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!

If you’re reading this then I’m guessing you’re toying with the idea of hot air ballooning. Many people purchase a hot air ballooning trip for themselves as a sort ‘life ambition gift’. Most of us dream of hot air ballooning one day and sadly a great deal of those will never actually fulfil the goal; it gets put off and put off until frankly, it’s just too late. Those of us who take the leap and join the world of ballooning then realise just why so many of us Brits dream of taking to the skies in this way. It is an experience like no other, exhilarating, breathtaking, relaxing, inspirational, euphoric, tranquil and emotional even. Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?

Ballooning is also a gift given to others. This could be as a birthday present, anniversary surprise, congratulations or reward gift, a romantic gesture, a Christmas present; for many their doesn’t have to be a reason! To receive those ‘golden’ tickets that will allow you the life time chance of taking to the skies in a hot air balloon, is in itself an exciting thing. Just picture the look on their face when they realise what’s in store for them!

At Adventure Balloons we cover various flight locations across Britain, for example Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex.

Our south Hampshire area is one of our most popular spots. Flying from Anstey Park in Alton, from West Meon, from Micheldever near the railway station and from the City of Winchester, there’s plenty of ‘flight paths’ to choose from. However do bear in mind, the exact course you end up taking is completely wind dependent! Our customers commonly see the impressive Winchester Cathedral and are in awe of its staggering beauty from above! Be seduced by the rolling Hampshire countryside, the River Test, the pretty little villages such as Laverstoke, Whitchurch, and the Candovers. You can often see the large estates of 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 many a time we’ve had the rather unusual experience of seeing a glider circling around Lasham airfield, or microlights flying from Popham airfield.

Book your chance to fly in a hot air balloon with Adventure Balloons and you will receieve a 12 month voucher which will entitle you to select your date from anytime (depending on which voucher you buy) over the 12 months following purchase! Book online or call us on 01252 844222.

Are you a ‘die hard’ festival goer? Do you live for your rock? Maybe you’re committed to one festival and go back every year with a reputation for being the king/queen of the fields. I’ll bet you even make your own flag for your tent don’t you….be honest now! Reading Festival is one of the UK’s favourite festivals with a great mix of bands covering music genres from indie to rock, and punk to dance, there’s something for everyone.

With next year’s tickets going on sale on the 2^nd December and talk of them selling out sooner than ever, you’re sure to find that this coming line up will be as good as the last! But have you considered what it would be like to see the whole thing from a different perspective altogether?

Here at Adventure Balloons we have flight locations dotted all over the UK. However on our balloon flights from Prospect Park, during flights at the end of August, our passengers are often lucky enough to see Reading Festival from a new and quite wonderful angle! On August bank holiday Friday evening 2011, our balloon ride passengers were treated to some great aerial views of the Reading Festival. But as you can imagine, with all the rain from the previous few weeks this was another muddy music festival! In fact, one passenger commented, “Best viewed from a distance” and I’m inclined to agree! But if you’ve ever been to a music festival you may remember the breeze the sound waves make leaving those gigantic speakers and how they literally ripple through your hair making it blow around behind you. So as you can imagine, the sound travels very well and we could hear an interesting mix of the bands performing on the many stages!

If you’d like to see Reading Festival from this perspective for yourself, then get in quick. You can book your flights for next summer now either by booking online or by calling us on 01252 844222.

Did we ever tell you about our BBC interview on the local radio station in the Oxford area? Adventure Balloons enjoyed yet another claim to fame via the radio waves where our very own Kim Hull appeared on the Malcolm Boyden’s breakfast show, giving the show the little extra lift (e’hem) they were looking for! But this wasn’t the first, Kim’s has acquired himself quite a repertoire of radio experiences having also taken part in interviews with Chris Evans on Radio 2 and Ellie Harrison on BBC 1!

