Alastair takes the titles as paragliders see the island from a different perspective
The Arran Paragliding Competition, part of the Scottish Paragliding Nationals series, took place on May 28 and 29.
The event had stunning weather and pilots from all over Scotland came over to fly. Alastair Tytler won the trophy, which was presented on Sunday in front of the Douglas Hotel. Here is his report of the event.
A great weekend for a flying competition with a task set on both days. Saturday saw us flying on the ridge above Laggan.
The panoramic view across to Bute and the mainland was just stunning. In the light breeze it was difficult to get much height above the ridge and we finished the day with a glide down towards North Sannox followed by a barbecue on the beach in the glorious evening sunshine.
To make the best use of conditions on Sunday, we headed up the ridge directly behind Brodick for a suitable launch site. We set a task to fly south from here to the Ross hill behind Lamlash then back to Brodick.
Rising thermals
Although there was little wind, the sun was creating strong rising thermal air currents that let us climb to cloud base quickly, before heading off on a glide using any other bubbles of rising air en route to maintain height. The return leg was more difficult, with a slight head wind and less lift, but I was delighted to be able to make it back to the fields just behind Brodick.
I have been a regular visitor to Arran for over 50 years and it is just fantastic to be able to fly here and see the island from a different perspective. And, finally, a big thanks has to go to Zabdi and Maurice Keen of Flying Fever for organising the event.
The competition raised £200 from entry fees which will to go towards the Arran Access Trust and the Catacol to Lochranza path.