Topic: North West Slopers

Thanks a lot for the fast answer. Really nice. I was in lLandudno before and remember the driveway at the coast we had to pay for. Half of my family comes from Liverpool (elsmere port). Sadly i was raised up as a typical german.

I was nearly five times in Liverpool and know that area a little bit. And more often in the rest of england.

But sadly i do not know anything about the existing slopes in that area. I think the "orme" sounds good for me. Would be nice to meet someone out there who can give me a helping hand. In addition i would try out the northern part as well. I remember the lake district very well. Lots of hills but stony.

First i will spend a week in denmark again (1 week to go) and summer we are going to spend our holiday in england again.

..... thanks a lot flydupton and roosterx

Going to stay in the Yorkshire Dales this weekend. Anyone recommend some good sites? I know about Hole of Horcum but that's a fair distance in the Moors.
Cheers
Ben

Barbon, W
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.22980288513562~-2.5597295925903407&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!213&FORM=LMLTCC

Tow Scar, SW
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.175791091739306~-2.4749464339751115&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!224&FORM=LMLTCC

Winder, S
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.33321321755628~-2.533416822552681&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Weather Fell, NW
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.273699~-2.1967088999999995&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Farleton Knott, NW & W
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.217333554125155~-2.710086970493435&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Ingleborough, N & NW
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.169207732576275~-2.386340295958176&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Gragareth, SE
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.208039061950466~-2.4764950753271076&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Simon Fell, E & NE
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.208039061950466~-2.4464217778916897&lvl=12&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237&FORM=LMLTCC

Hope the links work, I hate Bing Maps 

PM either me or Paul and we'll meet up if you want, although I might be off to the Lakes to DS at Catbells on Sunday, madness I know but you have to try even if a million other people will be there   

Tom

I hope Paul doesn't kill me for giving away all our secret slopes 

Tom 

Cheers Tom, I'll have fun looking through those, plenty to keep me occupied. Looks like a totally fantastic area.
I've only just discovered Bing maps and I do like the way you can scroll wheel zoom through topo and OS 1:50k and 1:25k seamlessly. This is really handy.
I'll look out for you.
Ben

It looks like we will be having Easterley winds this weekend. I was thinking of a trip to fly at Pendle Hill on the East facing slope above Barley. Has anyone flown this site before? This slope is at the opposite end of Pendle Hill to the Nick of Pendle slopes.

Are there any restrictions on flying on this slope?

Can anyone suggest any other East facing slopes?

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=380665&Y=440490&A=Y&Z=120

Hi,

Tom and I have flown the North slope in the past - massive lift with a large flat top for easy landing, and not many people venture around that side.

We walk up the east slope to get the top.  This is the only thing that has put me off flying the east slope - lots of walkers directly below...  especially on a bank holiday weekend.

No restrictions as far as I know, I would stay clear on lighter wind days though as it is popular with paragliders.

Parlick in between preston/Lancaster has an awesome easterly bowl but again is popular with paragliders when the conditions suit.

For south easterlies Tom and I stick to the fells near ingleton as they can produce massive lift and we usually just have a few birds of prey for company.... 

We are out flying 3-4 days a week at the moment so if you decide to visit near Ingleton drop either of us a PM.

Thanks for the information on Pendle Hill. XCweather is showing slightly different weather now for the weekend and is moving round to SE.

I have never flown at Parlick. It looks good the map. It seems you can fly in most wind directions. Which direction are not suitable?
Do people walk all the way to the summit or are there suitable places to fly part way up?

Do you park in the car park on the road from Chipping?

Bart

You can park on the road at the bottom leading up to the slope, there are a few spaces. You can either walk to the top so that you can land on flat top or fly on the side of the slope, but its a bit more tricky as you have to fly up the slope to bleed off speed and then turn into wind to dump it, depends on the model I guess.

We prefer to fly from the top as you get the best compression. Bear in mind it is a popular slope and you will have to give way to Paragliders and full size Gliders as well. You can fly any direction apart from N & NE.

Tom

Flew Barkin this afternoon, what a cracking slope very steep, long ridge, flat on top for landing, just a bit of hike, but definitely worth it. There were loads of families picnicking at the bottom next to the river and sunbathing, it felt about 25 deg C in the sun. I had the slopes pretty much to myself with a strong SE wind gusting to about 20 mph. There were three para-gliders but there were far above me riding the thermals and the ridge is a couple of miles long so plenty of space for every one 

I flew the M60 to start with, catching giant thermals out over the valley, then I cranked up the D60 which flys like a power model once it gets on step, it even does credible F3F runs, although its small size probably makes it appear faster than it is, it sure rolls fast anyway. Landings aren't pretty, but survivable, I find it best to run camber flap to slow her down a bit, then when I apply crow she drops off step and comes down fast, but she's a tough model.

The M60 has some strange habits now that I have moved the CoG backwards from where it was before the rebuild, she has started pitching up when hitting thermals at slow speed, very strange. I flew with no, ballast, half and full and she preferred half today.