Kim says;

“I thought Malcolm would want information about our ballooning predecessors such as local Oxford man James Sadler, who was the first Englishman to fly from this country n 4th October 1784 from Christchurch Meadows but he was more interested in the modern day experience of flying in a hot air balloon from Oxford. We were the first company to offer passenger balloon flights from Oxford’s city parks in 1995, persuading the council that it would be a good thing for tourists and locals alike. After the interview Malcolm asked listeners to call in to tell him about their ballooning experiences – ballooning is so reliant on the wind on the day that there is always a story to tell!”

The interview was rounded off with Kim’s usual mug gesture, where Malcolm was presented with one of the company’s giant balloon coffee mugs, perfect for a radio presenter! “We give these to landowners after we land” said Kim “They always go down well”.

Check out the above mug shot

Hot air balloon companies don’t tend to schedule passenger balloon flights during the winter months due to the ‘unforgiving’ and rather unreliable weather conditions. Conditions for ballooning need to be just right; wind direction and speed need to meet specific guidelines, visibility must be good and there cannot be forecasted rain – packing away a wet tent is a bad idea! Having said all this, when you do get a good day weather wise, it can be perfect and so sometimes here at Adventure Balloons, we take a balloon out with the crew to give them a treat, but also to enable them to learn more about what is involved in piloting a hot air balloon.

On the last day of January this year we had studied the weather forecasts and found that at around midday, the wind would change from a North Easterly to a South Westerly, and remain very light throughout. So we took out 4 person Happy Birthday balloon out at 10.45 in the morning, drifting from our Hampshire balloon ride base down towards the villages of Hook and Odiham. There are so many ‘visual treats’ on this route, on this particular day a stunning frozen lake; however you float wherever the wind takes you and for now, it took us along one side of the lake.

As we climbed in height and the wind fluctuated we found ourselves among the tree tops, after which we ended up back at this enchanting lake. At one point we were even able to touch the frozen lakes surface, flying along just a few inches above it! As some trees along the lakes edge loomed ahead, we crept once again in height where the varying winds once again took us back to this ‘magnetic’ lake where we landed gracefully on its edge; well, I say gracefully but the swans inhabiting the area were not too pleased about our sudden visit, still they reclaimed their spot when we drifted away again!

Thankfully most of this was captured by a very nice gentleman who gave us photographic evidence of our eventful morning in exchange we gave him some excellent shot’s of his home! Just take a look at the stunning photograph above! Furthermore, this lovely gentleman later sent us a link to this amazing You Tube video, please watch; it’s that good I even posted it to my own profile! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgOYsWnisk

Thanks to a beautiful mini ‘Indian Summer’ this September the British public were left with less of a sense that summer had once again passed us by. Just when we thought it was all over, there it was again; the glorious sunshine, the basking heat and the lazy hazy sunny afternoons. Sadly however, in just the blink of an eye, there is suddenly talk of snow; my how unpredictable our climate is!

Adventure Balloons however did not let the last chapter of summer pass them by without enjoying it, using it to its full potential and wringing it dry. With so many perfect opportunities to fly, we fulfilled more balloon rides than we would normally expect at this time of year and enabled many passengers to enjoy the ‘peak’ in weather better than they ever expected too; up in the sky in a hot air balloon – magic!

We’ve taken advantage of the conditions for hot air balloon rides from locations as far apart as Yorkshire, Hampshire and Berkshire and what a sights it’s been! Picture the summer sun, the warm breeze and the smell that comes with it all, combined with the changes that autumn had already began to change; the changing trees, crispy leaves, autumn mists on the ground and a freshness in the air. Combined we have a rather complex and serene effect that you just couldn’t imagine, particularly from 3’000 foot in the air drifting in a hot air balloon!

Maybe you’d like to book a flight yourself for this year or next? We take bookings online as well as by phone; simply call us on 01252 844222.

As our London flights are drawing to an end we can no longer take any bookings for flights over the Capital this year, or the next for that matter! Air Traffic restrictions mean that London flights are available on weekday mornings from late April to mid August, so you’ll now have to wait until 2013 before you can fly over this destination! Due to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, Department of Transport have made it clear that security arrangements both at our launch sites and in London’s airspace mean that our flights will preclude in Central London for all of the 2012 season.

