Last weekend saw scores of hot air balloons in Knaresborough float above the town to help celebrate a famous cycling competition.
The ballooning event was organised as part of a 100 day festival of culture, planned by Councillor Anne Jones, as part of the Tour de France celebrations. The occasion saw dozens of hot air balloons fly over the Yorkshire countryside to the delight of those below.
One of the highlights of the weekend was declared to be when 81-year-old Brian Robinson, a onetime cyclist, took to the air with Gary Verity, the chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire. Councillor Jones also took a ride in a balloon on the Saturday evening, despite the fact that she had a lifelong fear of heights.
Speaking about her balloon flight, Jones said:
“I was so nervous about taking flight but once we floated up from the field it was amazing. It was wonderful to see everyone waving to us and this happened time and time again throughout the flight. The views were stunning, you can see for miles and miles, I will never forget it!”
All in all, there were 25 separate balloon flights over the weekend, which were carried out by the Pennine region balloon association and North West balloon club, much to the delight of the visitors who turned out to see them.
Summer in the UK is a good time for hot air balloon flights, with the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta also taking place in August.
