August

2/8/2025   Three Men

The six on Three Men.

Being a bit lazy, six of us opted for the shorter walk up and easier car retrieve of Three Men ...plus it doesn't need much of a thermal to get across Kingsdale to the Magnet. At first it felt just soarable, on the slope but a bit light .... so several slope landings and Westie even took one to the bottom. Eventually the cloud cover broke and l took a climb that got me across to a now deserted Magnet ..but nothing en route as l had wanted to simply fly over it.

A few high beats and Mark G and Westie came over too. With three gliders we soon found a climb but although it started well it didn't go that high and left us independently scrambling over Blea Moor. I was defo the lowest and most desperate for salvation ...Mark the highest. Mark carried on whilst l just made Wold Fell. Westie, a bit higher joined me. I'd been here earlier in the year and it had a provided a good climb ...in fact it's often a bit more reliable than nearby Brantside.

No beats ..just pushing forward and waiting. I can't say l noticed the wind .. although radio traffic from Wether had mentioned it. I should admit at this point, inexplicably l'd forgotten my helmet when packing ...never, ever done that before. I had a coat with a hood, to prevent it blowing back l'd tied it under the chin. It was OK ...except it always seemed to cover one eye. This was annoying!

Westie and l got a sort of half arsed climb that again started OK ..but again petered out. It allowed us to cross easily enough to Dodd. One glider on the ground, laid out pointing S but another flying ..OK, so it was working. Westie and l ended up on the north end and despite hanging around into a now fresh SW we found little to inspire. Westie headed out for a death glide toward Hawes finding scraps, followed by a windy landing. I found (yet again) the first three turns of a teaser that disappeared ...Wether was a no hoper so l flew down the valley ...at speed, to a nice landing field. It wasn't too windy and an OK landing ...not perfect as l slallomed an impressive tree to a slightly cross wind slide in.

A bit disappointing, nevertheless eventful and l didn't have my lucky helmet although l did have Chris' lucky 187k jacket. I think the magic has worn out though.

10/8/2025   Three Men

Not a bad looking day - but again too windy!

Waited until 4pm before it dropped enough to fly Three Men. Within an hour or so it was dropping further and became a rather scratchy session.  Joined by Richard, and later Danny and Geoff with new wing and harness (when I can't sleep I try to count the number of harnesses Geoff has had in the past 18 months.)

PHOTO LINK

14/8/2025  Twistleton (Scar) Knott

A very handy place to know, for me it's very local and a good alternative to Tow due to it being able to take wind from SE, through S to WNW - Tow always seems to have the wind off to the west (and it's also a school site). Best direction is SW to WSW.

With other places reporting light winds to 3Men blown out, it was a nice surprise to find the hill had a lovely soarable breeze, on the hill and with the icecream van operating just 10 mins from launch. There were lots of 'waterfall trails ' walkers out.

There are several nice grassy take off's and also many limestone pavements behind them.  I launched in about 12mph and was quickly hoisted to  200' ato. The sky looked good, the lift excellent and the thermals seemed friendly. I headed up the western facing edge of Kingsdale towards the plantation and farm - the wind being more WSW.  Although I've flown here the odd time and dropped onto it before, I'd never really explored it. Now was the time.  

With the clouds working I followed some good climbs back, always tempted to leave the ridge - or at least head towards the Magnet. The drift was fine, the wind remained about 14mph max at height. I was pretty sure I could reach the Magnet, the slopes turn more WNW but it seemed very doable. The problem was getting back and I really didn't want a walk with it being so warm.

In total I had about an hour of excellent flying. I kept looking for Rob to arrive but he got waylaid.  I nice field to land in by the car in a very light breeze and very pleased to have discovered a promising new. very local xc site. 

I will return.

15/8/2025  Dodd Fell

It may have been consistently good down south, but this was the first really good day in ages up north. They don't come along often so make the best of it.

Rob, Alan and I set off for Dodd Fell ... we were amongst the late starters and by the time we arrived the main gaggle were leaving the hill. In retrospect it possibly meant we had the easier flight as the convergence was that bit better established and well positioned.

I'd put a goal into my Skytraxx at 81k, just short of the East Leeds airspace and where I knew there was a regular bus from Tadcaster back into Leeds centre. This would just have cleared 100 xc points. Then Sod's Law intervened. I couldn't get the S5 to acquire a satellite, hence no waypoints would open, no route could be set and the only thing working was the vario. I then reverted to setting a route in xctrack, which I then shared with Alan and Rob. The only problem was in my haste I'd set it at 78k and in my eagerness to be away couldn't be bothered changing it. I gave up on the S5, hoped it would start in the air (it never did), plonked a mini emergency vario on the flightdeck (just in case) and took off.

The climb out was pretty easy, but with a base at only around 3600' it could be tricky over the high ground to Great Whernside. Rob set off lower, whilst I hung on for Pete Logan who was climbing to base below me. Then we set off. Behind Wether Pete called a weak climb ... he gave it up and headed off getting lower, meanwhile I hung back, searched until eventually finding a good climb to base and set off for Buckden. Radio traffic indicated the first gaggle were struggling in the Nidderdale area ... so stay high and stay a little further south.

