Full of hot air
My fears were unfounded, and the balloon flight passed without death.
It was in fact one of the most surreal and most serene experiences of my life. We were lucky that we managed to book our flight for the clearest day of the year, combined with the best showing of low-lying Kent mist the pilot had seen. Apart from the odd roar from the burners to keep us at the 4,000 foot cruising height, and the odd dog protecting its owners property by barking into the sky, we were surrounded by complete silence for the duration of our flight.
We got to float around for an hour rather than the usual 45 minutes thanks to the almost complete lack of wind, and our pilot’s desire to land in a field easy for the retrieval team to collect us. The most unexpectedly soft landing was followed by the workout of my life trying to pull the balloon to the ground then folding it up into its bag. Then Kent-produced champagne and Pringles followed.
I want to do it again already and I recommend it to anyone. Not cheap obviously, but worth every penny.
You can see the full set of pics on my Flickr site.
A quick tour of the Hop Farm filled an hour or so before we headed off to West Malling (near Maidstone) for lunch at The Swan, where I had one of the best meals I’ve had in years. The most amazingly tender pork belly, and a great bottle of Sancerre. Another recommended experience should you find yourself in the neighbourhood.
Add comment October 10th, 2005
