Post Script to the Denbigh Exped, October 2023

It was Friday. The day started wet. Most everyone from Shawbury had gone or was leaving, some not even bothering to go to the early morning briefing. Who would when you couldn’t see the ridge……..?

Well me and around 5 other people waited for Chris Gill, the CFI at Lleweni Parc, to hear that the day was scrubbed. I actually only attended to hear what the weather was going to be like on Saturday, so I was surprised to hear Chris say “Today is going to be a brilliant day!”

It transpired that the weather front, sitting across Northern Wales at that moment, was going to move on by 1400hrs, leaving blue skies and North Westerly winds which would make the Nefyn Run soarable. This is a soarable path that starts at Conwy and goes along the coast following cliffs, hills, quarries and mountains to form hill lift and permit ridge soaring.

The Nefyn Run

Key:

1. Start point at Conwy

2. Nefyn

3. Snowdon’s Summit

We agreed a meeting time, back at the airfield, for 1300hrs and I went for breakfast.

On our return, Chris was again examining signs that the run would be working as it was still quite overcast, but at least the ridge was visible.

The plan was to take several of us visitors on a “lead and follow” along the Nefyn run. There was a combination of around 6 gliders in all, of various types, with and without engines.

I flew front seat in the Arcus M with Chris and we planned to self launch (having no one left on the ground to launch us). Fortunately the wind had picked up enough to make this possible and away we went to join the lead and follow group overhead Conwy.

There seemed to be a little wave lift about which tried to take us above the cloud, but because everyone we were meeting up with was below, we lost some height and headed to where our next climb would be.

Our first proper hill soaring. The pictures don’t do the scale of it justice. When we hit the rising air It felt like we were going up like a rocket and soon we were well above the ridge.

We travelled down the coast, mindful that it was late in the day and turned around with plenty of time to make it back before sunset. However there was time to find Snowdon’s summit.

On the way to Snowdon, XH took some Video of us in EW.

Then there it was, Snowdon’s Summit, and we were going to soar it with XH in close pursuit.

A few pics of hill soaring along the summit railway line and the station.

Then finally back to Denbigh after a magical couple of hours.

The trip was one of the most memorable of my gliding career to date as it was so unlike anything I had done before. I learned how to use flap and how to go cross country using hill soaring instead of thermals. A big thank you to Chris Gill and the other gliding folk, that made the trip so enjoyable.