Tag Archives: Paragliding

Paragliding at Combe Hill

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Today I went Paragliding at Combe Hill near to Newbury. The wind was not ideal because it was a North East wind. This site should easily take a North East wind, but for some reason it can be quite rough when blowing from that direction.

There were very few people there, probably because of the wind, the football and the competition in Wales. I had three flights, two short flights when the wind was light resulting in me doing a couple of side landings.

The final flight was 20 minutes, when there was plenty of lift. It was quite rough and I did not enjoy parts of the flight. The wing had a couple of small asymmetric tucks while I was flying. I bottom landed in the end to get out of the rough air.

I did not fly again, because the wind was stronger and everyone who flew after did not enjoy their flights much.

Paragliding Coombe Gibbet

Blasdale Home Posted on by

The mobile phone started to text message me with wind warnings at Coombe Gibbet. Yes the wind was blowing from the North West, so it was a Coombe day. I dithered around all day wondering whether to go. Eventually I left work at 3.15, and arrived at Coombe at around 4.45, to find about 20 paragliders at the site.

There had been flying, but the wind had gone further round to the West and now it seemed unflyable to me. I did see some gliders do a little flight, but with the liklyhood of no thermals at the end of the day, and the wind not on the hill at all, I decided the trip had been a waste of time.

The moral.

Make you mind up early and go and fly, don’t wait till the end of the day. 

Take note of the forcast, this did show the wind moving to the West at the end of the day. This made Dunstable flyable late on, so I should have gone there and not Coombe.