Witchieknowe, Selkirk | 12 August 2026
The Plan
With a solar eclipse approaching — forecast to reach around 95% obscurity over the Scottish Borders — a plan was hatched: picnic, fly, and watch the universe do its thing from one of Wingbeat's most popular sites.
Witchieknowe, near Selkirk, was the obvious choice. A broad, south-facing hill with top-driveable access, it's as close to a club living room as anywhere in the Borders. The eclipse was due to begin at 6:20 pm and end approximately two hours later. The forecast looked promising: a southerly flow of 17–24 kph (and dropping), confirmed on the local Holfoy weather station at 6:00 pm.
The Flying
I arrived around 5:30 when the breeze was still a touch strong, so headed up to the SW bowl to wait for a slight easing. Rob Beattie was second on site at about 6:00 and set up just in front of the car parking area.
Rob launched first. I followed shortly after. The air was smooth and plenty lifty — easy to maintain height in the bowl. Rob pushed over toward the SE side but only just managed to hold enough altitude to glide back to the SW bowl. The lift was clearly concentrated on the main face.
Jamie arrived around 6:05, set up quickly, and launched from the car parking area. The air remained buoyant and forgiving.
I was first down after about 25 minutes - partly to enjoy the spectacle of the eclipse filtering through a partially cloudy sky. A few other folk had gathered on the hill, all there for the main event. They had seats, dogs and were making a fair bit of noise. All very strange compared to a normal night on witchie!
The Eclipse
It was a great evening. We enjoyed a picnic while the sky dimmed and the temperature dropped perceptibly. The light took on that strange, steel-grey quality that no cloud cover quite replicates.
Interestingly, the wind did drop slightly during the peak of the eclipse. Whether this was a local effect or something more general — reduced solar heating weakening the pressure gradient — is hard to say from a single observation. But it's a well-documented phenomenon from previous eclipses: less sun means less thermal activity and weaker surface winds. We may have witnessed it firsthand.
Did the Eclipse Affect Conditions?
It's worth noting: during total and near-total eclipses, studies have recorded surface wind reductions of 1-3 kph and a near-complete shutdown of thermal activity. With 95% obscurity, it's plausible we were seeing the edge of that effect. A nice footnote for the logbook.
Pilots Who Flew
| Pilot | Wing |
|---|---|
| Tim Reader | Niviuk Hiko |
| Rob Beattie | Ozone Alpina 5 |
| Jamie Glendinning | UP Kangri X |
Other Members (who had more sensible plans for a wednesday night)
| Member | Wing |
|---|---|
| Dudley Kitch | Advance Sigma |
| Tommy Bryson | Advance Alpha |
| Fred Robinson | Phi Maestro 3 Light |
| Dave Hutchinson | Advance Epsilon DLS |
| Graham Rowlands | Phi Maestro 3 |
| Ruth Rowlands | Phi Maestro 3 |
| Steve Durkin | Phi Maestro 2 |
| Alex Martinek | Niviuk Artik |
| Gerald Nolan | Niviuk Ikuma 3 |
| Adrian Bedford | Nova Aonic 2 |
| Derek Traynor | BGD Lynx 2 |
| Derek Punton | Phi Maestro 3 |
| Chris McColgan | Up Lhotse / Kangri HPR |
| Stephen Wisdom | Mac Para Envy |
| Andrew Shadforth | Air Design Easy |
| Dave Lyal | Retired |
| Quentin Grey | Advance Theta |
| Logan Nisbet | Retired |
| Will McIntosh | Advance Epsilon DLS |
| Andrew Brunton | Ozone Buzz? |
A Note for the Record
This may well be the only documented paragliding flight during a solar eclipse in the Scottish Borders. For the sake of history, it's logged here.
Tim Reader, Town Yetholm
