Tinto 29/09/14

Today Tinto beckoned. Rob ,Gerald and myself met up in Innerleithen and headed across together. We arrived around 11.15am to find things a little windy so we went into Biggar for a light snack " An all day breakfast" and lots of tea, it turned out to be a good move.

    On arriving back at Tinto we could see folk standing on the top of Greenhill, we decided to drive up to the quarry and walk up the North side. In no time at all we were on the top to find light but useable conditions, Rob reckoned we should get along onto Big Tinto so we launched and found a small bubble over the trees and used this to get along the ridge a bit, we arrived on the lower flanks of big Tinto but it was no problem to scratch up.

   After soaring about for a bit we were joined first by Mike Armstong on his fancy hanglider then Stuart hauchie, Gerald then Dudley, I was watching from a few hundred feet above the top and was tranfixed on watching Gerald scratching his way along then up the face of big Tinto,then onto the screes and finally the top, yeehhaaa, well done.

    A fair amount of soaring about in the lovely smooth lift. after a bit I decided to land on the top followed by the rest of the guys, Gerald did a great job and made it look easy. Lots more top landings and general flying about with some hooliganism.

    After a while I set of back down the ridge to Green hill and things started to get going and I picked up a bit of height, I was way out over the road and could have flown to Dungavel with ease but it was getting on and I was tired so it was back to Tinto and the landing field, everyone else landing within 15 min or so, this would be around 5.30pm.

    We ended up going to the Cross keys in Biggar with Dave Hutch, Dorita, Quentin and Aussie Steve, just like old times.

      It was really nice to fly Tinto again and in such nice conditions, it is a special place.

     And a big well done to Gerald who did really well today.

           Tommy.