One of our neighbours uses our field occasionally to launch his hot air balloon - this time he had a space in the basket and invited either Peter or I to join him. Having a definate leaning towards vertigo I was very happy to pass the ride over to Peter.........until I discovered that left me to do the retrieve - it wasn't the prospect of towing the balloon trailer around our tiny country lanes that challenged me - it was the map reading that filled me with sufficient dread to do a quick u turn on the vertigo front and hop in the basket. What an amazing experience - apart from when the burners blast, it's incrediably quiet and you move at the perfect speed to really take in the detail of the surrounding countryside. It amused me to find that they navigate with a map though as landing is fraught with hazards; power lines, livestock, locked fields, not to mention the dual carriagway! Pilot Peter Mossman is off to Mongolia for a balloon fiesta in August and says that one of the things he is most looking forward to is the freedom to land without these restrictions. My photos above the campsite weren't too good as I hadn't quite got my air legs - one handed photo taking wouldn't win me any prizes but if you enlarge it you can just see the yurts on the back right.
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