The very first round of the 2022 BCC using the brand spanking new website (thanks to the sterling work of Tim Bishop) and such a fun day out.
We yomped (well struggled really) up Talybont for a 10 am briefing but fortunately it was a bit later than that which gave us all time to recover, calm down and take in the spectacular views. Each time I go up there I say, never again, but the flying usually delivers and it certainly did.
I was off fairly early thanks to other pilots showing that the hill was working and after a bit of faffing and ridge soaring pushed out front to a solitary climbing pilot and away we went. Everyone played nicely and we soon had the lovely carousel established, climbing away to just short of 6000' asl, which is pretty good for the UK, and bumping through the inversion at some point in the process.
I thought this seems good enough to head off but really I should have waited as there was very little over the back to head for, lots of high cloud and 0 in the way of cumulus. Pushing out into the flats behind I lost a massive amount of height but saw 2 small fires ahead of me just behind a hill and the smoke was being drawn up towards a minuscule grey cloud - a fire thermal - wow! Sadly the cloud died as I arrived but there was lift, broken, very small and incredibly difficult to work. Ian Anslow joined me and together we tried for ages to climb. Ian climbed away from me and I lost sight of him so headed back upwind without success. I gave up in the end and flew off down the valley but found nothing useable and landed.
However, I was very pleased that I stuck with the weak stuff as usually I give up much earlier and as I came off the hill I wasn't really paying close attention, I was just enjoying being high in the air and looking at the spectacular views.
A grand day out Gromit!
Oh and thanks to our star retrieve driver Richard Froggatt and to both Dennis Trussler and Matt Tandy for making the day happen.