Ballooning

Has anyone ever been up in one of the early morning ballon rides over the attractions and local swamp lands.

Specifically has anyone used Thompsonaire to do this.

Ballooning

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Ballooning

First part, Yes. Second part, No.

The early morning balloon rides are an experience in serenity. We booked our balloon trip through Attraction Tickets Direct and I believe its roughly the same procedure whoever you book through. We were given a contact number to phone in the States once we had decided which day to choose and this confirmed our flight. We could have been collected from our hotel but as I had a car on hire (and to shorten the time) we arranged to meet at the central collection point on H192. As this was at some ungodly hour of the morning (6.00am I think it was) it meant getting out of bed in what seemed like the middle of the night. You are then driven by minivan to an orange grove on H27 (about 20 minutes away). The equipment is then unloaded and the balloons inflated. It is still dark at this point and the sight of the flames, the swirling ground mists and the roar of the burners is unforgettable.

You will then board your assigned balloon and the pilot will start the ascent. As you rise to about 1000 feet the landscape opens up beneath you and the sun starts to appear over the horizon. It is eerily quiet, with only the occasional roar of the burner to disrupt the silence.

As the sun rises you can see the ground mist burn up, leaving the ground below in a golden haze. The sight of the other balloons in the surrounding airspace, with nothing else in the sky is vivid against the pale blue sky.

After about 1/2 hour you will be approaching the landing site (which in our case was another field). The balloon lands as softly as thistledown, the balloon is deflated and everyone and the equipment is collected and returned to the central meeting place, where buffet breakfast is served and commemorative certificates are issued.

All in all a fantastic experience but one word of warning - Don%26#39;t spend the previous night in the hotel bar like I did! A hangover definately takes the edge off everything.

Hi ya I enjoyd readin ur report on balloonin it definitely sounds like quite an experience!

I would love to go up in a balloon ( i don%26#39;t mean explode!). But my wife%26#39;s terrified of them.

doublecheck the details -- I *think* they%26#39;re only done in the winter months.

All I know is that I%26#39;ve seen them in the sky in August and September and actually flown in one in October (but that was 2006).