May

1/5/2026   Semerwater (SE)

Most of J36 went to Whinfell, but it seemed too easterly, too strong and with a poor rasp. The other consideration was wave ... which was very evident as I drove over to Hawes. I stopped on the outskirts and could just see a glider (Paul Rowntree), not doing especially well, but staying up. It had been windy in Ingleton, very windy at Ribblehead, but OK in Hawes ... I didn't expect many at Semer so was surprised to see many vehicles parked, but only Paul airborne.

Initially I set up on the lower shoulder, before the wall (laziness) ... it had seemed just about OK there but the wind dropped further to quite light. I gave it 10 minutes then decided to get a bundled glider over the wall which went easier than expected. By this time four others had launched. It was still light (ish) but gliders were doing OK and obviously getting into the wave.  Geoff C arrived and after exchanging a few words he carried on to the main encampment and I launched.  Others I noted later were laid out on the very top.

By the time I had made only half a beat I was 150' up and the wind hit, it was strong and on the rough side. In the first 10 minutes my xctrack thought I'd lamded as it registered zero forward speed.  Other gilders were doing well, one especially must have been approaching 6000'.  I pushed forward in variable  lift, sometimes it felt OK, at other times wierd with the glider yawing and always on the verge of something nasty. However, despite being uncomfortable it never even batted a tip.  I guess I was the weak link.

Eventually, like others who were mostly above me, I headed for a big cloud that seemed a mix of thermal and wave. In front of Addleborough I hit a strong climb, now usually (a brave man would core this to the heavens) ... but it was both strong and rough so at 3'100 I decide to try for Nappa. I also had one other consideration ... on take off I noticed my vario was down to 10%  ... this was strange as I usually have everything topped up. Suddenly I had no vario. Anyway the Nappa  idea didn't last long as the wind seemed to have too much east so I then decided enough was enough and headed back .... at speed going west.   The sink was strong and persistent and there was no way to get back to the cars. Instead I tracked along the Cam road to a nice  landing in almost nil wind. Moments after landing Richard M called to check on me  .... a nice thought. Thanks Richard.

A sweaty, but pleasant walk back before meeting Geoff in the Creamery for coffee. Apparently just after I launched the wind increased to 30 - 40kph and all thoughts of aviation were abandoned.  I believe others landed down near Bainbridge.  Sitting outside the Creamery four gliders seemed to be doing OK on Stags, although it appeared windy.

4/5/2026 Mallerstang 

Rob James and I arrived at the Tailbridge parking after leaving a car in Hawes. There was already quite a gathering of NE pilots with more arriving.  There was no rush at this point with only a light wind and full cloud cover - so not that inspiring.  Rasp indicated we were on the edge of good to the west,but very cloudy to the east. That proved very accurate all day.

We three decided to walk onto Mallerstang ... with two others following a little later (Liam and ?). For once it seemed we didn't need to go to the top with the wind a nice 10mph and spot on.  Better still, the sun was starting to break through in patches over the valley and along Wild Boar.

The next two hours were nice flying, decent, occasionally hard edge thermals but base remained at about 3500' - although some managed over 4000' up the edges. I had a  goal downwind but it always looked a bit grim that way and still full cloud cover. I was occasionally tempted when at height with company but opted to stay playing along the ridge. 

Finally, as the two hour mark approached, and with my car in Hawes I set off along the slopes towards the Moorcock. Newton's Third Law then kicked in after my last good climb and heavy prolonged sink was my reward.   It's a fair way along shallow slopes and I gradually sank down them, following the contours at about 40'. It didn't look good. Then ...a saver, rough and quite broken, but it gained me 600'. I could have followed it, but it still felt low so I continued on to the Cotterside take off area.   The wind being a westerly was blowing along the valley, so the slope was the last place to be and I headed out into the valley, getting ever lower.  The Cotterside slope reared above me, the road only a few hundred feet below when something weak came along. Another low saver. After two rough turns Rob came on the radio ... but I was too busy to do more than a broken garble.  The climb got better, cleaner, and more consistent and took me to near Stags.  However, the total, grey cloud to the east seemed to offer nothing so, although still with height, I decided to land near Hawes for the ease of it.

We had coffee in Hawes and then I went home to become engrossed in *watching Jacob fight his way back through the Lakes, late and often low. It was truly inspired and determined flying. He made it back on his 60k FAI epic and thenturned back from Clough to land at Ambleside. It was well past 8pm and he'd been in the air for about 7 hrs!

* L24 is 100% better for watching live action with all the data  than PT

STILLS LINK

10/5/2026  Clough Head

Tom did the honours by driving James, Rob and myself to Clough.  It took away a lot of the retrieve pressure and worked out well ... except maybe for Tom. So thankyou Tom.

