I thought hot air ballooning was meant to be a peaceful affair. But I feel like I am taking part in an updated version of Anneka Rice’s Treasure Hunt. After three days of waiting for the right weather conditions I get the call from the pilot. “The forecast is good. We’re going up tonight,” he says urgently.
I race towards the rendezvous point, a large field near Biggar in Lanarkshire, where I meet my fellow passengers as we clamber into the basket. One woman confesses that she is afraid of flying. “Don’t worry,” I say, “the pilot knows what he is doing.” At least I hope he does.
“The best thing about hot air ballooning is the uncertainty,” says Graeme Houston, of Scotair Balloons, the company taking us out this evening. “I am taking off into the unknown just like everyone else on board. I don’t know what’s going to happen once we’re in air. You can’t control the weather, particularly in Scotland.”
On that alarming note he opens the propane valve, sending great wafts of hot air into the balloon above. It does not shift. He tries again. Nothing. No amount of nudging seems sufficient to spur this big bulb into action. I am so busy smirking that I don’t notice we have lifted off the ground.
Looking down from the basket, I can see Shieldhill Castle shrinking to the size of a toy. The owners wave as we drift over a herd of Highland cattle and into the unknown.
An estimated 2,000 people annually take to the skies in a hot air balloon — more than double the number six years ago — and there are now three companies operating in Scotland: Scotair Balloons, Alba Ballooning near the Pentlands and Virgin near Perth. A few years ago there was only one.
The sport has become so popular that the first Scottish Balloon Challenge, a three-day festival that begins in Fife on Friday, has attracted more than 20 balloonists, who will take part in a series of flying challenges including an aerial game of golf, races and a game of tig.
This flight is a doddle by comparison. Our job is to stay within a 15-mile radius, avoid horses, as they are easily scared, steer clear of rain, as it damages the balloon, and land in a field devoid of crops, cattle and cowpats, which can ruin deflated balloons. Plummeting into a field of pedigree livestock can also upset local farmers, warns Houston.
“I’ve been chased off a field by one farmer with a shotgun,” he says, adding that he now carries a bottle of whisky as a peace offering if he makes an unplanned landing in a farmer’s field. “Another time the wind dragged me off and I landed in Carstairs hospital car park. That sure got me into trouble.”
Just five minutes into the £160, 40-minute flight and we’ve climbed to 1,300ft. All preconceptions of Lanarkshire as an industrial waste ground vanish as rolling hills stretch out before me. Arran’s tallest mountain, Goatfell, sticks out on the horizon, along with Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps. The western skyline is a glow as the sun sets in the distance.
Ballooning generally takes place just after sunrise or before sunset, when flying conditions are most stable. As I’m a late riser, I blagged my way onto the evening flight to avoid a 4am start.
Karen Rankin, a 37-year-old psychiatric nurse from Hamilton, says this evening’s flight is a dream come true. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s my birthday today, and my husband gave me this as a surprise. I’d been talking about it for ages,” she says.
Lisa Scott, a 37-year-old mortgage broker, her husband, Andy, and their two sons have waited months for this night. As is often the case with hot air ballooning, it can take several attempts before you succeed. “We’ve been trying to fly since September, but the weather made it impossible,” says Scott, who has driven from the Borders. “We’ve had phone calls just hours before we were due to set off, saying it was cancelled. This is our 10th attempt.”
Ballooning relies on the simple principle that hot air rises. The air inside the balloon is lighter than the surrounding air, causing the balloon to lift. Balloonists navigate — sort of — by riding air paths with different speeds and directions. Because you ride with the wind, there is no noise. Despite being 1,000ft up, I can hear dogs barking below. I spot two women in their garden. One of them shouts: “Is it nice up there?” I reply with an affirmative nod, giving her a wave as the balloon floats overhead.
Now for Houston’s party trick. Dipping low to a field of barley, he lets the basket gently skim the barley heads. Oohs and ahhs come from the passengers as we watch this impressive feat, which calls for considerable control.
For the majority of people, hot air ballooning is a once-in-a- lifetime experience or an expensive hobby. Basic balloons cost about £10,000. A crash course to gain a private pilot’s licence will set you back about £6,000. The aviation exam comprises of no fewer than five tests, ranging from meteorology to navigation. And once that has been sorted, you will need enough friends willing to sacrifice their weekend lie-in to help you fly at four in the morning.
Edinburgh University’s Balloon Club, the only university club of its kind in Scotland and the oldest in Britain, manages to keep things cheap by getting members involved in helping out on the ground. Flights cost just £10, but there is a lot of work involved. Alastair Leggate, 27, the club president and a fourth-year economics student, says it is very sociable. “There’s a lot of team work involved in the preparation. It’s great fun. You soon get the hang of the basics,” he says. “Even the early-morning starts are worth it.”
According to Hannah Cameron, of the British Balloon and Airship Club, hot air ballooning is a way of life. “People do it for sport, entertainment, friends and travel,” she says. “You can take off from the same place a hundred times and always have a new experience. For me ballooning will never be boring. I had my first flight aged four with my dad more than 30 years ago and I’m still flying now.”
All too soon, my flight is over. Everyone assembles in “brace” position for what could be a bumpy landing. Three small jolts and we are back on firm ground. But the pilot soon realises his landing is not so clever after all. We’re in a field with cattle and our basket is surrounded by cowpats. Our driver, meanwhile, is parked in a neighbouring field. As we wait to be rescued in the approaching darkness, I’m praying the farmer doesn’t own a shotgun.
Up, uip and away
Where can I go ballooning? Scotair Balloons, Biggar, www.scotair.com, 01899 860 334.
Alba Ballooning, Pentlands, www.albaballooning.co.uk, 0131 667 4251.
Virgin Balloon Flights, near Perth, www.virginballoonflights.co.uk, 0870 420 7300.
Edinburgh University Hot Air Balloon Club, www.hotair.eusu.ed.ac.uk.
Full details for the Scottish Balloon Challenge can be found at www.fifedirect.org.uk/scottishballoon.
