Saturday 5th May 2018

From our band hotel in Romford, I first headed for Detling Hill G/SE-013. However, the main road near Maidstone, from which you access the White Horse Woods car park, was closed due to a police incident - and would remain closed all day.  I wasted some time, trying unsuccessfully to find another way round, before giving up and deciding to drive down to Cheriton. 

At the top of the lane, I could see that there was building work going on around the trig point and covered reservoir.  A sign on the locked gate expressly forbade access.  I chatted with the friendly man, the new homeowner at the adjacent property.  After some deliberation, he invited me to park on his drive, and set up my aerial in his garden! 

I didn’t bother with CW as I thought the Palm Cube needed a new battery, and I had so far been unable to find one at petrol stations I tried en route. As the resident of the house and his wife were watching with interest, it was probably more suitable to use phone anyway.

Conditions were poor, but I did scrape the required QSOs, helped considerably by a triple S2S with G stations activating in OK. Next stop, the dreaded Crowborough G/SE-007.