So as our London Balloon Flights season has come to a close, passengers Amanda Ferry and her husband Stephen enjoyed a beautiful morning ride with Adventure Balloons captured beautifully in the above picture of the sunrise. The flight took off from our central London ballooning site and as pilot Kim Hull was a little too busy (as weather conditions were quite tight), the balloon ride went ahead with a line of light showers just 20 miles behind! “Without the help of the team at the National Air Traffic Services centre at Swanick who kept us updated of the progress of the rain showers we would not have had the confidence that the flight could go ahead. About 30 minutes after landing at Grange Hill, yes next to the school of the TV series we just managed to pack the balloon away in the bag before the showers caught us up”.

Mandy and Stephen thoroughly enjoyed the flight and the thrill of running from the weather; “Thank you to Kim and the crew for trying so hard and giving us a fantastic experience, including pulling on the balloon rope”.

Take a close look at the photograph where you will see that the sun reflected off the Shard illuminating the flight over London – beautiful.

To book a flight for London 2013 or to make a booking sooner in another location, simply contact us online or by phone on 01252 844222.

Today’s blog brings you the latest at Adventure Balloons and you wouldn’t believe the sights we get to see here. Yes, we know that you know all about the beautiful rolling landscapes (although you couldn’t possibly image how breathtaking they are from the Sky), the historic castles, tranquil rivers and patchwork fields; what we’re talking about is something rather different indeed!

Do you like to watch the ‘behind the scenes’ chapters on your DVD’s? Maybe you watch the ‘in the making’ documentary’s of your favourite films? I’ve even known people apply to be an ‘extra’ just so that they can watch their favourite book be made into an epic film! Madness I think, but we’re all different, very different!

Well what if I told you that some lucky passengers of ours didn’t have to do any of the above? They didn’t have to see it happen from a TV screen and didn’t have to apply to be in it just to get close, oh no, all our passengers had to do was glide overhead in one of our balloons! Our flights in Surrey often take passengers over Bourne Woods near Farnham which is famous for having been used in many different film sets due to its staggering beauty! For example the Russell Crowe epic Gladiator was filmed in Bourne Woods along with a recent Maid Marion film! Well lucky passenger Dean Collins kindly sent us in the featured picture of what he saw on the day of his balloon flight over the dramatic Bourne Woods.

At Adventure Balloons we’ve even spotted nearby Waverly Abbey whilst filming its period costume dramas, using it’s backdrop for film work! Why not book your own flight over Surrey in our hot air balloons and you may be just as lucky, as you can see on our Surrey Balloon Rides location page! http://www.adventureballoons.co.uk/newsPages/period-costume-drama.html

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly in a hot air balloon? The chances are you have, many people dream of flying in a balloon, in fact it’s at number 7 on Britain’s most wanted to do list! It’s no surprise really; ballooning is just about the most unique and unbelievable way to fly, there’s no experience quite like it. It was surreal when it first came about and it is rather surreal now!

With Adventure Balloons it has become a long standing tradition to serve chilled champagne on our flights which only sums up the whole days experiences and ads that little bit more perfection. Can you imagine gracefully drifting over the most beautiful scenery or countryside, rolling landscapes, watching the shadow of the balloon pass the ground underneath while sipping chilled Champagne? What a treat and certainly an experience to remember for a life time.

However did you know that there is actually a reason behind the whole Champagne flight experience which dates back to the 1780’s when the first balloons flights came about?

As it happens, during one of the first successful pilot flown balloon flights, the pilots decided they would take along a nice bottle of champagne to enjoy whilst in the air. Unfortunately however the bubbly wasn’t consumed on the flight at all; in fact it wasn’t even consumed by the pilots. Instead of drinking it, they offered it as a goodwill gesture to the farmers whose field their balloon had landed in, convincing them that they were not in fact demons!

To this day the tradition still stands, and here with Adventure Balloons our crew and passengers will enjoy a champagne toast – without giving it to the farmers whose fields they have landed!