After a final breakfast for the first returning party and Sam the Instructor, rooms were vacated, tents struck, sleeping bags rolled, caravans (Ed: Whatever caravans do!), we got on the road. Scratch and Heather played the hare (Ed: In truth Scratch was getting Heather back to Cornwall) whilst Gavin (Standard Cirrus), Mike (K-6), the other Mike and Rick (Standard Cirrus), followed by Adam (K-6) set off in convoy.
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| The covered wagons heading west. "Bye bye Cotswold". |
Although separated amongst Stroud's roundabout challenge to Milton Keynes the convoy was reunited on the M5 and headed south. You might have thought that we were the strangest sight on the motorway today but the motorcycle trike, two up, towing a coffin trailer took the "most bizarre" sight of the day award.
After a very smooth journey, only broken by a pit stop at Taunton Deane services, we arrived at Brentor unhitched and parked the trailers. Some pushed their trailers in place whilst other persevered and drove their trailers in to their slots (Ed: Eau de white Ford van clutch anyone?). Adam was the last to leave having dived into the hangar to carry out some maintenance (Ed: That is true dedication for you from Colin's Padawan).
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| The wanderers return to DGS and park up (Ed: Note the dead featureless sky) |
Our thanks must of course go to Mike Bennett who was the organiser of this awesome week away (Ed: Many thanks from me too!). Meanwhile back at Aston Down...
We had soarable conditions forecast and at around noon, and as briefed by Sam, we were able to launch into some reasonable thermal activity. The cloudbase was at 2,900 feet AGL at best, and often lower, and there was murky visibility. Thermals were powerful in places but difficult, but the intrepid three (Ed: Andy, Phil, and John) enjoyed soaring flights.
With the low cloudbase Andy and Phil stayed local too (Ed: The convoy heading down the M5 observed total cloud coverage with little definition. No soaring to be had there. It brightened a little in Devon and at Brentor and the convoy was met by a keen, chilly wind)
It was very quiet at the launch point today but around mid afternoon a thunderstorm passing near to Cirencester meant that launching stopped and all club toys were put away.
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| Farewell Aston Down |
As all three of us had flown we took the opportunity to put our gliders away early, in case it rained hard later, and retire to the clubhouse. It actually got slightly better again after that, and it was sunny all evening. Phil kindly cooked us a lovely pasta meal to round off the last day of an amazing gliding week.
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| A picture paints a thousand words: "What did you think of the Aston Down Expedition Mark?" |
Gavin Short and John Allan.
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