Adventure Balloons enjoys some of the most beautiful areas Britain has to offer. With their pick of launch sites in locations such as Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex, it crystal clear why Adventure Balloons are one of the top choices of Balloon Flight Operators in the UK.

Our Surrey balloon rides however seem to be the pick of the bunch; you can choose from launch sites in Farnham, Godalming and Guildford which offer some of the South’s most stunning historical buildings and rolling countryside.

We launch from sites in Shalford Park Guildford, next to the beautiful St Catherines Chapel and from the Burys in Godalming next to the tranquil River Wey. Also launching from Farnham Park, next to the enchanting Farnham Castle which amazingly still retains its multitude of architectural styles built over the centuries, our Surrey rides are a clear winner!

But what else can you expect to enjoy this unique, birds-eye-view over? During your balloon ride you may float gracefully over the stunning Guildford Cathedral, Frensham Ponds (where many of us can say we’ve held treasured memories), Loseley House and Alice Holt Forest. In fact, you may even glide over the small villages of Churt and Puttenham or the ruins of Waverley Abbey. Many passengers have been lucky enough to sight Black Lake where we are told A.A. Milne was inspired to write Winnie the Pooh.

If all this sounds like a dream for you, why not make it reality? It’s very simple, you can either book online which is fast and easy, or you can phone us for more information where we will also be happy to answer any of your questions and make bookings for you – 01252 844222.

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

Are you stuck for ideas on how to entertain your children, or your visitors this summer holiday? Maybe you can’t afford to go away on holiday this year but would like to create a memory for the family, something to get excited about, to talk about back at work or school? Well imagine the exhilaration of a hot air balloon ride? On most people’s ’10 Things to do Before I Die’ list, hot air ballooning will certainly add a sense of fun and adventure to your holiday season, plus you’ll find the build up to the big event almost as intense as the ride!

Adventure Balloons specialise in their wonderful talent of making their customers enjoy their day to the max. Our crew encourages passengers to get involved in the whole process from inflating the balloon to deflating it and we talk you thorough every step. We even reward our customers with a flight certificate, in flight photographs and a wonderful complimentary champagne toast at the end! We have a reputation for friendliness and are frequently complimented on our pilot skills at making the passengers feel comfortable, safe and maximising the fun.

Many people like to gain some kind of insight into what ballooning is like and find that our website is very thorough. We have many in flight photographs for you to view, customer testimonials and in depth write up’s of what to expect. You can even take a look at our ballooning videos which give you the best possible glimpse into hot air ballooning. Take a look at this London flight video for example.

You can make bookings on line, by e-mail or by phone – 01252 844222 and bookings can be made for a variety of different popular locations; Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex.

Enjoy a day to remember with Adventure Balloons – the largest hot air balloon company in the UK since 1985!

Here at Adventure Balloons we pride our elves on the service we give our customers, not just in the air, but online too. We have compiled a range of ideas to bring you the most innovative ways to learn about ballooning, to learn about us, to make your booking and even to preview other peoples in flight photographs first so you know what to expect from your flight experience. You will find many resources on our site including the ‘About’ us page where you can find all the information you need about our history, our experience and expertise, our customers testimonials and a description of what to expect from your day. Customers find this section useful in gathering knowledge of us and reassurance that they are in safe hands. This is also a popular section for customers who are a little nervous about their flight and would like to learn a little of what to expect.

You will find a whole page on our London flights where you can learn of our different London launch sites and what you may be lucky enough to see during your flight. Here you will also find a great selection of bird-eye view images of London and its attractions taken from the balloons themselves. Take a peek at our locations page where you can discover our various other flight launch sites in destinations such as Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. Select from any of the listed locations and learn of what you are likely to have in store for you from there as well as catching glimpses of the various different landmarks of the areas.

Also available online is our bookings feature which enables you to quickly and simply book your hot air balloon voucher from the comfort of your chair. Choose from various different packages and discounts and find flights from as little as just £69 per person! Here you will also have the opportunity to buy gifts and memorabilia as well as your in-flight photographs. Choose an e-voucher as a gift and select from various different voucher designs. The process is straight forward and you will receive your printable e-voucher by e-mail right after you have filled in the boxes. Take a look at available dates to confirm we’re free on that important day and what’s more, we even have birthday balloons available which you can read all about at our Birthdays section.

You really can discover everything you need to know about us and about hot air ballooning at www.adventureballoons.co.uk. However if you’re looking for the personal touch, just give us a call on 01252 844222 where one of our team will be very happy to help.

Taking a hot air balloon flight provides an excellent opportunity to capture professional looking photographs with your camera.  Many passengers are unsure whether they are permitted to take a camera with them.  Well, you are more than welcome to!  Just remember that your camera along with any other personal possessions are your responsibility.

When drifting over beautiful British landscapes, you will have many opportunities to take spectacular photos of your incredible journey.  A hot air balloon relies on the wind direction and speed to determine its flight path, making every flight and its views unique, but views may include those of the magnificent countryside that the UK has to offer, historical buildings and architecture, quaint villages and towns, churches and cathedrals and miles and miles of coastline.  Be aware that if you intend to capture professional looking photographs in a hot air balloon, you will need to fit a UV filter to make sure that you take the best quality photographs possible.  Cameras without a UV filter may cause your photographs to be a little hazy.

Other than taking incredible photographs from the dizzing heights of a hot air balloon, you can take wonderful pictures of hot air balloons from the ground!  There are so many flight locations across the UK, you shouldn’t have to travel too far to witness a hot air balloon floating through the skies.  Pilots will generally launch hot air balloons at dawn or dusk when the wind is at its calmest.  At Adventure Balloons, we operate flights over London, the Home Counties and York and Lincolnshire.  You can take a look at our website for information on locations and launch sites or for booking your very own flight!  Our pilots and ground crew are incredibly friendly and always willing to offer information and advice.  If you are lucky, you may get to witness the take off a hot air balloon.  Keep your eyes peeled!

A popular question that is asked my many hot air balloon passengers is “Can I take my camera on the flight?”.  The answer to this common question is “Yes!”.  Passengers are more than welcome to take photographs on their flight.  In order to have the best photographs possible, we would suggest that you fit a UV filter to your camera otherwise your photographs could end up looking hazy. 

Flying across beautiful landscapes hundreds of feet high in the air offers many excellent chances to take spectacular, professional-looking photos that you can wow your friends and family with.  You will have a wonderful birds-eye view of rolling countryside, magnificent architecture, pretty villages and churches that will allow you to take impressive photographs at the click of a button.  Booking a flight to take magical photographs couldn’t be easier!  Simply visit the Adventure Balloons website where you can find information on booking flights and much more!

Alternatively, you can take impressive photographs of hot air balloons from the ground.  Hot air balloon flights occur at dawn and dusk during suitable weather conditions.  If you are at the right place at the right time, you may even get to meet balloon pilots and ground crew!  Simply visit the Adventure Balloons locations page to see where your nearest launch site is, grab you camera and keep your eyes peeled! 

For more information, visit our site to contact us via our contact form or alternatively, you can give us a ring on 01252 844222.