Adventure Balloons have partnered up with Balloon Rides Ltd (www.balloonridesltd.co.uk) to offer you a wider selection of balloon flight locations. Now you can go through us to book flights in York and Lincolnshire too! But who are Balloon Rides I here you ask? Balloon Rides are in fact York’s longest running balloon operator! They were created by founder Tom Donnelly together with his unlimited enthusiasm for the sport of hot air ballooning and with his 30 plus years of experience in flying and manufacturing hot air balloons, Balloon Rides are proudly at the forefront of modern hot air ballooning. Coupled with us at Adventure Balloons, who are of course another founding member of hot air balloon rides in the UK, our customers will have a far wider choice of where to take their dream hot air balloon flight.

Balloon Rides Ltd’s pilots offer their customers the security in the knowledge of their national, international and world ballooning award wins. They have flown television and film celebrities, secured several national flight records, and made a number of ‘adventure’ flights crossing the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the Alps. With Balloons Rides you can be sure of unrivalled expertise, an unblemished safety record, excellent personalised customer service and a passionate enthusiasm for the sport.

Still of Britain’s ‘Top Ten Things To Do’ list, there’s no doubting the magic and wonder of hot air ballooning. For everyone who has ever flown in a balloon, it is a truly memorable event, one that will be treasured forever and one which will be completely unique to any other experience. Giving the gift of a hot air balloon ride ticket is certainly unbeatable and guaranteed to get quiet a reaction! What’s more, it isn’t as expensive as you might think! With balloon flights from launch sites in Yorkshire around the county’s ancient Capital City of York and over the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside near Grantham, Stoke Rochford and Rutland Water and a minimum price of just £89 per person, what have you got to lose?! Simply book online or call us on 01757 288 888.

It’s just 2 weeks until Valentine’s Day and your time is quickly running out, so let’s make things nice an easy for you. There is still time to book your loved one a paradise hot air balloon ride for February 14^th, but you’ll need to organise this fast. Adventure Balloons take great pleasure in offering romantic balloon rides. We are well aware that it is an experience that is likely to stay with you forever and will certainly make a real impact. We know you want to impress, otherwise you wouldn’t be making a statement with a balloon ride present; that’s why we pull out all the stops to tailor each individual ride to each of our customer’s specific desires. Let us know what you expect from your day with us, whether you’d like to fly in a group or if you’d like it to be a more intimate affair.

We can offer your flights in locations Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. There’s no waiting on the postman with us, you can simply book online and we will email you your vouchers to be with you almost instantly! However if you’d prefer us to post them we will.

If you determined to fly on a specific day, call our offices on 01252 844222 to check the date availability and book, or alternatively view our ‘Dates’ page where you can see this information online. Do bear in mind however that due to ballooning being a weather dependant ‘sport’, if the conditions aren’t right on the day, we will have to re-schedule. We advise that you call on the day of your flight to check that the flight will be going ahead.

Next you simply need to choose from our various different voucher options which include the following:

Weekday Morning Champagne Balloon Flight – Just £89 per person! – Valid for flights from Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Oxford, Surrey and Yorkshire. The voucher entitles you to a weekday morning flight during April – October and includes full colour gift voucher valid for 12 calendar months, flight in a hot air balloon, passenger insurance, traditional Champagne toast and presentation of flight certificate with return to the take off site by licensed minibus.

Weekday Champagne Balloon Flight – Just £109 per person! – Valid for flights from Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Oxford, Surrey and York. The voucher entitles you to a weekday flight during April – October at any of our time slots and includes full colour gift voucher valid for 12 calendar months, flight in a hot air balloon, passenger insurance, traditional Champagne toast and presentation of flight certificate with return to the take off site by licensed minibus.

Standard Champagne Balloon Flight – Just £129 per person! – Valid for flights from Berkshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Oxford, Surrey, Sussex and York. The voucher entitles you to a weekday or weekend flight during April – October at any of our time slots and includes full colour gift voucher valid for 12 calendar months, flight in a hot air balloon, passenger insurance, traditional Champagne toast and presentation of flight certificate with return to the take off site by licensed minibus.

