Geoff flying on Clatter.Although the forecast a few days ago had been pretty good for Monday, it was gradually getting worse, giving stronger winds, and we were getting less and less optimistic. When we woke up it was completely cloudy, and breezy. In the end, this morning, we decided to try Clatter – a rarely flown site, though Judith and I have flown it a couple of times this year (Judith got past Welshpool a few weeks ago). Rarely flown, but with a lot of XC potential, and with the right drift you could theoretically get to the Peak District, if not further. Hang glider comps use it in a South Westerly, and have done some good flights from there. Wayne and I took hang gliders as well as PGs, and Judith and John took their PGs – Judith at least expecting it to be too windy for her.

And it was. We drove to the front and dropped off the two hang gliders; Wayne then drove the car back and promptly cracked the sump. So he had to phone work, and get the tow truck brought out to take him back. He didn’t fly because he was waiting for the truck (and probably not in the best of moods). I rigged and flew. It was gusty, and I’ve never flown my HG there, only the PG, and the launch was a bit of a wind up, needing to clear the fence, which I did easily. In the air it was very rough; I think the wind was just too strong, maybe creating some rotor from the hills in front, and also it was pretty thermic. I climbed out to about 1200′ ATO a couple of times, but each time lost it – maybe I wasn’t letting myself drift back fast enough. In the end, I got fed up wrestling the glider, and tried to top land at launch, twice – but overshot, just clearing the fence the second time. I eventually climbed up and landed back by the cars, and had a fine landing, in strong winds. No one else flew, and in fact the cloud increased so there was no sun at all, so we finally drove home (thanks for the lift, James, who turned up later with Graeme).

It was one of my more exciting flights, with a lot packed into 30 minutes! I don’t want to repeat it too soon. I still think Clatter is a great site – and the other times we’ve flown there have been nowhere near as rough as today – but perhaps to be avoided in strong winds when there are also strong thermals. Really, I should have got away in one of the two thermals I had, but I messed it up. Oh well, next time…..

See photos of today.

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