April
3/4/2026 The Magnet
A great looking day sandwiched between two awful ones - hence a lot were keen to be out.
We met at Seasons, two car loads, and with too many options went for the handiest -- the Magnet on the west side of Whernside. Chris and Alan walked up the backway whilst Mark came a little later. Plans were made and shared with a goal set at Durham, but for a while the hill didn't play ball. Mostly it was the backend of thermal gusts that tempted a launch only to leave you quickly slope landing lower. Chris had set up a k to the south at the thermal magnet end ... it seemed to be working better.
Gradually we all made our way to the south end, some by a bout of hike n fly. I just saved my legs via a low scoot across. Within 10 minutes it started to work, clouds formed out front, I made base, but at a meagre 3600' ... not high in the hills. Gradually a gaggle formed more or less together and the GO was given ...eight gliders left some, high, some less so.
It was not long before I broke the rule of the power of the gaggle and sticking together. I just had the impression others were heading off track (not true) and I can never see what I think is a better cloud and being tempted I headed for one ... towards Dodd and got ....drilled!
I was now on my own. at ridge height and with a crossed wind .... I trickled off the south end, hoped a building cloud would work and I'd found climbs here before. All rather desperate stuff. I found broken lift, persevered, pushed into wind and it got better .... and better ... and soon I was back over 4000' and crossing Hawes. Near Semer I saw the gaggle high, several gliders seemed low and behind me someone else was caught in the Dodd snare. I think they went down.
With fair height I rejoined the gaggle thermal (weak) then did the usual trick of heading off W to better, then realised it wasn't a good plan and turned back east to Nappa. Below James came in very low to Nappa ... meanwhile I was back climbing and watching James. His middle name is 'Tenacious' ... he was soon climbing and we met up approaching base. I videod a little then shot off towards Fremington very confident I'd find something. I should have waited. The gaggle slowly circled at height to the north but again I thought I knew better and time was passing to make Durham.
Then I discovered the delights of Fremington - close up. It's an impressive ridge, long, multi featured and today it only had broken thermals and few of them. James arrived low at the very NE end ... and climbed out straightaway. I headed that way but found nothing, so back to the very opposite end and sinking lower. The last chance was a really good looking cloud out front .... so at ridge height I set off forward. The first lift was OK and I almost committed with no great height ... then fell out what I felt was the back - forward again. Now it got good, then really good and with little drift I was soon at 5,200 and into cloud. I was also heading drectly into Feldom D area ... so left or right. I went right (east) to skirt it. The clouds still showed there but the top cover came in fast and the sun went. I was high, but on a glide where I felt luck was against me. Ahead lay the busy A66 ... beyond minor roads and I didn't think I could make West Auckland. So ... I settled on what I thought was a service stop but only an odd country retail park - but busy (maybe a lift?).
I landed in a nice field in a gentle breeze, packed and thought now it gets tough. Then .... a miracle! I crossed the road, took off my sack, turned and there was a car. The angel was Andy (Beevers?) .... returning from Far Whitestones. Andrew took me back to Leeds station (I think that may have been slightly out of his way) enroute to Huddersfield. I cannot thank him enough and I owe him more than a few pints (if you read this send me your number and get your reward - you helped me enormously) Thankyou.
Quick train journey from Leeds and a short bus ride from Settle completed an excellent day.
6/4/2026 Stags
It wasn't a bad forecast, but I lost an hour and a half thinking it was maybe too windy - and early reports suggested that was the case. Therefore it was approaching midday when I arrived ... I couldn't see any gliders flying, until I looked to the heights. Half a dozen small dots could be seen ... high and well out over the valley. On the ground it felt OK at times followed by the odd gust when it seemed more marginal. Still, it's a short walk to take off and even shorter for the 'windy' take off I tend to opt for.
I laid out, took off in little more than 10mph and flew along the edge ... it even felt on the lighter side if anything and slightly more SSW than SW. As the ridge turned to face more directly into wind then the better lift appeared ... and lots of it. There was no great height but more easily than normal I was across and flying Humesett. It faces more SW so the lift was a bit patchy - still I had a Volt 4 for company (Adam Whitehead doing, it later transpired, the NCS task - and making goal). I didn't find the same climbs here, but persevered until I felt I could make it over to Cotterside which would be better for the wind direction.
