Tom Bailgeann - GM/CS-113 SOTA (2024)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Saturday 30th March, 2024.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Tom Bailgeann, Central Scotland, Scotland.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GM/CS-113 (1 point).
Summit Height: 464m elevation, 242m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 57.33392, -4.34659. Maidenhead Grid IO77ti.
Distance: 2.9km travelled with 230m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 1h 10m (including operating).
Weather: 6°C, moderate breeze, light rain.
Radio Equipment: Elecraft KX2, Elecraft AX1.
Callsign Used: MM1HAX/P.
Contacts: 7 (20m SSB).

Trip Notes

Tom Bailgeann rises to 464 metres on the south side of Loch Ness, a small but prominent hill topped by a telecommunications mast. With 242 metres of prominence, it qualifies as a Marilyn, though it attracts far fewer visitors than the famous loch it overlooks. Worth 1 point for SOTA, this obscure summit offers views across Loch Ness and the surrounding moorland, with Loch Duntelchaig visible to the south.

I parked on the B862 to the east of the hill, where roadside space accommodates one or two cars. Maps show a gravel service track leading from the road to the summit mast, and I had expected a straightforward ascent. This proved optimistic.

The track starts well enough, climbing steadily towards the mast visible on the skyline. However, about halfway up the hill it deteriorates significantly, disappearing beneath mud and overgrown vegetation. Walkers on Walkhighlands consistently describe this ground as “extremely boggy” and “mega boggy near the top”. Having anticipated a quick roadside summit and wearing only trainers, I ended up with thoroughly muddy and wet feet. Proper boots and gaiters would be sensible for anyone attempting this hill.

The summit is marked by a trig point adjacent to the large telecommunications mast. The concrete supports of the mast infrastructure provided useful windbreaks for my walking companions as rain began to fall and the wind picked up.

Given the deteriorating weather, I opted for a quick HF setup using my Elecraft KX2 with the compact AX1 antenna rather than deploying a larger system. Despite the modest antenna, conditions on the 20-metre band proved excellent. I worked seven stations across Europe including the ever-present Manuel EA2DT in Spain and the Lesnica Radio Club SP6KEP in Poland. The highlight was a summit to summit (S2S) contact with Marko S57MS/P, who was operating from Javornik (S5/TK-013) in Slovenia - a satisfying contact across some 1,800 kilometres.

If you find yourself in the Loch Ness area, Tom Bailgeann and the nearby one-point SOTA summits can provide interesting walking targets. However, given the prevalence of excellent mountains throughout Scotland - many offering far better terrain and more rewarding ascents for similar effort - I suspect this particular hill will remain a one-time visit for me. Those seeking the best Marilyn in this vicinity might consider Stac Gorm over by Loch Ruthven instead.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Tom Bailgeann on Saturday 30th March, 2024.

Walking Route for Tom Bailgeann

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Tom Bailgeann. The GM/CS-113 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 7 amateur radio contacts operating as MM1HAX/P from GM/CS-113 Tom Bailgeann on Saturday 30th March, 2024 (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 Tom Bailgeann:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GM/CS-113 Tom Bailgeann.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Tom Bailgeann.
• Google Maps Page for Tom Bailgeann.
• Wikipedia entry for Tom Bailgeann.

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