Approaching Great Whernside about four gliders could be seen  soaring the NW face although the wind seemed more WNW. Not wishing to get stuck and still failry high I opted to try a cloud out in front of the ridge. It did work, but wasn't that strong or consistent, so  not a lot of height, I gambled over the back into big walk out territory. I'd spotted a glider circling over the moors behind, but had now lost sight. For a while it seemed a rash move, I was in the sinking air and all I had was a cloud to head under and the thought that this area had worked in the past.  I found a weak climb, slowly gained a little height - at least enough to escape the moors. Down below I saw a white glider laid out and a basking pilot ... I imagined the despair squid at work. 

If the escape thermal had been rather weak, the next was very strong and I knew I was now  truly established in the convergence with the clouds lined up nicely downwind.  The rest of the flight was very starightforward and really just a case of navigating my way down the convergence, sometimes ducking to left or right to either find a climb or avoid the darkest bits.  Approaching Harrogate I bumped into Rob and I knew Chris K was close from the radio chatter - but no GPS equals no FLARM, so I couldn't pinpint him. 

Heading towards Wetherby a rather strange cloud line appeared off to the east. It went right to the ground and initially I thought sea breeze haar. It turns out it was possibly smoke from a huge moor fire near Fylingdales. At this point it was just taking odd climbs and heading for our goal at Tadcaster. I arrived there just after Rob. The thought then became should we carry on? But .. a plan's a plan so I tuned back upwind to land, still at 2000'. Going back upwind was simply one long climb ... 3k later I was back over 3000'. It took some doing to find any sink to core down in, but eventually I touched down in a baking hot field. 

A quick pack and the expecations of a walk turned (miraculously) into 100m to a bus stop. A quick phone chat with Ron (he had just missed the bus by a few minutes) when the same bus arrived at my stop.  That easy ... OAP bus pass and into Leeds centre. Again ... off to the station, time for a sandwich (a pidgeon cheekily just walked up and stole the other) and coffee. Whilst waiting for the 18.19 to Ribblehead Rob and CK arrived so we had a convivial journey back together. A pint in the station Inn with Rob's car just up the road.  One of the easiest retrieves ever. 

A fairly standard flight, I've worked harder for 20k and the lingering thought that maybe Doncaster was the better, original plan .... or the triangle we thought it too windy for.

Photo LINK

16/8/2025  Park Fell (east)

I didn't intend to go  flying ... even though it looked sort of OK ish. At 1pm I thought of Whernside as it was handy, but the wind seemed very NE so that plan became Park with the intention of taking off part way up the north spur and hopping the wall. The S5 also seemed to be working again so I may as well try it out. 

The higher I walked up the spur the more easterly the wind became. I laid out, waited, but it only got worse. In the end I balled and walk to the top, then through onto the east face. This is where it got interesting.

There is a gate onto the east face ... easy enough to get through even with a balled glider.  I got through no problem, took a few paces and looked back to close the gate. Like some long embilical cord my reserve lead back to the gate and the reserve handle neatly hooked over the latch pin.  The reserve bag was open, but the reserve still packed (phew!). What followed was 30 minutes of putting everything back together and checking. Then I were good to go.

I had about an hour of decent, if unexciting flying mostly over on Simon Fell before heading back and eventually landing at Ribblehead. My only regret was that if I'd left it five minutes I could have videoed the steam train heading over the viaduct.  I spent some time circling over the station and pub and it would have procuded some interesting video.

Stills LINK  (the last few aren't mine, they appeared on fb)

21/8/2025   Semer N

Exam results day!  Half Y11 managed top distinctions .... amazing, best ever.

It didn't look a great forecast, but interesting enough to drive over to Hawes to check out a site I enjoy and many others overlook, being one of the few true Dales northerlies I'm not sure why.   It was pretty much 7/8 cloud and the wind seemed on the light side; only when I dropped into Wensleydale did I become more hopeful.  Within moments of  emerging from the car at the Semer parking  I knew it was good. A gentle breeze and a good direction.

A short five minutes to take off on the shoulder and a 10mph wind meant I could take off low and soar up.  The hope was the wind would do as forecast - start NNE and go NNW giving about 2hrs to play with. It did exactly that and allowed the full ridge to be flown. Thermals were few and short lived, the sun occasionally showed to brighten the day and the air was quite bouyant.  It total I had three flights, a few top landings and managed almost 2 hrs flying before heading down to Hawes and coffee.

On the drive back I saw the AE school out of Park and the wind had backed further to NW. It was obviously light, only possible to maintain (for Dean?) and the rest managed a fly down.

Very few photos LINK

22/8/2025  Dodd Fell

Rasp suggested it should be OK; the morning didn't. The clouds were right down, there was a hint of drizzle and  there seemed more wind that forecast. Rob and I initially went for a 11.30 meet-up, then deferred that until 1pm based on various site reports. On the drive over it didn't seem that bad. at the Wether roadhead, doable - so Dodd must be OK? Best of all the sky was starting to look interesting.

