Mynydd Rhiw - GW/NW-064 SOTA (2025)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Friday 19th September, 2025.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Mynydd Rhiw, North Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/NW-064 (1 point).
Summit Height: 304m elevation, 240m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 52.83283, -4.63121. Maidenhead Grid IO72qt.
Distance: 2.0km travelled with 80m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 35m (including operating).
Weather: 15°C, heavy rain, 31 kph S wind, 99% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, Slim-J, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 5 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Mynydd Rhiw rises to 304 metres on National Trust land associated with Plas yn Rhiw, a 17th-century manor house. The summit is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, partly for the extraordinary Neolithic axe factory on its northern flanks. Radiocarbon dating has established tool production here from 3,650 to 3,050 BC - roughly 600 years of continuous activity. The Welsh name translates simply as “mountain of the slope.”

This was my fourth and final hill of the day, and by now the weather had deteriorated further. Heavy rain and a 31 kph southerly wind made conditions thoroughly unpleasant, with visibility severely reduced.

The summit can be approached from north or south. I chose the southern route as slightly shorter - efficiency was paramount on this busy day. At the end of the road there is verge parking for perhaps two or three vehicles without blocking the gates or driving onto the service road to the transmitter mast. The route follows an obvious track northward, ascending directly up the hill to where another antenna mast stands at the summit.

A small mound marks the true summit - the Marilyns database notes that rocks 3 metres south of the trig point are the actual high point, 5cm above the flush bracket. I set up sheltering from the wind and rain as best I could before quickly making five local contacts on 2m FM: GW0PLP, MW0RHD, 2W0IMX, GW4TJC and GW8LGX.

After packing up, I drove to Treheli Farm Campsite to pitch my tent. Mercifully, there was a brief break in the rain for this. However, the weather deteriorated further, and after speaking with the boat captain that evening, it became clear there would be no crossing to Bardsey Island the next day. Mynydd Enlli and Mynydd Anelog would have to wait for another trip. The night was restless, with heavy rain pooling in the campsite field. Thoroughly wet and facing a flooded pitch, I decided to return directly home the following morning rather than stay any longer. Four summits bagged, but two remain for a future visit.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Mynydd Rhiw on Friday 19th September, 2025.

Walking Route for Mynydd Rhiw

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Mynydd Rhiw. The GW/NW-064 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 5 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/NW-064 Mynydd Rhiw on Friday 19th September, 2025 (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 Mynydd Rhiw:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/NW-064 Mynydd Rhiw.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Mynydd Rhiw.
• Google Maps Page for Mynydd Rhiw.
• Wikipedia entry for Mynydd Rhiw.

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