Trying, but failing, to fly
Archived posts from this Category
Wednesday, 14th October 2009
Posted by Judith on 15 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Holiday, Trying, but failing, to fly
We woke up to the ominous sound of wind. One look out of the windscreen and we could see the wave bars… Just our average trip to Millau then. We have to drive through the flying Mecca of Millau every trip we take to and from Spain and it’s a lovely place to fly. Shame the weather is usually lousy. Today was our 17th time driving through Millau. Of those 17 times it has been flyable 4 times. Once we couldn’t fly because my arm was in plaster due to a dislocated elbow and I couldn’t even drive for Geoff. The next time Geoff had piled in on the PG a few days before the trip and wasn’t able to drive for me. So we have flown the place a total of twice.
As we were driving towards Millau the sun was rising and the views very spectacular. The pinks and yellows of the sky mixed with the wave and mountains was breathtaking. We stopped off at a service station and could barely open our doors, it was so windy. The wind was also bitterly cold. Both of us went into a mini sulk about leaving the t-shirt weather in the UK to have to put extra layers on in the south of France.
Having written off the flying at 9am, we then looked for an alternative plan for the day. The Rough Guide to France recommended St Guilhem le Desert, a place we’ve seen sign posted 17 times, but never been to. It’s lovely. By the time we got there the sun had come out and we were sheltered from the wind and it was hot. We walked around the village, then out into the cirque behind it. Lunch was a picnic next to a trout filled river. Then off to Beziers, where we managed to walk around for an hour and failed to find a single tourist attraction. We saw them all whizz by on the drive out (what muppets!). We got to Castellfollit in time for a glass of wine on the balcony, watching the sun set. Exhausted now…
Saturday, 10th October 2009
Posted by Geoff on 11 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Trying, but failing, to fly
Geoff writes: Judith is on the club coach course organised by the LMSC. With thirty people, it’s full, and being held at the Powis Arms in Lydbury North – a great venue. I started packing and cleaning ready for the move to Spain, but when I saw hang gliders over the house, and paragliders flying too, I decided to go out with the PG for a quick flight. I’d already been phoned to be told there’d been one accident, but no damage done (probably). On arriving at the Mynd I was told of another, an accidental parachute deployment. As usual, the air ambulance came along with the road ambulance. The damage was only a dislocated shoulder, nothing serious.
In the end, I didn’t fly, mostly because the wind had picked up, and I didn’t want to wait around long enough to fly in the evening. In fact, we went back to the Powis Arms for dinner, and to meet the other people on the course; then off to the Inn on the Green for the party with the Polish pilots – who unfortunately had changed the venue at the last minute, and forgot to tell the LMSC – so no party for us, but a much earlier night than we expected.
Monday, 28th September 2009
Posted by Judith on 29 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Trying, but failing, to fly, Work
We really need to catch up with some work and jobs for going away, so although it was flyable in the morning, we ignored that fact and kept our heads down. It got breezy in the afternoon and flyable for hang gliders but I was feeling under the weather and decided to keep on working. By the evening though we needed to get out for some fresh air. We could see a glider layed out on the Long Mynd, but it was windy in our garden and there was a huge wave bar stretched across the sky. On phoning Rich, he said there was nil wind on top. He couldn’t see the wave bar – from below it just looked like cloud. I took a couple of pics just to show people what was going on from a distance and then we headed up the hill.
Two people flew, but by the time we got up there the wind had picked up again. You could see the wave bars setting up ahead and the sky in the distance was just amazing. You could see the clouds from above as if you were in an aeroplane. I don’t really trust wave on a paraglider, so am usually very cautious in those conditions, so decided against it. A guy on an XC2 flew later though cruising along the ridge in the sunset.
Lovely dinner with Michaela later and then excellent music night at the Bridges. So good, we booked another act for the party next year.