Nationwide Champagne Balloon Flight – Just £139 per person! – Valid for flights from the widest selection of launch sites across the UK (excludes London). Includes full colour gift voucher valid for 12 calendar months, flight in a hot air balloon, passenger insurance, traditional Champagne toast and presentation of flight certificate with return transport to the take off site.

So you’ve decided on Adventure Balloons as the operator to take you up on your first hot air balloon ride, but now you simply cannot decide which of the fabulous locations to opt for! Tricky one; all our locations are wonderful for their own reasons, we cover the fascinating Oxfordshire, York & Lincolnshire, fabulous Hertfordshire, you’ll see plenty in Berkshire, and plenty more in Essex Kent and Sussex, one of our favourites is North Hampshire and Surrey is simply beautiful. London is of course out of the question with this year’s London Olympics and Paralympics and also with the Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. The Department of Transport have made it clear that for security reasons our flights will preclude for 2012. You can however book for 2013 is you’d like to see London from 3’000 foot in the air!

One of our favourite balloon flight paths is our South Hampshire location taking off from launch sites in Alton, Micheldever, Popham, West Meon and Winchester.

Depending on which site we take off from (which is determined by the wind direction and weather on the day of the flight), you may see the impressive Winchester Cathedral, the breathtaking rolling Hampshire countryside, the tranquil River Test and various small villages such as Laverstoke, Whitchurch, and the Candovers during the balloon ride. However, this too depends on which direction the wind is blowing. You may also see large estates such as Leckford on the River Test where Waitrose produce a lot of their food, the Mid Hants Steam Railway that runs from Alton to Alresford, and if you’re exceptionally lucky, you may even see a glider circling around Lasham airfield, or microlights flying from Popham airfield!

When flying from our South Hampshire launch sites we have to keep clear of Southampton Airport at Eastleigh, and also keep our passengers out of the Solent! So you can see why in order to provide you with a safe and enjoyable flight, the site chosen will depend entirely on the wind direction and speed on the day.

Why not visit the site where you can easily book now in any of our flight locations, you can even click here to see videos of our flights over Hampshire! However if you’re after a more personal touch, then call one of our team on 01252 844222!

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!

Having just promised my own 10 year old a Hot air Balloon flight for her 11^th birthday this year I can safely say, judging by her reaction, that it is simply the best present a person could ever ask for. In fact, did you know that according independent research Hot Air Balloon Flights consistently fall in the “Top Ten Things” people have always wanted to do?

Let’s face it, a balloon isn’t exactly the best mode of transport, so if you actually need to get somewhere, maybe you should look at hiring a car. However, if adventure or an ‘out of this world’ experience is what you’re looking for then Hot Air Ballooning is just the thing! There are few things in life that can compare to the pure thrill and exhilaration of a ride in a balloon, regardless of your age! The unique sensation of being airborne in a balloon, 3’000 feet in the air with a 360° view will please anyone whether you’re 8 or 108 years of age! We have never failed to achieve a ‘gasp’ reaction from our passengers as they gaze down at the earth below, a panoramic, bird’s eye view.

Giving a balloon flight gift voucher for a birthday present would make the most amazing surprise for anyone, young or old and here at Adventure Balloons we have options which can make the whole event even more memorable!

• Have you considered purchasing our Balloon Flight Gift Box? Your loved one can then un-wrap a box containing a DVD or video and surprise gift, along with your Balloon Flight Gift Voucher, brochure and 20 page map pack.
• Book our exclusive “Happy Birthday” balloon, the only flights operator in the UK to have them!

Since 2000 we have operated a 2-4 person balloon for exclusive birthday groups and due to an overwhelming response to customer requests we have now added two new 16 person happy birthday balloons to our fleet so that all our passengers can fly in a happy birthday balloon. These additions mean that you can now book our Happy Birthday balloons for party bookings!

