Leave home at 5.30am and drive to Sheffield.

At my sister- in- laws house, I grab 40 winks, Maggie goes shopping with her sister and I head for the Peak District.

Wind westerly but looking a bit too breezy! A few miles from Bradwell there seems to be nobody flying above the ridge. I stop, have a look around, and can't believe it - there are about eight paragliders a couple of thousand feet above launch and climbing!
Imagine Rhossili Down with a giant thermal generator out front and a gliding club situated on the top. That's Bradwell Edge.

On take off there were half a dozen hang gliders about to launch and a dozen frustrated paraglider pilots. A few of us launched in a lull and found ballistic thermals coming through. It was more like spring Alpine conditions with big punchy thermals. Probably a total of twenty pilots got away during the course of the day in a fabulous sky!

By late afternoon the whole ridge was being used by all three types of gliders in smooth mellow conditions, Fantastic day.