Sunday, 20th September 2009
Posted by Judith on 21 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Holiday, Trying, but failing, to fly, Walking
I have never flown in Scotland before, but have always had an huge ambition to fly on Arran. Having spent most of my childhood summers looking at Goatfell, but never having climbed it, it seemed only fitting that I should try to fly it instead. We woke up to strong winds, but Zabdi Keen assured us that on the west side of the island it would be lighter. She was right, the wind was significantly lighter round the corner. It was off at Brown Head though, so we carried on to Blackwaterfoot where the wind was on, but we couldn’t find the site. She was very helpful and suggested a couple of sites and we did manage to find the launch at Caracol, but it was gusty and there was no one else there, so we decided to do the sensible thing and not chance flying in a place we know nothing about, when the wind was forecast to pick up.
Instead we headed back to Lochranza and looked around the castle and fed the tame deer with apples from our garden. Then off for a 9 mile walk from Lochranza to Laggan Cottage and then on the Arran coastal path back to Lochranza. Mountains, sea and a great view of Skipness and my uncle’s house on the mainland.
In the evening we went to a folk night in Brodick. All the musicians sat at a table in a circle with the rest of us around and one of them would start a tune and everyone else would just join in. Between the 20-odd musicians and singers who turned up they must have been playing about 35 instruments, including harps, bagpipes, fiddles, harmonium, bodhran, flutes, guitars and harmonica. It was a fantastic evening.
Monday, 31st August 2009
Posted by Geoff on 31 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Trying, but failing, to fly
Geoff writes: the last day of August, and we woke up to wind and rain, and the day was quickly canned. So a bit of a flop for the BPC, not one flyable day in this round. Not that good for the hang gliders either, in the Open – Saturday they had a task, from the Mynd to Uttoxeter, which Gary Wirdnam won, the only one to make goal. But today was canned for them too; their last day tomorrow, but the forecast not too good at the moment.
So the Blorenge Bash was a lot of fun, we met lots of people, some for the first time face to face. And nice to see Nicky Moss, over from Spain for a few days (and desperate to get back to the sun!). We listened to some good talks, did some nice tourist stuff, and drank a bit too much. We also planned some things, e.g. some different types of podcasts with Tom; and, inevitably, did some LMSC-related work. So the few days were both fun and productive. But it was a real shame it wasn’t flyable! Actually flying is infinitely better than talking about flying.
Anyway, all credit to the SE Wales club, a huge amount of effort goes into organising such events, and it seemed to go really well, and people we spoke to really enjoyed it in spite of the weather.
Monday, 24th August 2009
Posted by Judith on 25 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Archery, Trying, but failing, to fly
Geoff has requested that I make this posting interesting as even he’s bored with reading the blog. OK, here goes…
We woke up to a mad motorcycle courier doing wheelies on the front lawn, then we won a small fortune on the lottery, but decided to give it all to a recluse who lives in a cave in Bromsgrove. Just for a laugh we did naked pogo stick jumping and then went to a pagan wedding dressed entirely in yellow. The cake wasn’t very nice and the music was crap.
In the real world, the front didn’t clear here until 2pm. Then there was no wind, then too much wind and too south. We did archery not very successfully and then tried but failed to fly. Music night at the Bridges was good and nice to see our friends again after 9 days of hibernation.
Saturday, 22nd August 2009
Posted by Geoff on 22 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Trying, but failing, to fly
Geoff writes: a good flying day. We did consider going to the Peaks, but a) we thought it might be blown out, b) we were still doing LMSC stuff, having been woken by an urgent phone call at 5.00am (am, not pm!) and c) we were still feeling ill.
Eventually, we went to Clatter, where it was an epic sky. But we just started feeling worse and worse, and we didn’t launch. There were a few others there, including Martin who did get away, for around 30km. Possibly had there been some people with him, he might have got further, or maybe he was a little early, since there was still a blue hole downwind. But still, well done for that. It was all we could manage to walk back to the car.
As nearly always in this direction, the Peaks was the place to be, with at least two people getting to the coast from Eyam, and Andy Wallis doing 70km or so.