Sure enough Cotterside was working fine ... unfortunately the sun had slunk behind high cloud and shaded out the ground ... at least for a spell. Towards the Moorcock I met a decent climb but not enough to continue further - on a good day I want to make it to Baugh Fell. But not today.
I turned and headed back, hoping for a climb to get across to Humsett and hopefully overfly it. The sun was now out again. It wasn't to be but from not far above ridge height a climb soon came and took me easily across to Stags. I trundled off the east end, maybe shoiuld have gone further for my modest out and return. Then ... it got a bit more interesting.
My intention was to just fly back and land near the cars - probably a breezy one. To lose height I headed out but the further I went the more the lift kept coming. However, I had to be back for kick off and time was getting tight. It took a while to find the sinky bits to turn in but eventually I landed in quite smooth air. I had expected a bouncy ride in ... but it was OK.
Adam came over for a chat, Gary landed moments later but I didn't have the time to chat.
So .... I drove back in a rush, only to find a blocked road, cars queued up and somewhere in the distance (you can guess) a crashed motorcycle plus police and a firetruck. Once the road cleared I made the second half .... although I wish I hadn't.
8/4/2026 Far Whitestones
It was a warm spring morning as Tom, Rob and I wended our way through those tortuous last few miles of single track road to FW. Lovely as the day was, it wasn't exactly xc weather, base was too low and rasp wasn't that good .... but, we did find thermals and we had a lot of J36 company. It was a very sociable day, brightened even more by Mike Cav dusting off the cobwebs from his Zeno 2.
Initially it was a bit light, but if you walked to the top you could manage a scratch ... maybe even a slope landing for your trouble. I sat about 2/3 up the hill above the bracken line with Mike Mason ... and we waited for the wind to come to us. Pretty much on the dot of the forecast, at 1pm things moved, the sky changed and the thermal cu's appeared.
My take off wasn't pretty as I caught a line. Second attempt better, but resulted in a slope landing ... the wind was a bit off to the south and the place to be was where the hill turns. Having sussed this I moved up 50' and was soon away and climbing easily.
For the first twenty minutes I wasn't always that comfortable. Close to the hill (and rather typical of FW) thermals were rough and a bit bullet-like. Later they mellowed (or I got use to the surge and catch routine). The first decent climb was with Andy and (?) over take off ... then I headed off, roamed around a bit and eventually set off to join the forming gaggle - out front and to the south. From that point it was really nice group thermalling ... a rare J36 gaggle. I knew every wing ... except one. Who was on the Phi? Turned out it was John H and that glider (a cheapo £750 B wing) went as well as anything and probably handled better than most. Down below Rob had pushed his luck scratching the back bowls before the hill really got going and was enduring a sunny afternoon walk out. I videoed a short clip of that walk out .... from above. It looked really pleasant so at least he was enjoying himself.
Then we all scooted back at various heights. I climbed back high over Fell Head and thought a trip over to Blease might be a nice way to finish. It was ... I met a lone gull, we bonded, he who turned a few times, I did too ... but neither of us found much other than I noted his far superior glide angle as he headed back upwind. I in turn ... headed down the M6 to a landing by the car.
Later we had a Loweswater Gold debrief In the Dalesman, some crisps and two smal bowls of chips that cost £13! Really?
I usually just pull stills off my video ... this time I 'cobbled' together some bits for youtube. No music, just the sweet sound of a chirping vario.
10/4/2026 Stags Fell
Rasp was an over indulgence of RED. Coast to coast and surely over optimistic ... it couldn't be true as it was mostly in the north. The proverbial fly ... was the wind, OK initially but forecast to back and increase, hence the window seemed short. Build your plans around that.
Rob and I drove over to Stags with Tim following not far behind. I thought it already seemed like it may be too windy - and it was still before 11am. However, at Ribblehead it was fairly light - just maybe. At the Stags parking ... it was still 50/50 ... a glider was flying, but not going forward that much. We walked up ... if only for the criac (Gary was there).
