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.

The second flight was really, really frustrating. I never got above 700′ ATO despite a great looking sky. Wherever I had just been people were getting up, but by the time I raced back the lift had gone and people were getting up from where I’d just raced away from. GRrrrrr.

After and hour and a half I had enough and landed for a comfort break and some food (thanks Frank). People started to get up again so I relaunched, climbed straight to near cloudbase and set off with Frank Staniland and John Baxby. When we got over the back there was shade everywhere. I hung under the black bits of the clouds and told myself to be very, very patient. I circled pretty much all the way to Much Wenlock. Frank went on a glide and got another thermal which took him to Much Wenlock and John went on a glide to the Lawley and landed at 18km. I thought I would be down with Frank, but I just managed to squeak into a climb on Wenlock Edge and this got me to Iron Bridge. I actually flew over the iron bridge and over Blist Hills Victorian museum – I recognised the 120 year old merry-go-round and the blast furnace behind it. I got into another weak thermal, but was then over houses and trees, so I had to burn off some height and land in Coalbrookdale in the sports field. There was a family having a picnic in the field and their three kids excitedly jumped up and down waving at me as I made my approach. I flew over them waving my arms and legs and then walked over to them once I was down. The youngest was in floods of tear… I had scared him once he realised there was a person under the kite. Oh, dear.

Fantastic retrieve from Simon Steele who flew to Telford for 44km. Thanks, Simon!

I was very pleased with the flight, given that there was no sun and I was on my own for most of the way. Being patient was the key, as well as settling for weak thermals.

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