When booking a date for your flight, just check with our staff for available dates to fly in these balloons at no extra charge. (Available on most of our balloon flights in Berkshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Oxford, Surrey and York in 2012). 01252 844222

With so many balloon flights companies to choose from, what is it about Adventure Balloons that makes us so popular and why should we be your first choice? Let’s face it, if you’re booking a balloon flight that’s going to take you 3,000 foot in the air, you’ll want to check out the companies policies, track records, testimonials, reliability and more. We expect this and in fact recommend it, and are 100% confident you’ll be happy with what you find here at Adventure Balloons.  Before you browse through our site, we’ve listed in today’s article the benefits to using our company so that you can decide whether or not you’d like to visit the site or call our team.

• Fast Bookings – Not only can you call us to book your flight, but you can easily book online too where you will even be given the option to choose your voucher design. Vouchers ordered online for e-mail delivery will arrive instantly!
• Check Date Availability – Unlike many other balloon flights companies, you can check our flights schedule so that you can see how often we fly from each of our locations (Berkshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, Oxford, Surrey, Sussex and York)
• Low Prices - Book vouchers from as little as £89 – the best value balloon flight in the UK!
• Birthday Balloons – Enjoy special birthday flights in our one-of-a-kind Birthday hot air balloon which features our Adventure Balloons colours and a giant ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ message!
• Great Reputation – Many Adventure Balloons customers come from personal recommendation – check out our customer testimonials to see why!
• Flexible – Adventure Balloons is also able to cater for any special requirements you may have.
• Various Capacities – We have several balloons with capacities ranging from 4-16 passengers!

Adventure Balloons became so popular and renowned for their quality of service and eagerness to please that the only way left for them to continue growing was to create the group Balloons Over Britain. Balloons Over Britain has 10 member companies each offering flights in different locations across the UK. With over 70 different launch sites across Britain, and from Adventure Balloons humble beginnings, it has to be asked…why go anywhere else? So if Adventure Balloons do not cover the location you were after, take a look over at Balloons Over Britain where you will find a member company that does.

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/

With the London 2012 Olympics fast approaching, unfortunately we will not be able to offer you the chance to enjoy a romantic hot air balloon flights over the UK’s Capital during 2012. Latest discussions with the Department of Transport have made it clear that because of the security arrangements both at launch sites and in London’s airspace required for the Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, we will not be able to take bookings for our Central London Hot Air Balloon Rides during the 2012 season. So if you were waiting for the thrill of seeing our beloved London from 3,000 feet in the air, you will now have to wait until 2013! Tickets for 2013 flights will go on sale in November 2012. So whatever anyone else tells you, you will not be able to see London from a balloon during 2012, unless from a very long way away!

Considering this news, it was a good job our 2011 London flights ended on such a high; we all remember the rather shoddy and un-summery weather we had during August, however our balloon flights over London had a rather spectacular finish! With so many factors to take into consideration including wind speed, visibility, precipitation and so on, it can be expected that flights will be cancelled and re-scheduled from time to time. But at Adventure Balloons our last 3 scheduled flights of the London season all went ahead as planned! When you factor into this that statistically a flight in most areas has about a 1 in 3 chance or better of going ahead each time, I’d say we got lucky! In fact you could say it was a minor miracle; London balloon flights require far more precise weather conditions and so you have more or less a 1 in 6 chance of your flight going ahead!

This luck even spread to our foreign tourists who were in the capital for just a few days, given them just one opportunity to take a flight. With passengers from Spain, Brazil and Saudi Arabia all flying on their first and only dates, I’d say we earned ourselves a shining review! However we did tell our lucky visitors not to tell their colleagues back home that London hot air balloon rides happen just like that, as we also had one passenger who had 33 attempts in 4 years before he was flown this June! It really is down to mother nature, and maybe a touch of the luck of the draw.

