Tom Read - click to email meBDXC ISWL WAB SOTA RSGB IOTA - see my radio page for more detailsLiam & Jimmy

Tal y Fan NW-040

 

Tal y Fan, GW/NW-040 - 610m ASL - SH 729 727  - OS Explorer OL17 - 4 SOTA points        Map & summit information from SOTAwatch

We were going to do the Ponderosa Pair, as a simple day out to boost Jimmy's SOTA Beams Challenge entry, even though it would have been 'pointless' for me. But then Jimmy's school friend Jonathan accepted an invitation to come walking, so we switched in the pair we had been saving for him as a newcomer to the hills - Tal y Fan and Great Orme.

Tom M1EYP and Jimmy M3EYP contemplate Tal y Fan        Summit of Tal y Fan

As we closed in on GW/NW-040, we heard MW0SGB/P activating our chosen hill, and indeed there was his motor in OUR parking spot. We selected the next parking spot and set off up the hill. Steve met us on his descent, and we shared plans for the rest of the day. Jimmy and Jonathan raced off ahead, and took the semi-scrambly route up on the trig point side of the wall. As Liam and I reached the same wall, Jimmy became QRV and I listened into him making his contacts. Liam and I did not climb straight up the ridge, but wandered around the rocks until the least steep of the grassy tracks up to the ridge. This comes out on the East of the summit, and when we made the summit itself, Jimmy and Jonathan had already left.

View over Great Orme and Irish Sea from the summit of Tal y Fan        Ladder stile on the summit of Tal y Fan

I did my own qualification, and set off back down to the car, where we had some soup before driving up to Llandudno. As I reached West Shore on the peninsular, Liam keeled over in the back seat, dribbling uncontrollably and unable to focus his eyes. I came round to the back door and lifted him out, realising that he was a dead weight and completely out of it. We tapped his back to remove an apparent blockage which seemed to restore his breathing, then lay him down on the tarmac in the recovery position. He was totally unresponsive, but at least his breathing and pulse were OK now. We called 999, and he was taken by ambulance to Glan Clwyd Hospital near Bodelwyddan Castle, where we were to spend the next six hours. His sleepiness during the afternoon was consistent with him having had a fit earlier. We were eventually allowed to leave after six o'clock, (Liam was finally back to himself after his tea) but then hit 2 hours worth of queues on the A55. A very long and stressful day, efinitely the worst SOTA day ever, despite it starting so enjoyably.

Jimmy, his mate Jonathan and Liam

Many thanks to the following stations, all worked on 2m FM with 2.5 watts:

MW1EYP/M near Foel Lwyd Tom J
2W0EFB Llangevny Frank J
GW4BVE Pool Quay John J
MW0SGB/M A55 Steve J
GW4WLZ Holyhead Dafydd T
MW3EYP/M near Foel Lwyd Jimmy T
GW4ERP/P Cadair Idris NW-009 Richard T
GW4KAZ 3km NE Caernarfon Brian T
M1AVV Dalton-in-Furness Simon T

Tal y Fan 2003 Tal y Fan 2004 Tal y Fan 2005