Bristol Balloons

I got bought a balloon ride for my birthday and I had a whale of a time!
It took a few goes to book a day I wanted — partly because they get very busy and also because the weather kept scuppering my chances of a flight going ahead. However all gift certificates are open for a year and if you genuinely tried to book and it has gone over a year, they won’t chuck you and your certificate out of the door.
I ended up having to go to the Bath launch point because of the winds that day, which was a bit disappointing as I wanted to fly over Bristol, but I also really wanted to fly. It does mean you need a car to get to the flight point. We joined a few other people — 16 in all — and volunteered to help get the balloon inflated (you don’t have to if you just want to watch). You then hop in and off you go. Once settled they pass round a glass of champagne and you get to take photos of some amazing sights and not to mention wave back to pretty much everyone who spots you.
We landed in a farmer’s field who had often had such an event and was very welcoming. We helped pack the balloon away and then got a jeep ride back to base.
Really good fun and a fantastic and memorable present.