Tried to fly her back to the car, which was interesting trying to walk down a near vertical grassy slope as well as leaving full ballast in. The wind dropped off to nothing as you would expect as I got to the bottom, and I landed out with another 100ft to go before I got to the bottom, oh well maybe next time

Tom

Barkin
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=54.25209791656705~-2.5268135235592792&lvl=15&dir=0&sty=s&cid=DD2DD465DCAA0658!237

Looks like we have another fantastic SE site - just down from Combe Scar on the south ridge of Wherneside, shown as 'west fell end' on the map.  Very uniform steep slope with large landing area and seemingly no rotor despite the high winds (guessing around 30+mph).  A bit of a walk up via the track behind Chapel-le-dale church but well worth it.

Managed an hour with the compact before the rain arrived, both full ballast and no ballast it ripped the edge up.  Starting to get used to flying the wiz now, tracking is awesome and even turned quite fast in the good lift.

Hope the weather clears up for tomorrow

Getting some more practise in Paul eh 

Look forward to trying out the new site, up to my eyeballs fixing mouldies, ah the joys! 

Tom 

Good day up Barbon today, blowing about 50 mph, a bit turbulent to start with in the morning but smoothed out in the afternoon. Watched the showers bypass to the left and right as they got sucked down the valley's and we stayed pretty much dry all day even though the dark storm clouds kept threatening 

Starting to get to grips with the Xenon, flew her with full ballast which suits my flying style, started to get her to ping round the turns and she lands OK for a fully ballasted bird. She was so quiet as well, barely a whisper. She is really aerobatic for a 3M bird, and she tracks so straight, must be that massive fin on the cross tail, looks a bit like a shark. 

Got the D60 out for frontside antics, still no ballast for her yet, but the energy retention is amazing, half pipes had her punching up to the cloud base, and she screamed and moaned enthusiastically as she shredded air, square loops are easy and she is very twitchy on full rates with snap flap and flaps and ailerons mixed together. Got to keep her on step though, other wise she starts floundering, landings are a synch but don't expect her to hover in she comes down with authority. Still can't get her to bunt though.

Vector 3 flew well without ballast as I need to redo the ballast system as it doesn't work very well at the moment. Paul showed me a new way of entering a spin, just throw in opposite rudder and aileron and hold it until it starts spinning, flies inverted nicely, bunts and landings are dead easy.

Paul flew his Compact, Acacia II and Voltij, the Voltij was flying really smoothly, the Compact howled around the sky and the Acacia seemed to get bumped around a bit in the strong winds, but it was still rocking. We managed to mark out a bit of a course to get the turns nailed as well.

As an extra entertainment the Barbon hill climb was going on below us, and the sound of old formula 1 cars and racing bikes drifted up to us in between the roar of the wind, was a great day out.

Having a day off from flying tomorrow, going to ride the old MTB around High Cup Nick (North Pennines) in an attempt to get fit for a charity race in 4 weeks time, 38 miles of pain to look forward to, oh the joys 

Tom

And to top off a good day on the slope the Foos are rocking out on the BBC HD channel!

Paul and I nipped out after work with the Xenon and Acacia II to grab some crafty F3F practice up Tow Scar, the wind was quite light and off the slope, so it was time to dump all the ballast and chuck off empty. Scratching around until light thermals came through was the order of the evening, although the wind started to come on better as the evening wore on. It makes a nice change to have to earn your lift and coax it through your 10 lap run without it disappearing down the bottom.

Paul seemed more content to catch thermals, so I carried on doing runs, he wandered off presumably to land, but after I hadn't seen him for 10 mins, I wondered where he had got to, so I walked to the landing area about 100 yds behind the slope edge. Still couldn't see him, and was about to enter the landing circuit, when I heard the buzz of digital servo's above me and there was his Acacia about 30ft off the deck. Now it all made sense, he had been doing a little XC exploring trying to get to another cliff slope a good 500 yards behind tow scar. He eventually walked up from the back of the landing area back into view and we then spent another 10 min session of flat field thermal hunting above the landing field.

While we were busy specking out, the paraglider boys flew up from the bottom nursery slope. One of them landed to chat after we had landed and didn't believe we were catching thermals, but he did say that the paraglider wings were a bit heavier loaded. You don't realise how efficient 3M mouldies are until you fly in marginal conditions.

Pretty cool way to spend a sunny evening, with a little excitement from Paul missing the deck by a couple of feet pulling a double loop on landing 

Tom

I'm holidaying in Ambleside from 6.8.11, and my wife (lovely woman) insists I take a glider with me...so, where can I fly near there?
 

Hello

We are going to stay in Coniston for a few days next week. Not counting Burney Fell where I flew with some of you ( and the Global Dominator ! ) a few years ago what other slopes are there ? Do any of you fly mid-week. Would be good to meet.

ta

Robert

I'm not from the grim North myself, but look at reply #42 above, it might help

I'm not from the grim North myself, but look at reply #42 above, it might help

Thanks. Spoilt for choice !

Hello all,
              Here I am, sitting at home on the computer, looking across to Farleton Knott. Yes I live just beside it, and regularly walk the dog up there.
     I am in the process of building my first model. It's not too far off finished, but learning as I go.
     No experience of actual flying yet, can't wait!
     Let me know when you go up the Knott again, I would love to join you and learn.