We arrived to find lots of vehicles, but best of all a glider flying - soon there were two. We walked over to find a number of sitters, but no one too keen. That of course is the higher, rougher take off - the lower one is 100% better unless it's on the light side. The surface is clean and smooth underfoot and it's altogether a much nicer place to layout. Being higher really gains nothing from the ridge. Well ... that's my opinion.

I had a slightly rock and roll take off, turned right for 200m and that is about all I can claim of flying Dodd.  The first climb came very quickly and hoisted me to 3500' where I was joined by the original two gliders. They seemed to want to carry on, but I wasn't ready. I headed forward to a better cloud and climbed to over 4000'.  The day had really changed, the sky had opened up and the clouds looks excellent - best of all the wind seemed fairly light ... rarely more than 17 kph at height.  The more I pushed forward, the more each cloud developed ahead and worked, the more I thought triangle - maybe similar to the one I'd done a few months earlier.

For the next 15 minutes I rather wandered around near Widdale somewhat aimlessly before losing height and turning back. Another climb, passing Rob going the other way beneath me and soon, with base enveloping me at 4500'  I set off downwind as the sky looked rather good. I had everything but a plan; some company  would have changed everything.

Despite being confident of the next climb, it didn't arrive and I slowly sunk into Yockensthwaite, the valley sides rising ever higher. Which side would work best?  I tried deviations to both before finding weak patches of lifting air.  It took a while, some searching and losing it, but eventually it came together and got me back to base.  Buckden passed below, then Starbottom and Great Whernside seemed the obvious next target.  The next conundrum was which face - the NW or the WSW. The forecast wind shift (veer) was starting to become  apparent and there was more wind in this area (as usual). So I went for the NW face.  

This is where my retrieve anxiety kicks in and tends to dominate flying decisions. It's getting worse with age!

The sky said just go downwind, over the moors towards Harrogate. The cloudline looked good the clouds beefy ... with several others that's where we would head. But .... my car was on Dodd so I took another way - towards the weaker sky.

With the wind now more NW I looked down the very long line of shallow slopes, bumps and outcrops that form the east side of Coverdale - 15k's worth.  Arriving at Great Whernside I got a decent climb, but within four turns I was soon going to be committed to the moors and pulled out. The height gave me enough to bypass  Little Whernside to a shallow slope (the edge of Dead Mans Hill plateau).  It was a decent slope but the wind was slightly crossed except at the very shallow end. I persevered here for quite a while, never getting much for the next long crossing to a very shallow slope, eventually I reached the great height of 2200' and just made it over with the help of the odd bubble of lift (Scrafton moor and Great Roova Crags). Despite being just a shallow slope it seemed to work better, maybe because a few bits of cloud began forming out front and a few small birds added encouragement to explore out beyond the ridge.  The next crossing was even longer and the hill (Flamstone Pin) although steep was not the ideal shape ... merely a prow sticking into wind so the first slopes were cross wind.  In the end with the help of some weak lift I made it across.

By now I was find it an engrossing piece of flying.  Scratching along, solving the puzzle, planning the next move. every hill and slope slightly different until eventually I was free of Coverdale.  It had looked a long way when I set off.

I assumed the next bit would be a downwind sled ride, but oddly as I moved out from the ridge and over the valley some lift appeared and I could thermal again. Nothing strong, a mere 1m/s at best.  The thought of Masham crossed my mind, but it was after 5pm and that meant no buses to Leyburn or Hawes, so again retrieve took precedence.

I landed at East Witton. Packed and walked to the edge of the field to find ... Rob!  Amazing. I expected a walk and some hitching and here was my car and a ride back. A professional, paid retrieve driver would transform my flying. Thanks Rob.

Not the day I expected, or the flight I had, but memorable for all sorts of reasons.

Photo LINK  (I wish I'd take more on the final sections)

24/8/2025   Stags

Overcast and windless ... several options but none really any better than any other. I went to Stags ... maybe the wind would come on there later.

Liam and Martin were already there, plus Alan Shields and his wife .... as some left, others would turn up later. Lots of just sitting around in windless conditions. Finally the sky showed signs of breaking and the wind came on the slope - never more than 8 - 10mph but it was quite bouyant, so just enough.

We sacrificed Liam to prove it was bouyant, 10 minutes before the wind arrived ... but he had pub suck. Martin then showed it was just soarable so I joined in. After 15 minutes it got more tricky and Martin slowly went down. Now joined by Mark (?) ... we almost joined him, but found a decent climb out front and followed it back onto the edge of the moors. Fearing encroachment we came forward again (Stags rules).  Just some general soaring after that a few brief weak climbs and I landed by the car.

In total about 33 minutes ... which was 33 more than I'd hoped for an hour or so earlier.  Down to the Green Dragon the finish the day with a drink. The sky now looked really good.

PHOTO LINK (only two I had a moment for).