Trip over the boonies by J Wallis age 9 3/4

[John Wallis]

A trip over the boonies

I thought I would share this flight with you as it was one of my most enjoyable for a long time and also because it was my first half-decent XC on a paraglider.

The day started with what looked like a moderate WSW wind according to the anemometer on the top of Hartside, we thought it was the perfect day for hang gliding on Cross Fell. We got to the top to see Maltby and Fenny with their paragliders out and hardly enough wind to fill the canopy? A call to the pilots in the Lakes and they were saying it was blown out? The cu’s were starting to form bringing a little wind with them but the wind had also started to go more westerly. Watson and Rutherford were up scratching around and something started to come through so I gave it a go…Not good enough so a side/crash landing beside Maltby saved a walk back up. A few minutes later Maltby and Watson were scratching around a nice looking cu was coming in and the air started to get lively. The two of them were gaining height and getting kicked around a bit. I waited a touch longer then pulled up the canopy which whisked me off my feet and took me over the edge flying backwards…Weeeeee this is different there’s definitely lift around. A couple of beats above the top and started to circle in what was a pretty rough bit of air. The climb out was quite slow and the drift was well west. At this point I was sure Maltby was above me if only I could have been arsed to connect the radio …Bugger. Anyway the lift petered out only a couple of hundred above the Cross Fell summit and slightly to the south, nowhere near enough height to even contemplate thinking about crossing the bad lands. The clouds looked better toward Great Dun Fell so I made a bee line for them. Half way along the ridge I hit some air that had me crapping myself again, it really was tossing me about pretty bad. It was at this point that Neil Smith came into my mind. I remember him saying just a week or so ago if you hit turbulent air cross your legs and spread your knees and lock yourself into the harness, this helped but it was still unpleasant. Upwind was a nice cu which was creating all this shit so I pointed into wind and waited, when it did come through properly it was good lift which had me drifting almost directly over the radar station. I looked down wind and thought that is a canny strectch even to get to Cowgreen reservoir where there’s a track to get the car up. As usual the thermal weakened as I drifted over the moors and I had the choice to drift with the weak sink or go for a glide that always ends on the deck. However there was a nice cu starting to form just slightly cross wind and I set off for it. 8 down alright I can hear you, 10 down still heading towards my little cu 8 down 6 down turbulence then the holy lift. Topped up my height again then had the decision to bottle it and glide to towards the cars parked at Cow Green which were marked only by the sun glinting off the windscreens or head for rising ground north of that and another cu building. The sink wasn’t so bad on this glide and I was rewarded by a cracking thermal. A few thermals later and Cow Green was in the distance. I was then faced with more boonies but plenty of into wind ridges and cummies I could reach, this continued until I got into Weardale with Stanhope off to the east. There was a void of clouds a big blue gap and with my height starting to drop I didn’t have enough time to make a glide onto windward side of the valley. My glide along the Wear valley was quite pleasant with one strange and special moment, a bit of lift came through which I started to turn in but instead of the usual whoosing and bucking around the lift was smooth, warm, and the most weird it went dead quiet? No wind noise eh? Am I stalling ? Where’s the brakes? Am I pulling and not realising? Everything was in order, Oh the other thing there was a smell of flowers as well…It was just such a special moment. I had seen a landing field with no wires (Loads of wires around Stanhope) With a couple of hundred feet left I did pass a quarry which Alastair Wolf had seen on the trace, I did think about flying over it but being on a duvet I decided it wasn’t a place to visit and get a collapse, plus I could smell the cold beer from the Grey Bull.

I’ve crossed this stretch of bad lands twice on my hang glider the first time I landed in Sunderland (Where they stole my glider and weighed it in) The second time I landed half way to Cow Green reservoir and had the carry out of all carry outs. If that happened on the Laminar I’m afraid it would have to stay there I just couldn’t carry it out. So as they say 2 out of 3 aint bad.

If you get the chance to do this flight on your paraglider I would say give it a go. If you do land out at least you can pack it up and walk out.

I hope I haven’t bored you all but it was such a special flight I wanted to share it with you all.

JW

[AlastairW]

Excellent write up John!

We are not worthy.........

A really ballsy flight!

[brian day]

That's the best top to bottom of the year!
Nice one John!

[Chris L]

Fantastic John, really good write up on your flight. It'd be good to have more of this on the forum for those XC flights or special days or evenings - Gary & Paul

[Neil]

well done just goes to show its not the wing but the man pulling the handles. Do they come in a large??

[myerscouse]

Most Bowdajious Dude...Respect Due In'it

Great write up John...And Great Flight.....Well Done