A place to put my stuff
Related to the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program
This was my second activation on a quick trip out towards the east coast of Cyprus above the city of Paphos. The first activation (5B/CY-042) was intentionally quick to allow for some time to explore this peak, which is more isolated.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-036: Pachia Moutti”
Poor 5B/CY-042, it has no name, just its SOTA designation. However, that’s kind of fitting since it really isn’t much of a “mountain” — it is more somebody’s backyard, adjacent to a water tower. It is the very definition of a drive-up site, though, so if you’re out towards the eastern side of Cyprus, perhaps enjoying the beaches along the coast near Paphos, and want to shoehorn in a quick activation, it might be just the place.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-042”
Nearly everything went wrong on this activation, but it was also one of my best SOTA experiences.
This peak is right above a defunct copper mine that was last operated commercially in the 1970s. The blue-green water that fills the pit is visible on aerial photographs.
The road leading by the site is about 45 minutes from Nicosia and I reasoned that at one time trucks had made it up to almost the top of the mountain, so it should be accessible by road. It turns out that is only partially correct.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-034: Alestos”
This summit is about 40 minutes from Nicosia by road. GoogleMaps will plot the directions to the base of the northern most trailhead, although a better trailhead is visible on OpenStreetMaps a little further along the same road (at 34.918473N, 33.315676E). That’s the one that I went up. The road itself is dirt, but in good shape. No need for four-wheel drive or high clearance to access this peak.
There is a sign at the base of the trailhead, which indicates that this site is maintained by the Department of Forestry. The trail that runs up from here is a little gravely to start, but otherwise easy to follow. Along the way, there are some signs marked “E4”.
Every few weeks, business takes me to the UK. This trip, I arrived a day early to play radio and activated SOTA sites G/SE-015 (Cheriton Hill), G/SE-013 (Detling Hill), G/SE-007 (Crowborough), and G/SE-005 (Botley Hill).
This peak is about a half hour south of Nicosia, mostly along the same roads that I took recently to get to 5B/CY-043, Kreatos, recently. I had thought that I might just eek out two activations today, but it took me longer than I had anticipated to get to this summit and the sun was already too low when I wrapped up this peak to try another.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-047: Neon Appidaki”I tried something new this week: recording a video of the activation (see below). This peak is the closest one to the capital city; it was less than a half-hour away for me. The approach is along a winding dirt road that switches back and forth a few times on the way to the peak. I managed to drive up it, but there is a lot of loose rock, so vehicles will need some ground clearance to get up it. Otherwise, it would be possible to park on the street at the base of the trail and walk up, probably over a couple hours.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-043: Kreatos”This activation followed hot on the heels of 5B/CY-046 (Pipis). It is also a relatively low mountain, but near the capital city of Nicosia. Unfortunately, this site is not as picturesque as Pipis, since the top of the mountain is a commercial radio antenna site.
This peak is worth only one point in the SOTA scheme, but it is half an hour drive from Nicosia and there is a road right to the summit. The summit and the area around it are perfect for a picnic outing as well. The dirt road up is a bit rough in places, but did not require four wheel drive. Cars with moderate clearance should do okay as long as the weather is good.
I chose this site because I thought it would be a fairly easy approach by car and, lacking any trees, would be a good chance to try out my new Buddipole. All of that turned out to be true, and I would say that this is a great site for anyone who is visiting and wants to add a painless activation to their itinerary. Just one critical piece of advice: don’t entirely believe Google Maps.
Continue reading “SOTA 5B/CY-028: Sinoas”