So ... for a while we all chatted, renewed acquaintances, shared stories and the wind seemed to drop. Then it went light, then strong, then acceptable ... so we laid out the wings. Gary was away first, soon high and en route to a 100k northward.
So to the task I shared. I've set a few guidelines (not set rules) for myself this year - if I can avoid it I don't want downwind dashes with all the retrieve hassles - not at my age. So it was an out and return from just north of Stags to Preston under Scar and back - 42k. I've tried it a few times, getting to PuS is OK ... getting back is a lot tougher as it has a long upwind transition back to Nappa. My hope was the backing wind, to S would help the return leg.
Take off was OK, wait for a lull and cleanly away. I can't say I did a single beat or made a single 360 ... just straight to Humesett and climbing all the way. I'll take it. I tagged the start cylinder as Tim climbed even higher to my north. Everything seemed to be going up, the sky suddenly looked very good and (I should have waited) but instead I just headed straight for Nappa thinking the sky owed me. Not a good mindset ... but I never learn this lesson.
I skipped Whinfield, not very high, and after a small climb came low onto Nappa, only just above the ridge top. it seemed the wind was lighter here and rather off to the west .. but soarable. A spot of soaring and looking for that good climb ... the next transition is quite long and twice in the past I haven't made it. Today I did ... but only thanks to a good climb midway.
A word about the climbs. The clouds were good, the thermals, often strong were solid. However, each time I could not manage to get above 3600' which was well below cloudbase. I still can't figure out why - did I lose them, fall out of the side or just move on too quickly instead of searching and re finding? I think I saw the sky looking so good I was too confident of bumping into the next climb. Not wise, as the sink between climbs was severe and often had me back below 2000'. Long periods of sink alarm!
I reached the PuS turnpoint easily and tagged it. Now to get back. Tim came on the radio from a field below the scar ... he'd tagged also, but trying to get into wind proved too much. It was now a bit more SSW. It's quite a long slightly upwind leg back to Nappa, about 8k. I needed height. I headed out to a cloud out front having dismissed a weaker one. It worked, but again only 3600 and it was drifting me back to Bellarby D area. To have a chance I needed nearer 5000' and to get upwind a bit. I should in retrospect have persevered, but instead the superb sky to the east tempted me. I skirted along the south edge of Bellarby, got another climb (to 3500') near Leyburn and crossed the Catterick training area on another climb (to 3500'). Ahead lay Richmond.
Beyond Richmond to me is boonie land, I never can make any sense of it. A place of strange towns, villages. people and limited public transport services. Meanwhile the calming voice of Pete Logan kept coming over the radio - miles way to my east - a lovely bedside manner voice to whomever he was giving advice to. Dr Peter Logan flying coach.
I meandered around over Richmond, not looking for climbs, but rather the bus station. Not easy, Richmond I discovered sits on a deep valley side - later I experienced how steep the walk in and the even steeper walk out is. I also discovered a lovely landing field called the Racecourse ... no thoroughbreds, just lots of walkers, paths and dogs that are captivated by paragliders. I was directed into town with ... and it's fair way.
Eventually I found the market square, what passes for the bus stand and a chippie across from it. But ... no buses! I got some chips, had a think until an old lady in her 80's with a bag of bits asked me for a chip - or two. We both missed any buses going to Leyburn - so I started walking. It was warm, the road out from the river is long and steep (superbly impressive castle), but eventually I found a level place, clear of double lines to hitch. It didn't take too long, maybe 15 minutes, until a lone women in her 50's (I estimate) stopped. "You're not an axe murderer are you?" she said . Nope ... no axe, just a paraglider. She then said she was a pretty 'sassy woman' ... and if I could handle that. Well, for a lift I could handle anything ... even a lfit from someone with a Reform sticker on their screen. Yes ... I will sink that low for a lift.
She got me about 2/3 of the way, but I was probably not the strongman she said she wanted. A bit more walking and then Tim and Rob collected me. Big, big thanks to Tim for the awesome retrieve.
And that .... was another adventure that this paraglding game throws up regularly.
Bit of video ...not much. The gopro (again) got accidentally left running - hence the odd angle. LINK
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