Longridge Fell - G/SP-014 SOTA (2023)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Tuesday 25th July, 2023.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Longridge Fell, Southern Pennines, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/SP-014 (1 point).
Summit Height: 350m elevation, 242m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 53.86463, -2.52157. Maidenhead Grid IO83ru.
Distance: 3.5km travelled with 80m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 1h (including operating).
Weather: 15°C, light breeze, cloudy.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 4 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Longridge Fell, standing at a modest 350 metres, holds the distinction of being the most southerly named fell in England. Located near the town of Longridge in Lancashire, this accessible summit forms part of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite its relatively unassuming height, the fell offers expansive panoramic views over the Ribble Valley, the Forest of Bowland and, on exceptionally clear days, extends as far as the Lake District and Snowdonia mountains in North Wales.

For this summer activation, I parked on Forty Acre Lane to the southwest of the fell. This steep road offers a small layby with free parking for two to three vehicles. This starting point and route follows the path published by fellow SOTA activator G4ASA in 2013 - a tried and tested approach to this popular one-point summit.

The route begins immediately from the layby, following a clear and well-established footpath that heads directly toward the summit. A dry-stone wall runs parallel to much of the route, providing both a navigational aid and a characteristic Lancashire backdrop to the walk. As the path gains elevation, it skirts along the edge of an extensive area of forest plantations that cover much of the fell’s eastern slopes.

An interesting feature of the final section of the route is that the public right of way transitions into a permissive footpath, but unusually, this permissive path actually runs inside designated open access land.

Upon reaching the summit, I was greeted by the Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar standing prominently on a large concrete plinth. This substantial base provides an excellent operating position for portable radio work, offering a height boost for radio equipment. The elevated position and largely unobstructed surroundings create favourable conditions for VHF/UHF operation, despite the modest elevation.

Setting up my Yaesu FTM100D with MFJ-1714 antenna atop the trig point, I quickly made contact with local stations on 2 metres FM. This part of Lancashire appears to enjoy good amateur radio activity, and I completed the required four contacts in under ten minutes. Stations worked included Craig 2E0VRX and Phil G4OBK, both regular SOTA chasers in the northern England region.

After successfully qualifying the summit, I retraced my steps along the same path back to the parking area. The entire expedition, including the radio operation, was completed in approximately one hour, making Longridge Fell an ideal candidate for those seeking a quick and straightforward SOTA activation. This accessible and enjoyable fell offers an excellent introduction to SOTA for beginners or those looking for a shorter outing. The well-defined paths, modest elevation gain, and reliable radio conditions combine to make Longridge Fell a dependable single-point summit that delivers rewards well beyond its modest statistics.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Longridge Fell on Tuesday 25th July, 2023.

Walking Route for Longridge Fell

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Longridge Fell. The G/SP-014 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/SP-014 Longridge Fell on Tuesday 25th July, 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 Longridge Fell:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/SP-014 Longridge Fell.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Longridge Fell.
• Google Maps Page for Longridge Fell.
• Wikipedia entry for Longridge Fell.

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