In January this year Adventure Balloons experienced the breathtaking experience of flying a balloon during some of the most beautiful weather conditions! With January 2012 fast approaching, we can only dream of having an equally amazing experience! We flew from France through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Mondovi in the Piemonte region of Italy a place famous for its annual balloon festival which was being held. This part of Italy produces Barolo and Asti Supmante wines, delicious truffles and quality balsamic vinegar.

As the area lies between two mountain ranges, the winds tend to be very light. Thanks to the time of year, the beautiful landscape was sprinkled in snow making the buildings in the city sparkle and shimmer, a magical look that took our breath away. We flew with up to 30 other balloonists over the town and surrounding countryside and found that the Italians are extremely welcoming with a huge fondness for the Balloon Festival. Wherever you end up landing, you can be sure that you will be welcome and you could see balloons as far as the eye can see flying low among the roof tops for all the people to see.

It really was an experience like no other; in fact on one occasion we flew past a church tower as the midday bells were ringing, far too beautiful for words. Spotted by the bell ringer, every bell in the tower began to chime in an amazing peal; we’re still not sure whether this was to warn us off or to participate in our enjoyment!  The whole area was dotted with churches, we were bound to land near one, however our inspiration came from the Cathedral or “Sanctuary” at Vicoforte near Mondovi which has the largest elliptical dome in the world, or so we were told; what a sight it was!

If you’d like to enjoy Adventure Balloons wealth of experience, we are renowned for giving an experience second to none. What gives us our job satisfaction is tailor making every passengers balloon flight to be individual, stunning and ultimately a wonderful experience, one you will never forget. Perhaps you’d like more information? Simply browse our site where you can even book online, or call us on 01252 844222.

If anyone was going to cross the English Channel in a Hot Air Balloon it had to be Adventure Balloons and my how patient we were! Being the only UK balloon flights company to possess a ‘Happy Birthday’ balloon, of course we had to choose this for the trip!

We exceedingly patiently waited on standby from the beginning of October 2010 for the first Channel Crossing by hot air balloon since 2005! But low-and-behold, October and early November simply didn’t provide the North Westerly winds required to blow us to France by the shortest route (from Dover to somewhere close to Calais). In a normal passenger flight scenario, we leave room for enough gas to get us through an approximate hour flight. Making the crossing did not entail the addition of any passengers and so we obviously had more room for gas, however a crossing with a speed or direction in excess of 2 hours would be tricky and could even result in a rather unfortunate wet dip if the fuel ran out. Obviously not wanting to take this risk, we had to wait it out until the ideal weather conditions arose.

As you can imagine, the organisation and preparation required for an event such as this is quite staggering! It was all hands on deck! Another Balloons Over Britain member company Airborne Balloons (http://www.airborneballoons.co.uk/cross_channel.php) organised the event, leaving the matter of getting the balloon ‘ship shape’ in our hands. This involved the addition of further fuel tanks without compromising on space, radios, cameras, sandwiches and of course the essential ingredient, chocolate. We also had to organise immersion suits and a self inflating 4 person life raft (just in case) which was hired from http://www.aerosafe.co.uk/index.html. To save space the life raft was attached to the outside of the basket as was one of the fuel tanks!

Our hopes were raised on Monday April 4^th when weather conditions appeared spot on; however it wasn’t until a few days later that the event went ahead. At five o’clock in the morning we arrived in the dark at Lydden Hill Motor Racing circuit for the mass ascent and an attempt on the world record for the greatest number of balloons flying the channel! Palletways sponsored the event and were very hopeful. At 6am we had our safety briefing which was shortly followed by the very much anticipated balloon take off at 7:15am. Our balloon, carrying probably the youngest person to ever fly over the channel by balloon, then flew over Dover Castle, overtook the ferry as we sped along at speeds of up to 30knots at 1,000 feet (nearly twice the speed we could safely fly passengers) and having flown over Calais Harbour we landed at Calais Airport at 8.45am, covering about 25 miles in a hour and a half!

What an achievement and what a memorable morning it was!