St Sunday Crag - G/LD-010 SOTA (2022)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 13th August, 2022.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX, Shane G6WBS.
Summit: St Sunday Crag, Lake District, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/LD-010 (8 points).
Summit Height: 841m elevation, 161m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 54.51194, -2.97584. Maidenhead Grid IO84mm.
Also Activated: G/LD-007.
Distance: 17.5km travelled with 1030m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T6 / Grade 3 Scramble.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 9h 30m (incl. operating and other summit(s) on the same hike).
Weather: 38°C, full sun.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu VX6, Diamond SRH770S.
Callsign Used: M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 4 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

St Sunday Crag is a fantastic 841-metre peak in the Eastern Fells of the Lake District, offering one of the region’s most rewarding ridge walks. While most hikers ascend via the well-established footpaths from Patterdale or as part of the Fairfield Horseshoe, there are more adventurous routes available for those seeking a greater challenge.

Having previously activated this summit in 2020 via a conventional walking route, I was keen to try something more technical. Fellow SOTA Mountain Goat activator Shane G6WBS suggested we tackle the Pinnacle Ridge, a classic Grade 3 scramble on the mountain’s northwestern face that would add a fun dimension to our SOTA expedition.

We began our journey from the pay-and-display car park in Patterdale. The initial approach followed the typical footpath beneath Birks (624m) rising in the direction of St Sunday Crag’s summit. Before the path made its final ascent, Shane and I separated from our larger group, who continued on toward the summit via the footpath while we contoured around the mountainside to locate the start of Pinnacle Ridge.

Finding the start point proved unexpectedly tricky, as Shane’s GPS device which he had saved the start point on wasn’t functioning correctly. I consulted my OS maps on the hillside and looked for the distinctive “gun-shaped block” mentioned in climbing guidebooks. I noticed a footpath about 100 metres below our traverse line that might have provided an easier approach - eventually we located the proper starting point for our scramble.

The ridge itself provided an excellent mountaineering experience. The initial section involved navigating spikes and small blocks, which quickly gave way to more substantial rock formations. The route offered various lines, allowing us to choose between more or less exposed routes as we saw fit. Solid spikes and chockstones provided excellent anchor points for protection, and a spacious belay ledge just above the crux wall offered a well-positioned rest point.

We made steady progress along this engaging route, eventually reaching its most distinctive feature, a sharp pinnacle that serves as both a photographic highlight and as an anchor point for the descent on the other side. Beyond this feature, we traversed alongside a ridged slab before the technical terrain gradually blended back into the grassy fellside. The final stretch involved ascending a gravelly slope to rejoin the main ridge path.

At the summit, we met up with our walking group who had been waiting for us. With temperatures around 38C in the continuing heatwave, I quickly set up my lightweight VHF station - opting for the Yaesu VX6 handheld and Diamond SRH770S antenna rather than a more substantial setup. I completed four contacts to qualify the summit. After logging the minimum required contacts, I left Shane to work the chaser pileup while my walking partner and I departed to continue our journey.

We extended our hike by heading southwest to the add on the nearby summit of Fairfield (G/LD-007), another 8-point SOTA Marilyn. Following this second activation, we descended to Grisedale Tarn and followed the valley floor back to Patterdale.

This technical approach to St Sunday Crag combined the pleasure of rock climbing with the satisfaction of SOTA activation - a perfect blend of two complementary mountain pursuits. While not a route for beginners, Pinnacle Ridge offers capable scramblers an excellent and enjoyable alternative approach to this popular summit.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of St Sunday Crag on Saturday 13th August, 2022.

Walking Route for St Sunday Crag

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for St Sunday Crag. 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 G/LD-010 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 M1HAX/P from G/LD-010 St Sunday Crag on Saturday 13th 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 St Sunday Crag:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/LD-010 St Sunday Crag.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for St Sunday Crag.
• Google Maps Page for St Sunday Crag.
• Wikipedia entry for St Sunday Crag.

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