Causey Pike walk view - Chiz Dakin
W
elcome to the 2017 AGM weekend awards special. For the rest of this issue of Outdoor
Focus you’ll be able to read about and see what the participating OWPG members got
up to during the weekend, as well as fi nd out more about the OWPG award winners and
why they richly deserved their prizes.
After a very succesful weekend in an every-so-slightly wet and windy Lake District, thanks
need to go to Andrew White for running an inspiring and rewarding video workshop; Dave
Ramshaw, Viv Crow and Mark Richards for organising walks, as well as Peter for off ering the
Eiger as a wet-day alternative for Sunday morning; Dennis Kelsall for his role as master of
ceremonies at the awards presentation ceremony; Ronald Turnbull for stepping in and organising
the weekend; the awards judges: Mark Whitely of Dalesman Publications, Chris Bagshaw, Carlton
Reid executive editor of BikeBiz.com, Elizabeth Multon of Bloomsbury Publishing, Lois Sparling,
Craig Wareham of ViewRanger, Dave Willis and Ashley Cooper; the awards administrator, David
Ramshaw; and last but by no means least, all the staff at the Newlands Adventure Centre. Here’s
to next year’s AGM weekend, now just eleven months away...
CAUSEY
PIKE
WALK
Text and photos David Ramshaw
The group of six intrepid walkers set off
about 9.45 am from the centre to tackle
the Causey Pike ridge via the direct route
(almost vertical) to Rowling End. Forty
minutes later, having scrambled up a narrow
bracken enclosed path with steep rocky
sections the party emerged onto the grassy
top having gained 333m in height through low
cloud and swirling mist.
This gave the occasional glimpse to the
valley below as the sun briefl y illuminated
farms, fi elds and Derwentwater to the east.
Further along the ridge towards the summit
of Causey Pike (at 637m) the wind increased,
becoming very variable in places and the views
into the valley disappeared.
Chris and Chiz braved the wind at one spot
to record a windspeed of 48 mph on Chris’s
anemometer. The party then took the wise
decision to leave the ridge before ascending
to Sail and Crag Hill by an escape route down
to the Stoneycroft path under Oughterside,
returning to the centre by 3.15 pm.
winter 2017 | Outdoor focus 9