We’ve been in Scotland showcasing Amnesty International’s celebratory banner on one of our lovely  hot air balloon baskets with pilot Brad Smith.

Our beautiful Perth City Centre launch site was home to our basket for the morning with Pilot Brad on hand to hand out leaflets and talk ballooning. With lots of interest from local people we met a wee Scotsman eager to see what the basket looked like.

Two year old Craig Laing, who lives in Perth, was visiting the North Inch open fields to feed the ducks with Grandma Etta Laing. We couldn’t possibly let him leave without
a miniature Virgin balloon and a certificate signed by pilot Brad and endorsed
by Sir Richard Branson.

Let’s hope the Perthshire winds don’t take Craig and his bike to the skies!

It’s normally whisky, bagpipes, tartan, haggis or the thistle and kilt amongst other things that spring to mind when thinking about the beautiful country of Scotland. There is no better way to see the dramatic landscape that ranges from mountains to plains and lowlands to highlands than from 3000 feet in the air in an iconic Virgin hot air balloon.

The diverse culture, historical landmarks and interesting geography is so much better from a bird’s eye view, so we have given you the choice of five fantastic

counties to fly from and revel in your airborne adventure;

Aberdeenshire’s Castle Fraser offers a spectacular backdrop for the launch of your Virgin balloon flight. As the most elaborate ‘z plan’ castle in Scotland the  architecture as well as the eye-catching landscaped gardens are as beautiful by foot as from up in the air.

Similarly, Angus’ Glamis Castle offers a delightfully romantic setting to see Scotland beneath the basket and drift over the castle’s 600 years of history. With a full programme of events throughout the year, you can explore the castle and gardens after your hot air balloon ride topped off with a Champagne toast.

The wonderfully grand Falkland Palace in Fife is another of our Scottish launch sites to start your hot  air ballooning experience with Virgin. The property belongs to Her Majesty the Queen, so try out your royal wave as you drift above the palace and over the county. 

Lanarkshire’s Biggar is yet another option where you can rise to the sky and gaze down at the famous site of the Battle of Biggar where William Wallace defeated the British. The fantastically rich landscape offers a lot to spot too.

Perthshire presents not one but two launch sites for you to choose from, with the airfield and city launch sites both allowing you to see some of the very best bits of Scotland … how ever will you choose?! 

We hope to see you in the sky above stunning Scotland!