Summer time is officially with us after the clocks were put forward on Sunday 29th March, so we have some more daylight in the evening to take that once in a lifetime Hot Air Balloon Ride. Easter is a favourite time when lots of people choose to take their first, or for some subsequent balloon rides. Easter Sunday this year is the 12th of April, so you have time to contact Balloons over Britain to choose a hot air balloon operator that flies from a launch site close to you.

Telephoning Balloons over Britain to book a flight is easy, but very many are choosing to use their easy to manage online booking service. Here you will be able to choose a voucher or book a ride through your local operator. Make this Easter something special, glide over the countryside in the tranquillity and safety of the basket of a hot air balloon, you will not regret it nor will you forget it either.

Along with many other events it is a tradition in ballooning that after the flight the passengers and crew have a reception and enjoy some Champagne, but when did this tradition first come into being. It is thought that this dates back to around the 1780s when Hot Air Ballooning was first being staged.

Along with many other types of success after an event participants drank champagne, in the case of hot air ballooning it was offered to the farmer or landowner on whose land they ended up. The tradition of celebrating after landing the hot air balloon stands to this day, where the crew and passengers will toast champagne after the flight is over. Taking a flight with Balloon over Britain, you will not just enjoy the champagne after the flight, but will enjoy the experience of a lifetime, one we are sure you will repeat, flying from a launch site close to you, many times over.

There is nothing better than treating your loved one to a special and unforgettable gift this Easter, why not give them the chance to ride high in the sky in a hot air balloon? The Easter holiday this year begins on April the 10th so there is plenty of time to plan your weekend and to make a choice of where you would like to surprise your loved one to this special treat.

There are a host of operators that will arrange for hot air balloon rides this Easter, and at Balloons over Britain we are able to choose from one of the extensive partners where we can provide hot air ballooning facilities at a launch site that is close to you. Our 70 launch sites cover most of the United Kingdom and we have been operating since 1991, and as such we are the longest established balloon ride UK operator in the country.

Contact Balloons over Britain and enjoy the flexibility of a voucher for your Easter break, or for use at some other convenient time. The whole balloon ride experience will take up to 3 or 4 hours, with approximately an hour in the sky and passengers are invited to assist in the preparation and packing away of the balloon if they so wish. After the flight there is a champagne reception and certificate ceremony.

It is a fact that may surprise some, but not the Hot Air Ballooning fraternity, that over a third of people who experience a hot air balloon flight do so with Balloon over Britain. You can experience the thrill and peaceful serenity of hot air ballooning, drifting quietly over the countryside from one of the 70 local launch sites just near to you.

First established in 1991 with a like minded group of six hot air balloon operators, the Balloons over Britain network was established. With the growing popularity of hot air balloon rides, the network of members also grew covering the most flyable areas of Britain. Covering diverse areas such as London to the Lake District, Scotland to the South West of England, and Wales to the Wash, we at Balloons over Britain provides the only comprehensive national balloon flights network throughout the UK.

A hot air balloon cannot take to the skies until safety checks have taken place, just like an aircraft. Whilst the balloon crew is preparing the balloon the passengers have a safety briefing, where they can ask questions about any worries or concerns they have. Your pilot will have examined the weather ensuring the best flying conditions and also select the launch site. The major concerns have to be the wind speed and the visibility, these have to be right before the pilot will launch. The launch site has to have space without any overhead power lines close by.

The hot air balloon is safe, the balloon itself, or envelope as it is referred to, is made from a combination of nylon and polyester and is very strong. You can be sure that when you decide to book your hot air balloon flight you will be enjoying an experience of a lifetime and your safety and that of the pilot and other passengers will be paramount.

The clocks are adjusted on the 29th March and British Summer Time officially commences, ideal for that evening hot air balloon flight. Balloon flights take place in the early morning, or in the evening when the winds are at their lightest and you will drift quietly along, looking down on the countryside seen from an entirely new angle.

With more consideration being given to holidaying in the UK, what could be better than combining a week or so in a holiday destination and taking a hot air balloon flight with Balloons over Britain, offered from one of the many launch sites throughout the UK. Booking a flight online could not be easier and there are a wide range of options that are offered, including a voucher scheme that can be used at any time and from a launch site that is close to you, or where you are on holiday. Contact Balloons over Britain through the website or by telephone for information on the range of options available.

If you have been to a festival or have watched hot air balloons being prepared, the question that is often asked is “who are all those people round the hot air balloon?” Well it’s called the ground crew or more commonly the chase crew and is usually between 3 to 6 people.

If you are interested in becoming part of a crew, or are fascinated by hot air balloons why not get yourself started. The way that most people start is through buying a hot air balloon ride and at Balloons over Britain it is possible to buy a voucher online and take a hot air balloon ride from a launch site that is close to you. During your ride you can not only enjoy the serenity of the flight, view the countryside from an entirely different aspect, but talk to the pilot about either joining his crew, or perhaps a crew that may be looking for some able and willing volunteers. The only special skill needed for the balloon ground crew is a willingness to learn and ask questions. Some tasks require a fair amount of physical strength, but don’t worry, there are even more tasks that do not. Become involved and enjoy a new exciting sport.

For those who know us it will be no surprise to hear that Balloons over Britain fly more than a third of all passengers who take hot air balloon flights in the UK. The network of balloon operators covers most of the areas of the UK where hot air balloon flying is permitted and these operate from over 70 launch sites, one of which will be close to you.
  
We fly from the capital London, to the Lake District, Scotland to the South West, over Wales and the wash the coverage is comprehensive, the only national balloon flights network throughout the UK. If you want to experience the serenity of floating over the countryside moving gently with the wind, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of the burner keeping you aloft, contact Balloons over Britain. Online balloon vouchers are available allowing you to choose a hot air balloon flight from a launch site near you, when it suits you.

The days pass quickly and before we know it the very day that we had decided to do something special is upon us. So although Easter day is not until the 12th of April, now is the time to start to think about that special event that you are going to treat your loved one to, a ride in a Hot Air Balloon.

With the growth of the operator Balloons over Britain, you can now choose to fly in a hot air balloon from just about anywhere in the UK with over 70 hot air balloon operators that fly from a venue close to you. Booking a hot air balloon ride has now been made vey easy. You can telephone Balloons over Britain, or better still use their easy to manage online booking service. Here you will be able to choose a voucher of book a ride through your local operator. Make this Easter something special, glide over the countryside in the tranquillity and safety of the basket of a hot air balloon.

Have you booked a lunch for mothers day yet, if not you could be leaving it late. Why not give mum something that will surprise both her and her friends, a hot air balloon flight? You could of course make it a really special day by all of you taking a hot air balloon flight in the morning and then following this up with that special luncheon, you will have had your first glass of champagne after the flight anyway!

Balloons over Britain have a number of packages that would be suitable for the special day, and we should emphasise that there is no age limit to those wanting to fly in a hot air balloon. Just as long as they can negotiate the basket there are no other restrictions. The whole event will take around 3 to 4 hours with the balloon flight itself taking around an hour. All flights can be arranged at a venue close to you or your mother, there are local operators under the Balloons over Britain umbrella throughout most of the UK. Gift vouchers are available from Balloons over Britain online and there are a number of options from which you can choose.