lost sheep

Sometimes flying the hills of Kent isn't enough, Paul reports back from a long afternoon jaunt to Bo-Peep in Sussex....

'I visit the South Downs a few times a year as it's a bit of a swine to get to, either lots of miles via the M25, or lots of 'A' roads any other route. Such driving doesn't really set you up for quality flying. This time I left from Canterbury and took the coastal route via Hastings and Bexhill. I caught sight of a few full size gliders over Ashford and took this as a good omen!

new wind farm going up near Lydd

I can see the sea!

(are we nearly there yet?)


bloody hell, there's hundreds of 'em
(took this as a bad omen!)




paragliding Dean on a mission

'It took me less about an hour and three quarters to get to Bo-Peep, this hill takes a NE and is situated about halfway between Long Man and Firle Beacon. The car park was heaving, and a couple of the Thurnham paragliding chaps had arrived just before me, it was certainly good conditions for them.

hmmmmm ...... f l y i n g w i n g !

here's the hill, it's off to the west of the paragliding launch site

and is steeper and higher in the flesh

The law of the land down these parts states that paragliders should stay out of our air space...when I arrived, they did cruise past on a regular basis so I held back from flying. It certainly wasn't as tight as Thurnham, in fact flying with them probably wouldn't have been an issue, but I didn't fancy chancing it at an unknown site.

Then 'Mike' from Lewes turns up , and the paragliders don't stop him. Mike is a hypnotherapist, but I don't think this fact had anything to do with flying at the same time as the jellyfish.

Mike launches

Mike has some interesting sun glasses that have a prescription insert, I really need something along these lines, as the sun is going to start getting lower in the sky now, and without my normal glasses I'm blind as a bat!

not doing my ears any favours

cheerio South Downs!

'Stopped off at Camber Sands on the way back to check out the dunes, a right nice little site I reckon, probably good for a S to SE? I will report back on this one at a later date!'

shocking photo of the dunes I know.....but it was actually proper dark!