Cumbria Soaring Club proudly presents the Lakes Charity Classic - the premier free flying event in the North!

The 2012 Lakes Charity Classic will be held on 8/9 June 2012 in Buttermere. We are aiming to open the competition for entries in February.

Preparing for take off at the 2011 LCC B competition. This is Whiteless Pike with Grasmoor behind. Unfortunately although other sites were working well, Whiteless Pike wasn't!

What is the Lakes Charity Classic?

The Lakes Charity Classic is an informal paragliding competition held in some of England's most spectacular scenery. If you want to get a flavour of what it's all about then have a look at this Youtube Video - courtesy of Ian Watson

There are 2 competitions

A Competition - This is for more experienced and seasoned pilots holding a minimum of pilot rating and flying ENB/DHV2 rated gliders and above and including open class.

B competition - This is most suitable for less experienced pilots who wish to get the most flying from their day in a spectacularly scenic area.  Less demanding, friendly tasks will be set and it is open to all pilots from Club Pilot upwards flying gliders of ENB/DHV2 and below.

The programme starts early on Friday morning where there will be a briefing before we head off for the flying sites. We aim to get the best out of the day so the tasks will be geared to the conditions. Remember, though, that the Lake District is the wettest place in England. In 2009, we were rained off. By contrast, 2010 provided memorable conditions with some great XC flying. This is what it looks like on a good day.

The Friday might be a long day if the conditions are good. On return to the campsite in Buttermere, competitors may get an opportunity for a fly down to the campsite. An evening meal is provided for competitors.

Saturday follows the same format although the day might be shorter. We aim to be back on the campsite around 1700 when Cumbria Soaring Club hands over the reins to Air Ventures who run the infamous 'Bash' where anything could happen! A barbecue is available and the LCC awards will be handed - once the scoring team have fathomed out the task director's tasks. Live bands will be playing and the event runs into the small hours.

If your head is clear on the Sunday morning and the weather holds up, then you have the opportunity for some free flying in the most spectacular corner of the Lakes.

We also offer 2 days of coaching as an alternative. If you don't fancy taking part in a competition but fancy some flying in some of the most spetacular scenery in England, then the coaching event gives you a chance to fly with the coaching team from CSC.

The 2012 Lakes Charity Classic will be held at the same site as in previous years. The site is in the Buttermere valley on the eastern site of Buttermere just over 1 mile SE of Buttermere village.

The simplest route is to follow the B5289 out of Keswick south towards Borrowdale. This route is recommended if you're new to the area. Keep following the B5289 through Borrowdale; eventually you will start climbing steeply up the Honister Pass. Go right over the pass and descend into Buttermere. At the foot of the pass you will pass through Gatescarth farm. After a short distance the road will turn sharply to the right and will start to skirt the edge of Buttermere lake. The road will then turn left - you should now see the campsite on your left. After another short distance, you will see a gate on the left hand side and a track leading down to the campsite. If you have a large camper van, stay on the road until you see Hasness house on the left - you should park in here.

The shortest and more entertaining route is over Newlands Hause. Leave Keswick to the west going towards Cockermouth and rejoin the A66. Go past the turning for Portinscale and watch out for a fork left to Braithwaite, turn left here. Go past the campsite on your left and watch for another fork left; take this turn. Turn left at the next T-junction and go over the bridge. Follow the road round to the left and continue up the Newlands valley. After just under half a mile fork right - keep following the signs for Buttermere. Eventually, the road will start climbing up to Newlands Hause after which it makes a steep descent into the Buttermere valley. At the foot of the descent, just before Buttermere village, turn left and go up the valley. After a mile you will see Hasness house on your right - large camper vans should park up here. Continuing on, as you emerge out of the woods, you will see a gate leading down to the camping field on your right. You will need to make a tight U-turn on the road before you can go through the gate. If you don't like the look of the manouevre, continue onto Gatescarth and turn round there. The track is rough and you go down to the field at your own risk.

If you have a large or heavy vehicle, you are best to avoid the Honister or Newlands passes as these involve very steep ascents/descents. The best way is to come from Cockermouth down the B5292/B5289 through Lorton and down the side of Crummock Water.

Note that mobile phone coverage in the valley is non existant.

The campsite shown at Dalegarth will be open for the event for alternative camping - however your Buttermere Bash fee does not cover camping here - you must pay at the campsite. Your Buttermere Bash camping ticket entitles you to camping on the Buttermere Bash field, the area shown to the right of Crag Wood on the above map. Drivers of large camper vans should go to the Buttermere Bash field.

For Information on Previous Events - Click on the link

2011	Buttermere	3/4 June 2011
2010	Buttermere	4/5 June 2010
2009	Buttermere	5/6 June 2009
2008	Buttermere	6/7 June 2008
2007	Buttermere	1/2 June 2008

The 2011 results are now complete - if you find any problems drop me a note using the link below.

You can download a tracklog where indicated by right clicking and saving the file on your PC. If you don't have a specialist program associated with an igc file, then the way to view a flight in Google Earth is as follows

• Use the File > Open Log menu option of GPS Dump - freeware - to open the igc file
• Then click a point in the results grid and then Ctrl/A (to select all points.
• Now File >> Save Log or Ctrl/S. Save the file as a kml file.
• Double click this file to see the flight in Google Earth - you will need to download Google Earth firts
• Alternatively you can download a program called igc flight replay (free) and that will play the flight for you from a pilots perspective in Google Earth.