Tinto to near Penrith 118k
If you fly these kinds of distances (or a lot more) regularly then I hope some of this resonates, if you haven’t managed it yet then this might help a bit.
It was a potentially good day with lots of people on the hill and I even took the radical step (usually associated with failure) of setting a goal into Flyskyhy. The usual people took the first thermals and climbed out. Having only made Dungavel many times before, I took my time getting height, pushing forward and then trying to be ‘really sure’ that my thermal was ‘the one’ and not just another ‘teaser’. Perhaps as a result, I lost all height, side landed, mushroomed up and walked back up, sweaty and a bit cross.
Taking off again, I was determined to take the very next climb and nearly lost it before base. As usual, I felt I was flying slower than others in the gaggle and was soon behind them preferring to stay and really wait until my head was really in the clouds before finding another one. My dreams of achieving significant distance faded so I just enjoyed being at height and the great views. The sky was clouding over and the climbs increasingly weak by the time I reached Moffat but found I had caught up with several gliders I thought had left me for dust. By then I’d been in the flying a couple of hours and found myself caring less and less about where I got to.
The Solway Firth came into view and there was a lot of shadow on the ground so I just headed for bit east of Gretna hoping that any convergence would be late and quite far west, so it was lovely to see it forming just where I’d hoped and had a lovely 20mins without having to turn in lift at all. Having dodged the airspace around Brampton (a bit annoying I hadn’t seen it coming) I aimed for the hills east of Carlisle. After another couple of climbs there was a choice: head into the North Pennines where there were still good clouds or stick to where the roads were. I was getting a bit tired by then and my head was nearly ‘already on the ground’ so I took the easy option and landed not long after
The journey home was, as usual, almost equally pleasurable: hitched to a nearby town, found pub next to branch line, met lovely people and train arrived 20mins later etc.
Key points
Relax and enjoy the ride, you’ll go further
Do your scratching high up.
Remember to change down a gear when the climbs weaken
After 2-3 hours it seems to get easier.
Accept that all flights have a natural conclusion, don’t regret the few extra km you might have achieved: its been great and don’t push your luck.