Tag Archives: Paragliding

Paragliders over Kingswood

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20th August 2023

While we were sitting outside eating lunch, we became aware of some paragliders flying over us. In total there must have been around eight. Some were high, and a few were quite low. I was expecting these to land in fields around us. They recovered and found some lift and were soon very high.

They were moving in a north easterly direction being blown along by the south westerly wind. Where had they come from and where were they going? I had heard of previous flights from Combe Gibbet and Milk Hill and landing somewhere in Norfolk. I read a report about a flight on the 26th of July from Milk Hill to Kings Lynn but have not seen any reports of this August flight.

Paraglider flying over Buckinghamshire
Paraglider flying over Buckinghamshire
Paraglider flying over Buckinghamshire

First Camping Trip of the Season

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Tuesday 3rd May we headed off to our favourite campsite in Wales, for our first camping trip of 2022. It looked like the weather would be reasonable, and it was. I managed several walks in sheep country, following various tracks across the moors using the Outdooractive app to navigate. It’s like Google Maps for the walker, it uses open-source maps, or, if you pay, OS maps, for navigation. It can find a route for you automatically, or you can plan a route, or just wing it. You can also follow routes which other hikers have contributed. At the end you can also see how far, how much up and down, and your speeds. Just love it.

So, we had several fine days, and the evenings, though cool, were a photographer’s heaven with some glorious sunsets lighting up the hills in a golden glow. During the day, the birds of prey and Red Kites could be seen soaring on the ridges. We managed to get above a kestrel for a photo opportunity. Cuckoos sang morning & evening.

Still being off season, the cafe bar was not fully open, which was a shame as I had forgotten to bring any wine or beer. But, in the end, I was able to purchase a few bottles of beer and a bottle of wine for our evenings. When Friday came along it was pizza night. The first time we managed to be there for the event. Big mistake – we ordered gluten free pizza; the base was a bit soggy.

Several brave and intrepid swimmers took to the lake, I think I will delay swimming until September, when hopefully the water will be warmer.

Our last day there, Saturday, was a sunny day with a Northerly breeze. This had been predicted for numerous days, and low and behold a group of people started walking up the hill with large bags on their backs. Yes, a few paragliders had come to fly the hill. They were flying until early afternoon when the lift disappeared. No one managed to get away from the hill. It was lovely seeing these gliders and I don’t apologise for placing them on my blog.

Sunday, we had to leave early, so we packed away the awning on Saturday evening, in the dry. Sunday we quietly finished packing the van and left the campsite at 7.45, heading south for St Brides Major where we had a shooting match in a quarry.

Stoke Mandeville

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On Saturday I travelled to Hundred House and did some paragliding.  Unfortunately on one lading on the slope I heard a load crack.  I assumed my boot had broken.  My ankle hurt, so I packed up and drove home.  Gear changing was awkward as pressing the clutch down hurt my foot. 

In the morning my ankle was too sore to walk on. Rosemary took the day off and we visited A&E at Stoke Mandeville. X-rays taken within minutes, and then a five hour wait for the doctor. Left after seven hours with my leg below the knee in plaster. I had broken the small leg bone near the foot. Some talk of having to have an operation and plate inserted, but as the bone had not moved and I had been walking on it then plaster will be sufficient. What a disaster, when will be be back in the air?

The issue had been my landing.  Not breaking and not standing up in the harness when landing.  Result was foot hit the ground at a fast forward speed. Silly boy.

More ground handling

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After the previous nights celebrations, paragliding had to take a back seat. Beautiful day, wind machines around the UK seemed to be suggesting a flyable day. Instead I stayed at home and gave the lawn its first cut of the year, and did a bit of ground handling. Mastered this reverse launch!

Paragliding and Triumphs

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Well I should have gone paragliding, but instead in the afternoon we washed the Triumph, took it for a drive and boiled the brake fluid. I did wonder why I could only get to 40 mph, and that had to be in third gear. So must speak to Graham to see what damage I have done to the front brake and cylinder. The paragliding bit, well I did some ground handling in the field. My last flights last year were all forwards launches, and I have all but forgotten how to do a reverse launch. I was also trying a technique, which is called the reverse hand launch. Something most people launch with, but I never mastered. It is a safer technique when launching in a strong wind on a hill.

