I had a day off work at short notice, so did the only sensible thing: planned a SOTA activation. I picked Kinder Scout since I’ve activated most of the South Pennies and figured I’d drag nearly 6Kg of radio kit up there whilst I was at it. I packed my FT-857D and my MC-750, plus some kit to help me deal with poor weather and headed to the Peak District. I parked near SK 0486 8692, there’s a car park there plus a little overflow onto the road. I’d expect on a weekend it would be difficult to park here and likely very busy – but on an early Friday morning it was just fine.
That parking spot made my hike in about 4km, but it’s worth noting that as Kinder Scout is so flat at the top, the activation summit is pretty huge – so you’ve got a lot of options. The only issue I had on the day was just how windy it was! However, there’s a few places you can duck down and get some cover.
I set up an easy tarp shelter and set up my radio. I jumped on VHF with the 857D and even though it was early morning on a week day, I made four contacts in just a few minutes. After a short coffee break I set up for HF and grabbed a couple of FT8 contacts too.
This summit has great views over Manchester, so I can’t expect you’d ever struggle to make the activation even with just a handheld. In good weather, it’s an easy 4 points.
Here’s a few more shots of this activation:
