Does the thought of seeing the earth and the land from another perspective entice you?

Are you eager to look down on the world like a bird with a complete and unhindered view of it all?

Does the thought of hot air ballooning excite you?

Then join the club; here at Adventure Balloons we have a real passion for hot air ballooning which is still very much alive and kicking after 27 years in the business! We are the largest company in the country offering UK balloon flights and now even operate specialist ‘Happy Birthday’ balloons! Our complete fleet has capacities which range from four to sixteen people so that we can create the perfect intimate and romantic affair, or a lively airborne party to celebrate a pivotal day!

We fly from various locations around London and the Home Counties and after many years experience it seems clear that our passengers seem to prefer to fly over a location which is familiar to them. It makes perfect sense when you think about it; say you grew up in the area, worked, or went to school there, you know the place well – on foot – however you want to see it from about and experience its true beauty! So why not take a look at our locations page to see if we cover the location of your choice? If not, why not give us a call and we can point you in the direction of one of the Balloons Over Britain hot air balloon flights member companies who fly in your location. All Balloons Over Britain members must past strict guidelines in order to carry the status and are fully certified with many years of experience and love for ballooning.

To book with us is simple, simple decide where you would like to fly and then whether you’d like to book quickly online or call on 01252 844222 to speak to a member of the team. When ordering online you can choose to have your order sent instantly by e-mail or by post and can even take a look at flight availability to get an idea of when you can take your flight! Flights start from as little as £89 per person and you have the choice of sunset or sunrise flight, weekday or weekend.

We fly people of all ages from as young as 7 to as old as 120! As long as children meet the right height requirements and you are fit and able to stand and climb over the basket, it would be our pleasure to give you this wonderful experience. Take a look at our FAQ for a complete guide to what to expect and what you need to know, along with a list of medical exemptions. However if you have any questions and you’d like to speak to a member of our team, please feel free to call our offices on the already mentioned telephone number.

Bon Voyage!

Being the true leaders that we are, in 1993 Adventure Balloons updated their hot air balloon baskets by incorporating new seats for additional comfort and safety. However it was only from 2007 that the Civil Aviation Authority recognised this major contribution to balloon flights safety and so went on to recommended that other balloon rides operators in the country should follow suit in order to avoid foot, ankle and general lower limb injuries to passengers upon landing which can sometimes come down with a bit of a ‘bump’. Trust Adventure Balloons to start a trend, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Also incorporated into this newly designed basket as required by the CAA, is measures to support the head in case of a bumpy landing. We have also added large stainless steel footwells to avoid passengers slipping on entry and exit from the basket and then no other than the “Bladerunner” landing system which was of course developed by our very own Kim Hull.

“We are proud of our passenger safety record since fitting seats to our balloons in 1993 and pleased that the CAA has finally realised the great benefit of fitting them and look forward to other balloon operators using them” says Chief Pilot Kim Hull.

2007’s addition to our superb fleet of exceptional balloons included the featured 16 passenger balloon from no other but the Lindstrand Factory where we can be absolutely sure of the highest quality and standards. You will see the above discussed additions featured in the mentioned balloon pictured above. We take pride in the complete enjoyment and comfort our passengers receive when flying with us, this is clear to see from the picture!

For bookings and more information visit the site, or simply call us 01252 844222.

Are you looking for a new and exciting way to capture your audience’s attention? The best way to do this is to stand out from the crowd. To be different to your competitors gives you a unique selling point, it enables your audience to remember you. Sure, all advertising is good advertising, but if you use the same old approach, you will just blend into the crowd and become the same as all the rest. With a quirky slogan, a catchy tune and some clever marketing, you brands image could be the first thing to crop into potential customers minds when they’re shopping for your area of product or service.

Picture the bill board advert now; what kind of image is likely to draw in your audience base? Have you considered a hot air balloon? At Adventure Balloons, our baskets have recently been used for video and photography shoots for McCains Chips (three nuns floating over the roof tops) Sheila’s Wheels Car Insurance (Pink trim on the basket of course) and now it seems some of our baskets have aspirations to break into flim!

Just look at the image above, if you saw this spread across the typical 14” x 48” billboard, there’s no doubting it would draw you in! Well this is what music photographer Paul Heartfield thought when he wanted to do a photo shoot with The Leisure Society. After contacting us, to hire one of our balloon baskets, we were only too happy to help and with baskets of various sizes, accommodating the seven piece band was not a problem at all. All that was left to do, was combine all the band member on their available dates, with a beautiful blue sky and the perfect countryside setting! And as you can see from the photograph; mission accomplished!

Alternatively, you could always use our balloons to advertise your product, service or new feature by plastering it’s basket in a banner with your company colours, logo, or slogan? Better still, we could even have the balloon itself designed in the shape of your product. Nothing captures passes by more than a hot air balloon, wherever you are and no matter how much of a hurry you’re in, everyone will stop to look up! Research has found hot air balloon advertising as a very effective and cost effective method of marketing your business. Interested? Then why not give us a call on 01252 844222.

For more about Leisure Society try http://www.theleisuresociety.co.uk
and www.myspace.com/theleisuresociety

For band photography go to http://www.paulheartfield.com/

Hot air ballooning is all about the weather! Being a completely weather dependent activity, specific date bookings can never be guaranteed. So where many of our balloon ride passengers fly on their first attempt, you’ll also find that equally as many will first undergo a few attempts. You will need to have a certain degree of patience when it comes to taking your flight; the more bookings you make the quicker you will get your chance, but worry not, we can safely say that the experience is always worth the wait.

As the UK is positioned on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean it means that traditionally we have low pressure weather systems in the winter and more high pressure systems in the summer. Higher pressure weather normally brings blue skies, light winds and little rain, where as the lower pressure systems tend to bring storms, rain and strong winds. For this reason, hot air ballooning seasons run from April to October and it is thought that the best time to fly is between July and August.

Flights tend to take place at sunrise or sunset as this is when the wind can be a little lighter. For the flight to go ahead, winds must be less than 10 miles an hour during the hour after dawn or before dusk and so careful monitoring is always required! Don’t panic however; we always let our passengers know well in advance. We use forecasts and rely on this information to be able to make the decision to call the flight on, however sometimes this information can be incorrect and so on rare occasions we have to cancel at the launch site.

It is actually very simple to predict if the wind is going to be very light or too strong and often it can be seen some days ahead as high or low pressure weather systems approach. If suitable conditions can be seen ahead, we will text passengers of available spaces and sometimes even put on additional flights.

Visibility is the trickiest to predict and is certainly the main culprit in terms of error in weather forecasts. With various weather conditions such as mist, fog or low cloud being rather subtle and varying from mile to mile, our balloon pilot’s always ensure they access the most up to date information and even rely on local knowledge.

Ballooning in the rain is frankly not an option. When you consider that the top of the balloon reaches nearly 100 degrees Centigrade (the boiling point of water), it will come as no surprise that when the rain falls on the balloon, its cooling effect is sure to have a consequence! If the balloon cools it will descend rapidly and so the pilot has to put in extra heat from the burners to compensate for the heat loss. The whole ordeal is bad for the balloon fabric and makes the balloon much harder to control; what’s more, packing the balloon away while it’s wet is not the greatest idea! So it is basically a case of watching the weather radar closely to see where the showers are forming, where they are tracking and if they are beginning to die away.

As I’m sure you can now gather, there are plenty of weather conditions to be mindful of, so if you’re booking your balloon flight, remember, if it’s cancelled, it’s for your own safety! However your patients will always be rewarded when it comes to hot air ballooning – Adventure Balloons will certainly guarantee you one of the most magical experiences you could ever have.

Hot air ballooning is the most unique and romantic way to take to the skies; unlike any other form of flying, you have a 360 degree view of the world around you giving a real sense of freedom and an idea of what it must feel like to be a bird in flight. Until you’ve experienced it yourself, you can only imagine what it would be like to feel completely un-inhibited, to see the world as you know it shrink to the size of a model toy land; places that where once familiar to you will appear unreal, you will have a whole new perspective of distance and locations.

At Adventure Balloons you can choose your preferred location flying from Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. All you need to do is book online or call on 01252 844222 and you’ll have your dream ambition booked in 5 minutes! We recommend that you call for a final weather check the evening before your morning flight so that you can be sure that the conditions are right for flying. On the morning or evening of your flight you will even be invited to help with the preparations setting up the balloon ready for flight! You can expect your flight to last about an hour, however with the preparations, travel and champagne toast, the whole experience is more likely to last for about three and a half hours.

Our vouchers are valid for 12 months; however our flights run from April to October. Due to safety regulations, passengers must not exceed 18 stone and passengers must be able bodied enough to climb into the basket which is approximately 1.1 meters tall. Our minimum age is 8, and anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. We do not have an upper age limit; we only ask that you are of good enough health to fly. If you have any doubts at all, please confirm with your doctor who can advise if hot air ballooning appropriate for you. Those who are pregnant or under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be able to fly and we recommend flat shoes or walking boots along with clothing suitable for the time of year as you will need to walk through fields to get to the balloon.

A hot air balloon flight is something that most of us dream of experiencing at some point in our lives and Adventure Balloons can turn this dream into a reality!  Before you know it, you will be drifting over beautiful landscapes with a unique perspective of the world below you and if you don’t want to experience this thrill alone, why not take your loved ones with you!

Balloon baskets are designed to accomodate the pilot and a number of passengers as well as to store the gas cylinders which generate the heat, lifting the balloon into the skies above.  Baskets range in shape and size so that you can opt for a more intimate flight for 2-3 people, or a gathering of loved ones in a basket that can hold up to 16 people.

There are two main types of balloon basket; an open basket consists of one large compartment where the pilot, passengers and gas cylinders are contained during the flight.  The second basket is known as a T-partition that consists of different compartments for the pilot, passengers and gas cylinders.  A T-partition basket makes for a more stronger basket, due to the extra struts and gives the basket more balance due to the weight being distributed more evenly.

The traditional way or making a balloon basket is still used today.  This involves weaving Kooboo and Palambang cane together to create an aesthetically pleasing basket.  Both types of cane are strong, yet lightweight and able to absorb most of the energy when the balloon touches back down, ensuring a more comfortable landing.  On occasion, the basket may tip for a less dignified but laughable landing to add to your flight experience.   

Are you one of those people who like to understand how something works before placing your trust into it?  I am one of those people and when it comes to flying in a hot air balloon, I would like to understand the concepts of how a balloon actually works before getting into one and taking off.  Balloon flying is based on the simple scientific principle of warm air rising and cooler air sinking.  Hot air balloons are incredibly large and need an awful lot of hot air to make them rise.  For example, to lift 450kg worth of weight you would need almost 65,000 cubic feet of heated air! 

Hot air balloons are made up of three parts;  the envelope (which is the balloon fabric), the burner (which propels the heat up inside the envelope) and the basket to hold the pilot and passengers in.  When the burner is used, propane gas heats up the air inside the balloon which causes it to rise.  In order to make the balloon descend, hot air is allowed to escape the balloon through a valve on the top of the envelope.  This valve is attached to a cord which the pilot will tug on to allow the air to escape.  Balloons move in the direction of the wind but as you travel higher through the atmosphere, air currents and wind direction changes.  If the pilot wishes to move the balloon in a particular direction, the pilot will ascend or descend the balloon to the appropriate level and then ride with the wind.  This is however limited to the variation in wind direction on the day which may only be 10 degrees and may not be consistent.

Now that you know how a balloon works, why not book your dream flight today so you can experience the wonders of flying for yourself?  Adventure Balloons have several fantastic locations to choose from and with limited discounts on their flight vouchers, you’d be mad to miss it!

Taking a balloon flight over the countryside will leave you in awe. Sunrise and sunset balloon flights are the most breathtaking of all, where you will see the light change and the whole landscape take on a completely different aura. Our Balloon Trips, available in and around London, from Kent to Surrey and from Essex to Hampshire, are the perfect way to take that well earned breather. The significant thing is that you will see popular landmarks from a completely different angle, from above!

What better than sharing this experienced with a loved one, perhaps celebrating an anniversary or birthday with champagne to make it an experience you will never forget, truly romantic. You can treat family or friends or treat yourself to a balloon flight over your local countryside spotting sights of nature that are normally hidden from view, you will be surprised how different things look from a hot air balloon basket. With photos to remember that special day, your loved one will have memories to treasure.

Although the balloon season only lasts for around 7 months of the year (mid March to the end of October) there are still plenty of activities to keep us busy. All of our hot air balloons are maintenance checked and repaired if necessary to ensure safe operation, but sometimes lucky balloons and baskets get the chance to do a bit of work on the side.

Adventure Balloons was contacted be renowned music photographer Paul Heatfield who wanted to hire one of our balloon baskets to do a photo shoot for up and coming band The Leisure Society. We set about finding out what the brief was for the photo shoot and found out that the band has seven members; this was no problem as our balloon baskets can hold up to 16 passengers. We then arranged a suitable day for the band and set about finding a countryside setting with a nice blue sky.

Our balloons have also been featured in television adverts for McCains Chips (3 nuns floating over roof tops) and Sheila’s Wheel Car Insurance, with some of our balloons now contemplating a career in show business.

For more information about The Leisure Society visit www.theleisuresociety.co.uk

Due to the improvements in balloon manufacture it is now easier than ever to own your own hot air balloon. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and computer controlled machines has made ballooning affordable and not just reserved for commercial use.

A hot air balloon can come in a range of sizes and colours from simple standard balloon styles to complex shapes used for advertising purposes. To make a hot air balloon the initial design is modelled on a computer to check that it will fit neatly together and that the customer is happy with it.

Once the design has been approved it is then transferred to the big cutting tables; these are controlled by a computer to ensure that all the pieces will fit together. The balloons shape is cut out of a special non-rip material consisting of nylon for the main body of the balloon and a material called Hyperlast for the top of the balloon.

The newly cut out pieces are then stitched together using specially designed sewing machines; these use a unique stitch which is very strong and durable and the whole balloon is sent to be tested before final assembly.

Once the balloon passes its final inspection it is fitted with the all the fixings for the balloon basket or harness if it is a one man/hopper balloon and sent to the customer for its first flight.