All my planning had been based on Barton, but Clough was actually the better place as it turned out. Some early birds had walked to the very top, when the wind was more N ... but every forecast had it backing more NW/W after 1pm ... it was also very light.  The timing tuned out to be spot on ... we no sooner arrived on the Knotts (to find many others ... mostly J36) then the wind started blowing nicely onto the face. 

I hastily put in another triangle ... nothing huge, just over to Barton then down to Seat Sandal and back.  The climb out was straight forward before tagging the cylinder out front then heading back onto the ridge.  All it took was one big climb wth James to 5,500' and we set off - Rob was ahead, initially high, but he rapidly became a dot in the folds below Place fell and sheep were looking down on him. Midway towards Barton James headed south ... I assumed he had a similar task to myself. Maybe not.

I tagged the cylinder with 5000' on the clock and set off towards High Street. It got a little more tricky here and some gliders were low (they looked low anyway) on the Patterdale ridges.  I flew forward, got under a cloud and a decent climb - it seemed quite rough in parts and it was cold at height.  Now a dilemma.

I try to stick to tasks, but often fail to do so .... a big failing I can't seem to shake off. My next TP was Seat Sandal, back on the main Helvellyn ridgeline. The thermals showed a northerly drift and I wasn't sure the main ridge would work ... or even which side. With hindsight and checking the topo I think it would have been OK. At this point Rob came on the radio saying he'd canned the task and was heading downwind - James was doing similar.

So .... I did too and the sky looked very good that way .... actually, in every way

Newtons Third Law then kicked in .... big strong climbs equal big sink too. Still, I was sure a climb would turn up. I flew towards the east side of Longsleddale and a rounded bump with a large flat top. I wasn't too far above the terrain and even scouted the valley for the best  way out - it's a long valley as the name implies. The climb arrived ... but boy was it rough!  It got better with height and still way above me was James ... then he was off downwind. It would be a lot easier with two so without taking it as high as possible and confident of another climb I hared off after him. He had the luxury of height ... I didn't which would be my undoing.

It was a long glide to the Howgills, then over the motorway. The sky now was 7/8 cloud and looked rather dead. A small weak thermal came along .... about five turns and a few hundred feet gained. I just wanted it to really come together but it never did and then died. On to Holme Knott ... it was in shade and because I fly it I knew it was quite small, shallow and needed some wind. Maybe the back of Winder would have been a lot better choice. I arrived just about the middle ridge ... flew along and note the one small tree for wind - nothing. And that was about it ... I dribbled off the south end to land near the main road. 

A very quick lift back to my car at Cowan Bridge then off to collect James from Malham tarm. He did really well and took the best climb of the day over the Magnet - to 6200' ... that gave him a nice long glide, but unfortunateky not the next climb which I guess would have got him to Skipton. Newton's 3rd Law strikes again.

Pints in the Mason with  a group of others. A Curates Egg sort of day.

LINK    Few ... it was a bit rough and I had almost no company

11/5/2026    Park Fell

I worked most of the day but managed to get out about 4:30.  It looked OK on Park so I walked up. I thought I was on my own until I spotted another glider about to launch just above my usual low launch. He took off, flew out and then down to land at the bottom. I think he was quite low airtime as the ridge was working really well ... he just didn't work it. 

Anyway, great sky despite it now being about 5:30 and an easy fly down to Ingleborough. The thermals were still working and still quite beefy under good clouds. Eventually I climbed to about 4500', then to whernside and headed back  over Blea Moor - a bit of a float around and landed by the Station Inn.

15/5/2026   Park Fell

A 10am windcheck suggested it was maybe too windy so we stood down until noon.  Puretrack showed Chris Kay flying, but that doesn't always translate into flyable. By the time Rob, James and I were  walking up he was long gone and the wind had dropped to nicely soarable from low down.

James was soon away, I followed within five minutes. I tagged my start cylinder, searched the sky for him but no sign. A look on the flarm page showed him at 5200' and almost 5k downwind already. My climb out came immediately. a good strong thermal to approaching 5 grand and I was crossing the flat moors towards Horton. The sky looked good and a second thermaL lifted me to 5400'. At this stage it looked straightforward, in fact the lift was so consistent and good I moved south to avoid being drawn into cloud.  Then things became more difficult.

The clouds seemed to stop working, the climbs became weak. Gradually I lost height and the ground was very much shaded out.  The odd bits of lift produced a few inconclusive turns before I continued on downwind. Low over Airton something better, quite weak where I could make full  turns in lift ... the odd promising bit, then it was gone.  That drifted me nearer Gargarve and a bus route. The height gain was minimal. I tracked along the canal aware it was windy and looking for a decent open landing area.  I selected a slightly in wind shadow place and put down to very little wind, Then it gusted and settled again as I packed. 

It would only have taken half a thermal to make my goal at Crosshills, under 3000' ceiling.  A nice canalside walk into Gargrave and a bus with James back to Ingleton - so an easy day out really.