Whitbarrow - G/LD-056 SOTA (2023)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Friday 13th January, 2023.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Whitbarrow, Lake District, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/LD-056 (1 point).
Summit Height: 215m elevation, 182m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 54.27600, -2.85883. Maidenhead Grid IO84ng.
Distance: 3.5km travelled with 190m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 1h 25m (including operating).
Weather: 8°C, moderate breeze, partially sunny.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 4 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Whitbarrow, standing at a modest 215 metres, is a distinctive limestone escarpment in the southern Lake District with a character entirely different from the region’s more famous fells. Part of a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, this striking white ridge is notable for its unique geology, rich biodiversity, and spectacular viewpoint known as Lord’s Seat at its highest point.

For this January activation, I made use of limited roadside parking for two or three vehicles near the entrance to Witherslack Hall School. This convenient starting point provides easy access to the network of paths traversing the nature reserve.

The route began by following a public right of way eastward towards Chapel Head Scar. The January conditions had rendered the woodland tracks quite muddy, requiring careful navigation in places. Continuing northward through ancient woodland, the path eventually emerged onto more open terrain, offering the first glimpses of Whitbarrow’s distinctive limestone landscape.

The route then ascended a rocky trail across Whitbarrow Scar, heading in the general direction of Flodder Allotment. It’s worth noting that the official right of way doesn’t always correspond with the most well-trodden path on the ground, so map reading skills can be useful here despite the relatively straightforward terrain.

After a short distance, I turned to take a more direct line towards the substantial cairn marking the summit at Lord’s Seat. The limestone pavement surrounding the highest point creates a distinctive environment, with characteristic clints (limestone blocks) and grikes (fissures) forming a natural limestone garden that hosts rare plant species in season.

The summit area offers numerous rocky outcrops providing comfortable seating with superb panoramic views. On a clear day like this one, the vistas extend across the Lake District fells, the verdant Lyth Valley, and even to Morecambe Bay glistening in the distance. The distinctive limestone creates a contrast against the surrounding landscape, particularly beautiful in the winter sunlight.

Setting up my Yaesu FTM100D radio station on one of these rocky perches, I conducted a quick lunchtime activation on 2 metres FM. Contact was easily established with several regular Lake District SOTA enthusiasts, including David G6LKB and Sue G1OHH. The four contacts needed to qualify the summit were accomplished in just a few minutes.

Whitbarrow represents one of the more accessible and interesting one-point summits in the Lake District SOTA lineup. The unique limestone environment offers a refreshing change from the volcanic rocks that form most of the region’s mountains, while the nature reserve status ensures rich wildlife observation opportunities, particularly in spring and summer when rare butterflies and plants are abundant.

The extensive network of paths across the Whitbarrow Nature Reserve provides ample opportunity to extend the walking experience or approach the summit from alternative directions. For those seeking to combine SOTA with natural history interests or those looking for a gentler introduction to the hobby, Whitbarrow offers an ideal combination of accessibility, distinctive landscape, and reliable radio conditions.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Whitbarrow on Friday 13th January, 2023.

Walking Route for Whitbarrow

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Whitbarrow. The G/LD-056 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-056 Whitbarrow on Friday 13th January, 2023 (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 Whitbarrow:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/LD-056 Whitbarrow.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Whitbarrow.
• Google Maps Page for Whitbarrow.
• Wikipedia entry for Whitbarrow.

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