Hensbarrow Downs - G/DC-008 SOTA (2023)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Sunday 23rd April, 2023.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Hensbarrow Downs, Devon & Cornwall, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/DC-008 (1 point).
Summit Height: 365m elevation, 246m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 50.38308, -4.81278. Maidenhead Grid IO70oj.
Distance: 3.0km travelled with 75m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 1h 15m (including operating).
Weather: 11°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

Hensbarrow Downs, standing at 365 metres, represents one of Cornwall’s highest points and offers a distinctly different SOTA experience from the region’s more picturesque coastal hills. Located just north of St Austell, this upland area is dominated by its extensive china clay mining operations, creating a unique landscape.

The summit, historically known as Hensbarrow Beacon, is crowned by a Bronze Age burial cairn (one of the largest in Cornwall) which was later repurposed as a beacon site during more recent centuries. Today, the area presents an intriguing blend of industrial heritage and ancient archaeology amidst a backdrop of active mining operations.

For this spring activation, I approached from the western side of the hill, where a small gravel car park is conveniently situated on a minor road leading up to the commercial mining facility. The summit itself lies within open access land, with a public right of way marked on Ordnance Survey maps connecting the parking area to the summit.

It’s worth noting that the gravel road heading towards the summit lies within active mining property outside the designated open access area. Taking advantage of the Sunday quiet, I used this track to ease my approach to the open hillside. Where the road intersects with the public right of way, I continued eastward over pathless terrain towards the summit.

Upon reaching the summit plateau, I set up my Yaesu FTM100D with the MFJ-1714 antenna. As with my previous day’s activation at Kit Hill, the 2-metre band proved disappointingly quiet for Cornwall, reflecting perhaps the lower density of amateur radio operators in this part of the country. Nevertheless, I managed the required four contacts to qualify the summit, including a conversation with G8EHD who volunteered his strong opinions about the national test of the UK Emergency Alert System earlier in the day. A highlight of the activity was working Don G0RQL, a well-known SOTA chaser whom I usually contact from Welsh summits.

Hensbarrow Downs offers an unusual SOTA experience that requires special attention to the surrounding mining activity. While lacking the dramatic natural beauty of many SOTA summits, it compensates with fascinating industrial archaeology and far-reaching views across central Cornwall. For those interested in the intersection of natural landscape and human industry, or simply looking to add another unique activation to their SOTA tally, this accessible one-point summit is well worth a visit when in the area.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Hensbarrow Downs on Sunday 23rd April, 2023.

Walking Route for Hensbarrow Downs

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Hensbarrow Downs. The G/DC-008 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/DC-008 Hensbarrow Downs on Sunday 23rd April, 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 Hensbarrow Downs:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/DC-008 Hensbarrow Downs.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Hensbarrow Downs.
• Google Maps Page for Hensbarrow Downs.
• Wikipedia entry for Hensbarrow Downs.

If you found this content valuable, why not Buy Me a Coffee?