Another ideal afternoon for our balloon ride over Suffolk With a gentle breeze coming in off the sea from the southeast We launch from the recreation ground in the centre of Stowmarket just after 5 pm the visibility was good and we could clearly make out the Suffolk coastline and Bury St Edmunds to our north We drift gently over the villages of One House and Buxhall and after an hour aloft we land close to the village of Rattlesdon

This mornings balloon trip was from the Cornwallis Hotel in Brome It was an early morning flight departing just after 7 am The surface wind was a gentle 5 mph Once airbourne the wind above the main inversion layer was running at 20 knots at 400 feet with a turn to the rights by some 40 degrees This direction would take us up the Waveney valley which is a beautiful sight to see early morning with shallow mist laying around the water meadows As we approach the town of Harleston we descend lower and our speed markedly reduces and we turn to the left I always conduct a low pass in open countryside during the first half of the flight to establish what the surface layer of wind is doing under 50 feet less than 5 mph this will increase as the sun warms off the inversion layer so I will need to be on the ground in the next hour to ensure a nice gentle balloon landing After over an hour in the air our ballooning experience comes to an end with a gentle landing in the parish of Earsham

This afternoon we launched from Earlham Park Norwich with a steady breeze coming in from the southwest This would be our first city over fly so close liaison with Norwich air traffic control would be essential as we would passing directly over the airport Permission was granted and we launched just after 4 pm On of our balloon trip passengers Shelia confided in me and explained she was a little nervous and did not think she would like to go too high. Once radio contact was established with the airport they were quite busy and asked us to gain height After ten minutes we above the city at 5,000 feet I look across to Shelia whose face is beaming Oh Robert this is absolutely brilliant!! As we cross the centre line of the main runway we ask permission to descend and we fly over Horsford Hainford and Straton Strawless We are now in clear open countryside and land the balloon on a farm track in the parish of Coltishall We then pack away the equipment and celebrate our balloon ride over Norfolk with a glass of chilled champagne

Always a pleasure to drift over the historic city of Norwich and savour the sights of the Norfolk Broads Aloft just after 7 am we were to be greeted by a stunning morning with shallow mist bathing the Norfolk landscape we start to drift across the south of the city and watch the early morning traffic and people stir the balloon ride passes over Trowse Kirby Bedon eventually landed in a fallow field south of the village of Bramerton

Our balloon flight this afternoon was again from Earlham Park Norwich The weather remains good with clear skies The wind is still coming in from the Southeast so we are to enjoy a similar flight path We are airbourne just after 4 pm with 16 very excited and happy passengers The upper flow of wind had slowed a little from this morning and the direction had turned by 10 degrees taking us further south After an hour aloft we place the hot air balloon in a gentle decent and land close to the village of Swanton Morley

A wonderful morning ballooning from Earlham Park Norwich airborne just after 7 am with a stunning spring morning sun shining and not a could in the sky. We climbed up to 3,000 feet to take in the view from the Norfolk Broads and the fine city of Norwich. The whole of the Norfolk coastline was visible from Kings Lynn to Lowestoft. Certainly worth making the effort for an early morning balloon ride over Norfolk. Our track was running just north of the village of North Elmham with a few minor direction changes as we adjusted our altitude. We remained high so not to disturb any livestock on the ground Passing over the villages of Bawburgh Marlingford and North Tuddenham. Once clear of we descend once we clear the village of Billingford. The issue this morning is to find a dry field as there has been quite a bit of rain over the past week. Eventually we land in a grass field in the village of Brisley