There was no shortage of hot air balloon rides at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta this year, but one in particular stood out.
During the event, Bristol-based artist Gareth Wood took to the skies in order to compare his hand-drawn map of the city with the actual view.
Wood spent just under 500 hours working on his detailed map of the area and thanks to the Fiesta he was able to find out exactly how close his sketches had come to the actuality of the city.
The 33-year-old, who creates his artwork under the pseudonym of Fuller, told the Bristol Post that seeing the city alongside of his hand-drawn map was an amazing experience.
The budding cartographer told reporters:
“It was a bit overwhelming really, but it was a really phenomenal experience to see the map against the sky line. I was actually quite impressed as I hadn’t made as many mistakes as I thought I had, but it did make me think I should have gone up in a balloon before I started drawing.”
Wood took his hot air balloon flight above Bristol early on the morning of Thursday 7th August. He was accompanied by Matt Wiltshire, who is the youngest hot air balloon pilot in the UK, with the balloonist navigating while Wood compared his designs with what he could see.
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes place in the city every August, with this year’s festival being its 36th.
