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By Alex, May 20, 2013 10:26 am

Motor racing fans at the Silverstone Classic 2013 will be able to experience a bird’s eye view of the famous circuit as hot air balloon rides are on offer for the first time.

Virgin Balloon Flights has been announced as the official balloon ride supplier and will be taking people skywards on all three days of the event (July 26-28), weather permitting.

Hot air balloons have been a feature of the Silverstone Classic – the World’s biggest classic racing festival – for years, but this is the first time commercial balloon flights have been available.

Lucky passengers will enjoy around an hour’s balloon flight over the Towcester circuit and countryside beyond then a traditional Champagne toast after landing. The balloon rides will take place on Friday evening, early morning and evening on Saturday and early Sunday morning.

We took a shiny new balloon basket along to the Silverstone Classic Media Day at the Silverstone Wing on May 8 where we rubbed shoulders with greats of the racing world such as F1’s David Coulthard and TV personality and former racing driver Tiff Needell.

This year’s event will include 24 action-packed races including historic Formula 1, a Le Mans revival, a tribute to racing legend Jim Clark, a 90s Super Touring Car comeback, plus a massive 50th anniversary parade of Porsche 911s. Headliners of the music programme will be sixties chart-toppers The Hollies supported by top tribute bands.

Virgin Balloon Flights’ pilot Mark Shemilt said: “We take people flying from sites all around the UK, but this rare opportunity to fly from the Silverstone Classic and to see the world famous racing circuit from above is very special. We’re delighted to be taking part in such a prestigious event and the views from the basket will be spectacular.”

Hot air balloon flight spaces are very limited and a Silverstone Classic ticket for the corresponding day is required and are available from £35pp + booking fee for adults.

Balloon flights are £149 per person + booking fee and can be booked online at www.silverstoneclassic.com/VirginBalloons where full details and terms are also available.

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By Rob, May 2, 2013 2:49 pm

We’ve got plenty of sunshine at our Shropshire HQ at the moment and it seems our flyers have been enjoying the fine weather too.

On Saturday 20th April pilot Gavin Chadwick flew thirteen passengers from historic Berrington Hall in Herefordshire and lucky for us he got a few photographs from the flight.

If you can’t think of anything better than sipping Champagne after a balloon flight at Berrington Hall, Herefordshire or any of our other 100+ sites across the UK please visit us at www.virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 0844 844 8080

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By Kirsty, April 8, 2013 9:59 am

It’s not uncommon to celebrate a birthday with balloons, but Jessica Bill celebrated her 24^th aboard a 100 foot tall hot air balloon floating 3000 feet up in the sky.

Jess and boyfriend of two years, Nick Crosby, 29, from Gamston, took to the skies from Stoke Rochford Hall, in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in an iconic red Virgin balloon last week.

The sunrise voyage marked the achievement of a lifetime ambition for the couple, who bought the balloon ride vouchers for their first anniversary.

“We’ve both always wanted to go on a balloon flight. Everyone was great and really looked after us and, even though we met up at 6am on a freezing cold morning, they we really upbeat and fun. When we told them it was Jess’ birthday they all started singing happy birthday to her, the rest of the passengers joined in too,” said Nick.

Jess added: “My favourite bit was the views, they were amazing and something I’ll never forget. The champagne toast after we landed was great too.”

Travelling around eight miles to the east during the hour-long flight, the balloon landed land near Belvoir Castle before experienced pilot Martin Collinson presented Jess and Nick with their personalised flight certificates.

Martin, 46 from Grantham said “It was great to have Jessica and Nick on board, there’s something special about singing happy birthday in the open air over the countryside, it’s magical! After the snow we’ve had, a beautiful clear balloon ride was a special way to celebrate her day; I’m delighted they enjoyed it.”

The couple, who are due to be married in August next year, said they were now keen to experience another balloon ride as part of their honeymoon.

Balloon flights are available from sites across the UK including Nottingham from £99pp via www.virginballoonflights.co.uk or on 0844 844 8080.

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By Alex, April 1, 2013 12:01 pm

Following this morning’s ‘revelation’ that Virgin Atlantic will be introducing glass-bottom planes for domestic flights, the possibility of spotting Scotland’s mysterious Loch Ness monster has been getting people excited.

