Dungavel Hill - GM/SS-165 SOTA (2024)
Summits on the Air Activation Report
Activation Date: Monday 1st April, 2024.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Dungavel Hill, Southern Scotland, Scotland.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GM/SS-165 (2 points).
Summit Height: 510m elevation, 224m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 55.55722, -3.67758. Maidenhead Grid IO85dn.
Distance: 2.3km travelled with 210m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.(?)
Elapsed Time: 55m (including operating).
Weather: 5°C, strong winds, raining.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MM1HAX/P.
Contacts: 4 (2m FM).
Trip Notes
Dungavel Hill is a modest grassy summit rising to 510 metres in the Culter Hills of South Lanarkshire. This conical Marilyn sits just south of the much larger Tinto (GM/SS-064), one of Scotland’s most prominent landmarks visible from miles around. Despite its relatively low profile, Dungavel offers straightforward access and is worth 2 points within the Summits on the Air programme.
I approached from the west, parking by the cattle grid at the high point of the minor road leading north from Roberton. This is the standard starting point for ascents of Dungavel, with space for several vehicles on either side of the grid. Many online reports reference cattle on the hillside and warning signs about bulls, however neither were present when I visited on this blustery April morning.
A faint grassy path leads from the roadside field gate towards the summit, though this quickly disappears into the rough grassland. The ground here is typically soft and can be heavily poached by livestock, but the direct line to the summit presents no navigational challenges. I continued uphill through increasingly poor visibility until reaching the derelict trig point that marks the high point.
The weather made for challenging operating conditions. Strong winds and driving rain meant I was keen to complete the activation as quickly as possible. I used a convenient fence post at the summit to support my antenna equipment, setting up my Yaesu FTM100D with the MFJ-1714 whip. Within minutes I had secured the four contacts required to qualify the summit, working Fred GM0GOV, Steve MM0XPZ, Peter GM0VEK, and Doug M7DCD on 2 metres FM. All reported strong signals despite the miserable conditions.
With my two SOTA points secured, I wasted no time packing away the station and heading back down the hillside towards the road. The entire round trip took less than an hour, making this an ideal activation for a quick stop when travelling through the area.
Dungavel Hill is perfectly suited to a brief respite on a long drive north into Scotland. The Cairn Lodge services on the M74 lies just a short distance away, making it easy to combine this activation with a motorway break. On a clear day, the summit offers excellent views towards Tinto, Chapelgill Hill, and the Culter Fells to the east. On this occasion, the clag denied me any such panoramas, but the satisfaction of a successful wet and windy activation more than compensated.
Photos
Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Dungavel Hill on Monday 1st April, 2024.
Walking Route for Dungavel Hill
The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Dungavel Hill. The GM/SS-165 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 MM1HAX/P from GM/SS-165 Dungavel Hill on Monday 1st April, 2024 (all times shown are UTC):
| Time | Callsign | Band | Mode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:31 | GM0GOV | 2m | FM | Fred, 5/9 |
| 11:32 | MM0XPZ | 2m | FM | Steve, 5/8 |
| 11:33 | GM0VEK | 2m | FM | Peter, 5/8 |
| 11:34 | M7DCD | 2m | FM | Doug, 5/8 |
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 Dungavel Hill:
- Sotl.as Summit Page for GM/SS-165 Dungavel Hill.
- Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Dungavel Hill.
- Google Maps Page for Dungavel Hill.
- Wikipedia entry for Dungavel Hill.
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