Y Golfa - GW/NW-061 SOTA (2025)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Tuesday 16th September, 2025.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Y Golfa, North Wales, Wales.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GW/NW-061 (1 point).
Summit Height: 341m elevation, 165m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 52.65535, -3.20997. Maidenhead Grid IO82jp.
Distance: 2.8km travelled with 95m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 1h (including operating).
Weather: 11°C, cloudy, 22kph WSW wind, 83% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, Slim-J, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MW1HAX/P.
Contacts: 6 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Y Golfa at 341 metres is perhaps the most unusual SOTA summit in Mid Wales - the trig point sits within Welshpool Golf Club’s course. Despite appearances, the name predates the golf club entirely; “golfa” is simply Welsh for “hill,” making the name translate as “The Hill.” When the club relocated here in 1930, they discovered land providentially named Y Golfa - a happy linguistic coincidence. The course was designed by James Braid, five-time Open Champion, and has been praised by golf writer Bernard Darwin as “perched on the roof of the world.” With 165 metres of prominence, this Marilyn offers activators one SOTA point.

This was the second summit of my five-hill weekday raid. There is a large car park at the golf club, and it is recommended to ask permission before parking to visit the trig point. SOTA activators have built an excellent reputation here - previous visitors report the club secretary commenting that radio operators are “the most polite and well-mannered group of people.”

I followed the gravel tracks used by golf buggies, heading southeast and then eastward towards the summit. I tried to be respectful of the small number of golfers on the course, keeping out of their way and moving quietly.

Not paying full attention to the route, I missed the final ascent to the trig point and had to backtrack a small distance to find the correct path. The summit area is slightly cramped but offers great surrounding views, including looking down onto the golf course itself and across to Snowdonia on clear days.

Setting up my Yaesu FTM100D with the Slim-J antenna, I worked six stations on 2-metre FM. The operating position at the trig point is interesting, with excellent take-off in most directions. The weather remained cool at 11 degrees Celsius with a moderate west-southwest wind and cloudy skies. The round trip of 2.8 kilometres with 95 metres of ascent took about an hour including operating time.

Y Golfa combines excellent hill walking with a welcoming atmosphere from the golf club. It is well worth seeking permission and enjoying this distinctive summit.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Y Golfa on Tuesday 16th September, 2025.

Walking Route for Y Golfa

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Y Golfa. The GW/NW-061 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 6 amateur radio contacts operating as MW1HAX/P from GW/NW-061 Y Golfa on Tuesday 16th 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 Y Golfa:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GW/NW-061 Y Golfa.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Y Golfa.
• Google Maps Page for Y Golfa.
• Wikipedia entry for Y Golfa.

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