KEITH FERGUS ( 1972-2022 )
Felicity Martin pays tribute to a former member of OWPG
Iam sad to report that former OWPG member
Keith Fergus died on 4 November 2022 , the day before his 50th birthday . He had been diagnosed with aggressive bowel cancer earlier in the year . Keith lived just south of Glasgow and was an active contributor to his local community . However , he will be more familiar as a name rather than a face to most OWPG members . He was usually too busy to attend distant events , but had a proli�ic output of both writing and photography .
His books were published by Cicerone among others , but he wrote most titles for Pocket Mountains , including a series that described 25 walks from ‘ Source to Sea ’ along major Scottish rivers . All his work focussed on Scotland , apart from a book of walks in Cornwall , where his family usually spent their summer holidays .
My �irst contact with Keith was when he approached me with a proposal for a book of walks around the Galloway Coast , which I published under the imprint Catkin Press in 2012 . I learnt that he had been in the printing trade and , when made redundant , had turned his hobby of photography into a business .
Using the name Scottish Horizons , Keith started by producing calendars and cards , especially of Dumfries and Galloway , which he knew well as his parents lived there . He went on to have two photographic books published and began contributing photographic features regularly to The Scots Magazine .
Keith worked hard at his new career and his walks writing steadily increased . He was industrious at seeking and ful�illing commissions . Scottish history and language were special interests and he would include relevant background where possible in his walks . As well as his output of books , he was published in TGO , Walk , Country Walking , Scotland and other magazines . Increasingly he became involved in the world of cycling . Having begun as a volunteer instructor for his local authority , he progressed to coordinating cycle training in primary schools and became a leading cycle tutor , growing a new generation of instructors and ride leaders . Keith ’ s OWPG membership lapsed a couple of years ago , but he is fondly remembered by those of us who knew him . He leaves behind his wife Helen and two teenage children , to whom the sympathies of the Guild are offered . outdoor focus / winter 2022 3