13 May 2010 : Dunstable - Guisborough - Royston - Beverley - Dunstable : 1000 km attempt

 

Our Logbook tells this story; 9am start, glide out to 1300' for first thermal. Not too bad a run on the 1st leg but spreadout started on the way south of the Humber and led to much deviation and faffing in/out of Royston. Big plates of layer cloud on the way north again but some good climbs of 5-6kts. Final leg home became more and more difficult with 90deg deviations to stay up - eventually lost the battle in the circuit at Crowlands. Climbs were OK for most of the day but we found them tricky to locate, centre in and stay centred!

Just after start around 9 am showing early cu towards Luton

Looking on track across Milton Keynes.

First thermal over Poddington (Santa Pod) only 966 km to go!

Santa Pod

Passing Rutland Water, an absolute mill pond. Cu now beginning to take shape.

Crossing the Humber Northbound

North edge of the North York Moors just short of our first TP at Guisborough, some very good climbs off the moors.

Crossing the Humber Southbound just East of the Bridge. Sky looking quite good here, but the radio has gone ominously quiet for those flying in the centre of England.

2nd of 4 crossings of the Humber.

Humber looking West.

Approaching Royston. Time 14:56 with just 430 km to go, unfortunately the sky..

..was very congested with only a few spots producing thermals. Still it would all recycle by the time we get back in a few hours, wouldn't it?

4pm now with just 333 kms to go. There were some lovely cu..

..over the Wash! The hoped for coastal convergence just didn't happen for us.

We're back again. Vis has deteriorated and thermals are looking tired, just like us.

Aound the last turn at 17:11, just 219 km to Dunstable. Not impossible though the headwind for us has annoyingly increased in this area.

Over Boston on the corner of the Wash, the sky led us quite a long way East. The clouds look decent enough but the thermals feeding them are quite weak now. We settle for a long slow climb off Boston but use up a precious 15 mins getting to just over 3200'.

This gives us a glide to Crowland where we have to finally give up with just under 80 km to go. An interesting flight, though we had no help in the form of energy lines and we had to weave around way too much, that plus the big spreadout in the Southern portion ultimately made it impossible. But it wouldn't take a much better day for this to happen - watch this space.