Teams from across the Virgin Group have been coming up with ideas of how they could in theory join the hunt for Nessie, so we thought we would throw our hat into the ring.

How about we introduce glass-bottom baskets and float over Loch Ness giving people an unforgettable ballooning experience and the scintillating possibility (however small) of seeing the humps of the beast from the deep…

Although, such a thing exists, we’re not sure a glass-bottom basket is going to be everyone’s cup of tea and we don’t fly from Loch Ness.

However, if you fancy a flight in a good old fashioned hot air balloon with a reassuringly solid basket from one of our 100+ UK sites (from£79pp) fly over to our website.

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By Kirsty, March 22, 2013 4:25 pm

Our hot air balloon flights over the Kentish countryside are extremely popular and ballooning over Kent gives you a totally unique perspective of the beautiful southern landscape from the sky. We’re proud to present yet another new launch site for the 2013 flying season here at Virgin Balloon Flights; Oakwood House, Maidstone.

Oakwood House, a beautiful 19^th Century Victorian mansion is directly adjacent to the launch site and sets the scene for those wanting to escape to the skies on an airborne adventure in one of our iconic red hot air balloons in the south east of England.

As you rise from the grounds of Oakwood Park, pilot Damon Bridger will point out your surroundings while you glide above the landscape taking in the greenery, villages and towns below.

Sue Rackliffe, Sales Manager at Oakwood House said “We are thrilled that Virgin Balloons have chosen the parkland here as their latest launch site and we look forward to welcoming those who will be enjoying this amazing experience”

 

What’s more, post flight you can re-call your ballooning exploration over lunch, afternoon tea or a delicious dinner in the conservatory style Courtyard Bar – perfect!

If you’d like to join us on a Virgin Balloon Flight in Kent from just £79pp simply visit our website or give us a call on 0844 8448070.

See you in the sky.

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By Kirsty, March 19, 2013 2:15 pm

Spring has sprung and we hereby announce another lovely launch site in the ‘Garden of England’ for Virgin Balloon Flights!

Pilot Damon Bridger will soon be whisking passengers away from the the city of Canterbury at St John’s Church of England Primary School, Northgate.

Added to our impressive list of Kent launch sites just this morning, Canterbury boast sights which are just as special as the rest. There’s so much to enjoy below the basket of your hot air balloon over this gorgeous Cathedral City, but what would you most like to see; the city walls and gates, St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury Castle, the River Stour or Kings School?

Whatever you spot from the basket, be sure to take your camera and capture this totally unique perspective of the Kentish countryside. You’ll experience around an hour’s flight, a Champagne toast and receive a certificate endorsed by Sir Richard Branson to mark the occasion. The perfect Spring day out.

What’s more, to take a balloon ride over Kent, prices start from just £79pp with regional sunrise flights (weekday morning). Fancy giving the gift of flight? Simply call 0844 8448070 or visit our main website to see all our balloon flight options.

See you in the sky over Canterbury!

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By Rob, March 4, 2013 12:33 pm

As the British ballooning season gets into full swing and our Virgin hot air balloons rise in the glorious spring sunshine, a quiet corner of Gloucestershire will roar into life as National Hunt Racing’s showpiece the Cheltenham Festival prepares to crown the sport’s new champions.

For race-goers the atmosphere at the event – which hosts the famous Gold Cup – is electric and the experience unforgettable; most will tell you nothing comes close, but at Virgin Balloon Flights we take a slightly different view, more specifically one from a few hundred feet up in the air.

Virgin balloon takes off from York racecourse

We love Britain’s historic and beautiful racecourses (mainly because they are great to take-off from!) and we’re very pleased to be able to offer the magic of the stunning arena that is Cheltenham Racecourse as a launch site. Flying from here offers magnificent views of Prestbury Park, the rolling hills of the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire’s green and pleasant landscape.

Cheltenham offers a chance to see from the sky the course that has crowned Champion’s such as Kauto Star, Long Run and Big Bucks is an experience not to be forgotten; a truly unique flight that will literally give a whole new perspective on the sport of kings.

A balloon flight from a famous racecourse makes for the perfect gift for any fan of horse racing. For the Frankel fan, why not re-live his historic 2012 International Stakes win with a flight from York Racecourse or for those looking for an urban twist try flying from Worcester’s city centre racecourse.

