I decided to be adventurous and try a site I’d not previously flown, so off I went to Hawkswick in the Yorkshire Dales.
I arrived at 1-ish and met a fun character called Chris (aka “Foghorn”), whose policy is “never pay for a paraglider” (!). He manages this by flying old competition wings that no-one wants—the skygods want only this season’s latest gear and the lesser mortals aren’t good enough (or mad enough) to fly such wings.
Chris had already had a morning XC to Leyburn, along with Jake Herbert, who got to Catterick Garrison. He decided to walk up for another flight, and we took off just as the last of the morning crew were landing.
I got a good thermal straight off launch, but there was a rain shower in front and nothing much behind, so I stayed on the ridge instead of bombing off on a downwind dash. The rain shower came over and I landed in feisty air, just in time to get my glider in the bag before the rain spotted down.
After the shower, the sun came out and I flew for another 2½ hours, enjoying the changing conditions as the wind and thermals gradually mellowed. A few more pilots trickled out from work. There were a few buzzards about to show us how to fly properly, and it was fun to watch rabbits running all over. The abundance of Nature reminded me that although paragliding can be a competitive sport, it can also be a pastime—a way of just chilling out in nature with a bunch of mates after a day’s work.