Big Fat Repack

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Went to the BFR at the Reading Rivermead Lesure centre.  I listened to the lecture on how to deploy, check and repack your emergency parachute instructions. 

After that I queued up for the deployment practise.  Here you were suspended on an aerial runway in your harness, in a precarious angle to simulate your position when everything was going wrong.  You were released to slide down the runway wire; you went for your reserve parachute and chucked it out.  It then opened behind you.

Next with the allocated partner you repacked your parachute.  This took almost two hours.  Then to see if it worked, we went for another ride down the wire to see if the home packing worked.  It did!!

A final repack, now down to one hour for my chute and my partner’s chute.

During the day I saw Mike, Brian and Derrick from the Annecy trip.

Paragliding in France

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On the 4th, Brian and I caught the night ferry from Portsmouth to La Havre, and then drove down to Clermont-Ferrand arriving at 2.00pm on Saturday. A quick drive to the Puy de Dome where we did not have to pay to drive to the top, because we were taking up another paraglider pilot. Here we spoke to several French and eventually had a very nice soaring flight alongside the Dome in the setting sun.

In the evening we set up camp in the town called Royat. This was our second campsite we looked at; many were closing at this time of year. In the morning, we drove through more of the region and found the ski resort. This could be a good for flying, but unfortunately the weather was cloudy, windy and drizzle. So back to the campsite, packed up and drove on down to Millau, camped for the evening by the river and located a school for advise.

In the morning we flew at a site called Brunas, here we had lifts to the top from the school, and flew a few top to bottoms. At twelve the school went off to lunch promising they would be back at 14.00. Had a lift from some Germans and another top to bottom. Suddenly we realised another hill was being flown from, and there were no French on our hill. It transpired the wind had shifted a little, and the French school had excellent flights from the new hill. We managed to race over there where I had a short but magnificent soaring evening flight.

Next day Tuesday, flying started again at 14.00, but was rather windy. I managed to get off and had a short flight, but despite the wind very little wind. 

This was the end; the weather forecast was bad for the rest of the week, so off we went back home.

Lessons learned, next time we do this it would be better to have a more formal arrangement with one of the schools so that they would look after us and make sure we had transport to the top of the hill, and make sure we were on the right hill. While we had some short flights, beginners at the school managed 2 hours of soaring on the Monday and Tuesday while we were on the wrong hills.

Annecy Paragliding

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On Friday got back from Annecy after a week of paragliding.

We drove out with Cloud Nine and stayed a Maison Du Moulin as guests of Irwyn Jehu. 

The weather was excellant and we had five days of paraliding. The last two days it rained, and instead Irwyn tooks us canyoning.

Had good flights from Col de la Forclaz where I managed to gain 600 meters above take off in quite strong conditions. In fact I had to put in the big ears to stop going into the rather black looking clouds. Managed to get over to the teeth, but chickened out from crossing the lake because of the now very black looking clouds. After landing down by the lake, a thunder stor soon started.

We also flew at Grand Bornond, near La Cluzas, where I also gained much height. The second flight though was rather rough and I spend 10-15 minutes with big ears pulled to get down quickly. No one I spoke to enjoyed that second flight.

All in all had a wonderful time, with great food and wine. Should have some pictures later.

Paragliding at Coombe Gibbet

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Rosemary and I were going down to Salisbury for the weekend, so we had decided to take the Friday off from work. Friday the wind was blowing from the North West, so this was an ideal time to try some flying at Coombe.

We arrived at around 1.30. There were some 30-40 paragliders and hang gliders around. I set up and launched very quickly, but had to do a slope landing as I was going down. I had missed the thermal cycle and everyone else was coming down.

I set up to launch again, and had a couple of bad attempts at launching. The wind from the termals was quite stong. I did learn a few tips on how to control the glider when it was upside down on the ground.

I waited around for a quieter phase, launched and had a 20 minute flight in front of the hill. It was quite rough, going from 8 ups to 4 downs. Rosemary said she saw many gliders with their wind tips folding.

I set up for a third flight, but soon went down. That was it for the day as we had to be in Salisbury for a meeting at 8.30