit Height: 791m elevation, 189m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 54.59175, -3.24207. Maidenhead Grid IO84jo.
Distance: 8.0km travelled with 690m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 3h 45m (including operating).
Weather: 38°C, full sun.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 8 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Grisedale Pike, standing at 791 metres, is one of the more distinctive fells in the northwestern Lake District. Its pyramid profile is particularly striking when viewed from Keswick and the Derwent Water area. The mountain forms part of the Coledale Round, a popular horseshoe walking route, and offers exceptional panoramic views across the northern Lake District, including Skiddaw, Blencathra, and the Helvellyn range.

For this activation, I started from the village of Braithwaite, where there is limited free roadside parking for a small number of vehicles. The route follows a well-established linear path that leads directly to the summit, making navigation quite straightforward even in poor visibility.

The initial section of the hike passes through dense bracken and fern coverage on the lower slopes. Despite the abundant vegetation, there’s a clear trail cutting through it. As the path gains elevation, the ferns give way to a more rugged, rocky trail, and the distinctive summit cone comes into view on the horizon.

Weather conditions mirrored the previous day’s Scafell Pike climb - exceptionally hot at around 38C with relentless sunshine beating down on the exposed slopes. Adequate hydration was essential, and the lack of shade along virtually all of the route made the ascent more arduous than it would be in cooler conditions.

About ten minutes from the summit, we encountered a mountain biker pushing his bicycle up the steep path. He jokingly offered 100 pounds if I would carry his bike to the top, asking how much further he had to go. Knowing the summit was close, I attempted to accept the offer, but he declined.

Upon reaching the summit, we were rewarded with expansive sunny views across the northern Lake District. The top of Grisedale Pike is predominantly rocky, which may present some challenges for setting up radio equipment, particularly securing antenna mast poles in the hard surface. Taking time to cool down in the intense heat, I established my SOTA operating position near the summit cairn.

Operating on 2 metres FM with my Yaesu FTM100D, I logged eight contacts in about ten minutes. The highlight was a summit-to-summit contact with Tom M1EYP/P on The Cloud (G/SP-015) in the Pennines. I was also pleased to make contact with stations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, demonstrating the great VHF propagation from this elevated position.

After completing the activation, we retraced our steps down the same path back to Braithwaite. Despite the very hot weather, Grisedale Pike proved to be a pleasant six-point SOTA summit. The clearly defined path, moderate distance, and spectacular views make this a recommended activation for visiting SOTA enthusiasts, preferably when temperatures are more moderate!

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Grisedale Pike on Friday 12th August, 2022.

Walking Route for Grisedale Pike

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Grisedale Pike. The G/LD-015 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 8 amateur radio contacts operating as M1HAX/P from G/LD-015 Grisedale Pike on Friday 12th August, 2022 (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 Grisedale Pike:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/LD-015 Grisedale Pike.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Grisedale Pike.
• Google Maps Page for Grisedale Pike.
• Wikipedia entry for Grisedale Pike.

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