July 2009
Monthly Archive
Friday, 31st July 2009
Geoff writes: another day of poor weather. At least the rain held off till late afternoon, so we got some archery in. Yesterday, we did consider heading south east, where the forecast was better, but in the end it seemed too far to go. Though Mark Watts did manage 122k from Caburn. But that’s a long drive for us, to a site we’ve never flown before.
But tomorrow is looking a little better now, with the front clearing at some point in the afternoon. Precisely when it clears will make the difference between a possible XC day from the Long Mynd, or just some evening soaring. Here’s hoping….
Thursday, 30th July 2009
Judith 30 Jul 2009 | : Archery, Flying
It poured when we woke up, but the forecast was for improving weather with an outside chance of flying as long as you waited long enough. Eddie and Bernard didn’t. They only sat on the Long Mynd for about three hours which was nowhere near the required stamina.
We worked this morning and then went out to do archery when it was only howling, but no longer raining. (If you’re sick of my moaning about the weather, think of poor Geoff, he gets this all day long!). Archery was good although I didn’t manage to perfect the techniques Brenda showed me last week. I know this because I have a big fat blister on my index finger.
Then back home over the Long Mynd but it was still too windy. At six o’clock Wayne called for us and we tootled back up the hill and rigged Geoff’s hang glider. It was way, way too windy for a PG but Gordon, Scott and James also came out to have a parawait. The hangies had a nice time of it and we were eventually rewarded for our patience with a nice flight at 8pm. Of course I had to end it by getting dragged through every piece of sheep shit on the Long Mynd. I smell like something at the bottom of our compost bin!
Wednesday, 29th July 2009
Judith 30 Jul 2009 | : Boring stuff
I’m only still writing this blog to amuse our friends in Spain with the knowledge that we’re crazy enough to stay in this rain and wind infested country. Even the met office have finally admitted that it isn’t BBQ summer after all. Wow. Better late than never.
We had a long meeting about the conference today which was very productive and then we went to play squash. It was very satisfying to be able to run around and bash things.
British Clubs Challenge final at the Mynd has been cancelled for this weekend due to bad weather. Fingers crossed for the weekend after.
Tuesday, 28th July 2009
Geoff 28 Jul 2009 | : Boring stuff
Geoff writes: rubbish weather. We worked, on online conference stuff mostly. Some Long Mynd Soaring Club stuff, including adding more information to the web site, and recording another podcast with Melise Harland (which will be released after it’s been edited, probably not for a few days, depending on the weather and other work).
Monday, 27th July 2009
This looks like the best day of the week, so we decided to go to the beach. There was a risk of showers, but when we got to Barmouth, it was warm and sunny. We found a little nook out of the wind and were soon snoozing in the sunshine. We had all sorts of ambitions to go hiking, but they all fell by the wayside after we got out our books and then succumbed to the sun again.
On the way home we stopped at the pass near Y Gribbin (a flying site we last flew in the British Hang Gliding Open in 2002) and went for a walk. Stunning scenery and we must go flying round there again some time.
Sunday, 26th July 2009
Judith 26 Jul 2009 | : Miscellaneous activities
Rubbish weather as usual but we braved the wind and rain to go to an archeology talk at Bury Ditches, near Lydbury North.
It was run by two local archeologists who came dressed in Iron Age costumes, which don’t include brollies. They carried on regardless of the lashings of rain. The talk was fascinating and you soon forgot about the discomfort of wet trousers and feet.
Then back home for coffee and brownies. It’s the kind of warming comfort food you need in the depths of a British summer!
Saturday, 25th July 2009
Geoff writes: well, I tried! We were out early because the forecast was good, arriving at the Long Mynd around 9.30, only to see our friend Dave from the Peaks being helicoptered off after an accidental chute deployment. He’s probably OK, being kept in for a cat scan tomorrow.
The sky seemed pretty good, the wind was strongish and it was off to the South. Judith and I launched, she went over the back first out of everyone but landed on the moors somewhere on the north end of the Long Mynd. I went with a few others, but base was really low, around 3700′ ASL. It was hard going and in the end I landed near Wenlock Edge with a few others. Got a quick ride back to the Long Mynd, thanks Eddie! Launched immediately, got away again. Base was higher this time, but the wind was lighter so the drift was less. Thermals still a bit weak after the first one, and I did a lot of circling in ones and zeroes. I ended up with another Hook (or an Artik?), fairly close to base. I decided to go on a glide to the quarry at Wenlock Edge, which was in sunlight. It didn’t work. The other Hook stayed with the ones and zeroes, and got a lot further (I was wrong, he was right!). I eventually landed at Much Wenlock, inevitably getting some lift when I was far too low to work it. So just 27k, when there was far more potential in the day. Frank also landed at Much Wenlock, Judith flew over us to get to Coalbrookdale, for 34k. Mark Leavesley probably won the day from the Mynd, with about 65k.
And in Spain… though it is hot and sunny, it is also very windy. The hang gliding UK nationals in Ager has had five days cancelled or stopped, out of seven.
Judith writes: The forecast was a little confusing today. The one I trusted most said spreadout, strengthening winds and worse and worse thermal strength as the day went on. We got to the Mynd at 9.30am and it was already blowing, so it seemed to me to be a day to get in the air and over the back early.
I did both, but left on my own and bombed right at the far north corner of the Mynd and had to walk back to the road. Luckily the first car to pass me was Keith, so I got back in the air pretty quickly. Read more »