We also offer a variety of other race course launch site’s including Staffordshire’s Uttoxeter Racecourse, Nottingham’s central racecourse and Kelso in the Scottish Borders.

So, if you’re one of the 200,000 heading to Cheltenham this March or amongst the 6,000,000 who go racing every year, why not consider taking a different view of these historic sporting arenas by hot air balloon. Have a look at our balloon flight vouchers.

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By Kirsty, February 13, 2013 5:01 pm

The 2013 flying season sees seven new pilots welcomed into the Virgin Balloon Flights team. With over 100 launch sites across England, Scotland and Wales, we have a large network of wonderful pilots taking passengers to the skies all around the country.

Each and every pilot is hand-picked for their expertise and experience and we’re extremely proud to have some of the world’s very best hot air balloonists working with us.

Meet the new high-flyers….

Celia Morley
Flying over southern Scotland
Most memorable flight: “There have been so many memorable flights: I’ve done two channel hops, the first in 2005, and the second in 2011 had a Spitfire doing circuits around the balloon. I flew a lady on her 98th birthday, flew in the Italian Alps and did a splash and dash in the Rio Grande.”

Steve Richards
Flying over Surrey
Most memorable flight: “After nearly 30 years of flying, there are so many memories of fantastic flights. Flying over the Alps, landing at the very peak of one highest mountains in the area and getting out one by one to leave footprints in the snow and the fun of landing between the gigantic vineyards in South America are the best.”

Tim Parker
Flying over Essex
Most memorable flight: “Being a balloon pilot is the best job in the world. There is nothing better than a perfect flight with great landscapes, good weather, happy passengers and people waving up at the balloon, my most memorable flight was seeing a non-domestic big cat on an early morning flight over Somerset!”

Lawrie Ellis
Flying over north Scotland
Most memorable flight: “One of my most memorable flights was a channel hop to the Isle of Wight from Southampton. Quite a different way to get to the Island from my days before ballooning when I frequently sailed to the Island and circumnavigated it in a number of Round the Island Races.”

Piers Glydon
Flying over Derbyshire
Most memorable flight: “Flying in the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Bhutan, taking off in remote villages 10,000 feet above sea level and soaring on the wind over the mountains has got to be my favourite flight, but i love the British countryside and the views of the Peak District are stunning from the air. The area around Bakewell is a beautiful one in which to fly.”

Gavin Chadwick
Flying over West Midlands
Most memorable flight: “I enjoyed many balloon flights during my younger years and by the age of 10 I’d decided I wanted to be a balloon pilot. At school, the careers officers weren’t sure how to react when I informed them of the unusual career that I’d picked. I have also partaken in several competition events in the UK, Italy, and France – where I was selected as the UK entrant for the European Cup for Young Balloon Pilots.”

Martin Cowling
Flying over Mid Scotland
Most memorable flight: “One of my favourite flights was flying over the Valley of the Kings. We took off from Luxor and as we rose up in the air, the ground below us was green for a couple of kilometres then just faded into desert. You get a complete different perspective when you’re up in a balloon. To float above the river Nile and the Valley of the Kings really is something else.”

To fly with one of our new hot balloon pilots from just £79 per person simply visit virginballoonflights.co.uk or give us a call on 0844 844 8070

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By Kirsty, February 8, 2013 6:22 pm

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, what better time to announce another one of our brand new Virgin Balloon Flights launch sites for 2013, the renowned village of Gretna Green. Just over the Anglo-Scottish border, Gretna Green has been famous for runaway weddings since 1754 and now loved-up couples can enjoy one of the world’s most romantic forms of aviation there too; a hot air balloon ride with our lovely pilot Peter Philpot.

What better way to enjoy the Scottish countryside with a loved one than gliding through the air in an iconic Virgin red balloon watching the world turn below the basket?! Post flight find out why Gretna Green is so aluring to those in love, touch the famous anvil and see where starry-eyed couples exchange their vows. Maybe it’s your turn to tie the knot? After all a hot air balloon proposal is a the perfect way to pop the question in the clouds.

Give the gift of flight this Valentine’s Day and take to the skies from Gretna Green from as little as £115pp. You can make that romantic moment even more special with a ‘Love is in the air’ balloon in a box too.

Simply visit virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 0844 8448080.