Bournemouth, on England’s south coast, is known for its big sandy beach, buzzing nightlife and relatively forgiving climate. But every weekend, and plenty of week days too, keen flyers take to the skies. Read this guide to Bournemouth paragliding holidays and day trips to find out why.
Bournemouth’s coastal location means it has good winds and plenty of cliffs to make for reliable, attractive flying. There are several popular sites for a Bournemouth paragliding trip. Most of them offer nice coastal flying over chalk cliffs, green fields and the sea.
Beginners will find plenty of local operators who can take them out on tandem flights and offer instruction. While the more experienced will find plenty of variety and lots of other pilots around to make friends with and get advice from.
On the outskirts of Bournemouth, head to the cliffs at Southbourne. There, you can fly over the rocky, grassy clifftops, over the beach and the colourful beach huts. It might not be wild, cross-country flying, but it is a great way to see the city and the coast at its best.
Nearby, Barton on Sea is another popular site, with lots of local schools taking their students out there to practice. Purbeck Hills about 40 minutes from central Bournemouth is another good launch within reach of the city.
Please note both Southbourne and Barton on Sea are sensitive sites with various restrictions. They are only available to properly rated and experienced paraglider pilots who are members of the Wessex hang gliding and paragliding club. If anyone intends to flying these sites, they need to contact the club first.
If you’re looking for a more rugged, isolated place to fly, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to do it up and down Dorset’s famous Jurassic Coast. There are plenty of places where you can soar over the bays and the sea before heading back inland to the green fields and rolling hills.
Bournemouth paragliding holidays and day trips are all about enjoying the best of the British seaside and the lovely countryside it has to offer. Get up in the air and see the green and pleasant land from a fresh perspective.
Be sure to check out our paragliding discounts as you could save a packet!
2 responses to “Guide to Bournemouth paragliding holidays and day trips”
Hi, I’m after some information regarding paragliding. I live in Christchurch and looking at doing this for the first. My husband and I have no experience and would like to try it. How much roughly would we be looking at? Thank you
Hi – sorry we don’t currently work with any paragliding companies in Bournemouth the closest is these guys https://awe365.com/company/albatross-paragliding/ who operate nearby in Hampshire. However, you can follow the link from this article to the local Wessex association as they should be able to help: https://awe365.com/guide-to-bournemouth-paragliding-holidays-and-day-trips/