BALLOONING is a cumbersome way of travelling. It takes more than an hour to prepare a balloon for flight, and a similar amount of time stowing it away after an adventure that lasted just over an hour and moved us perhaps six miles. Yet it is utterly fascinating. Some years ago I had remarked to my daughter at the Tavistock Balloon Fiesta that I should enjoy going up in a balloon. So this year, she contacted my siblings and her own for contributions, and presented me with a voucher for a flight with Aerosaurus Balloons for my birthday. I made arrangements to take the flight on Friday, July 25, and had to be in Launceston before six in the morning in order to enjoy it. I drove over the Tamar, thick with river mist, at about 5.30 in the morning, and met my fellow travellers at Homeleigh Garden Centre, as well as the ground crew and the pilot of the balloon. After transferring to the launch site, the complicated process of preparing the balloon for flight began. First the balloon, or 'envelope' as it is properly called, is laid out in a 'sausage' on the ground — and surprisingly long it is too. Then all those intending to fly were invited to pull it out flat, until it covered an extremely large area of ground. Steel ropes attached it to the basket, which was lying on its side. The area suddenly became very noisy as cold air was blown into the 'envelope', which started to inflate. At the appropriate moment the burners came into action and hot air was pumped, and the 'envelope' began to rise. As it neared its vertical position the basket smoothly turned onto its base. When all was ready those flying — there were 16 of us that day — were invited to climb into the basket. This was achieved with the aid of footholds in the side of the basket; as the top of it was chest high they were certainly needed. The burners fired again, the ground crew let go of the steel ropes they were holding, which were fastened to the basket, and gradually and smoothly it left the ground. To start with I was worried. We were in thick mist and could see very little. Surely it was not going to be a waste of time and money? But then we rose above the cloud, which lay like a fluffy blanket below us, with Launceston nestling in the sunshine just beyond it. We could see the castle, the church, the streets of Launceston all in miniature. As we watched we could see trees through the mist, then within minutes it melted away, burned off by the early morning sunshine. There were cattle like toys in the fields, comfortable farms and buildings which, with the aid of binoculars, I was able to see in great detail. Arthur, our pilot, was most informative, pointing out the different villages as we moved westward, occasionally rotating the balloon by 360 degrees so that we could all have a panoramic view. We could see to the north Cornwall coast, even, if we were very sharp-eyed, see Lundy Island. The cheese factory at Davidstow was clearly visible, and wind turbines were scattered on the landscape like so many innocent markers. There was a feeling of space, of weightlessness. The ride was extremely smooth; as there were only light breezes we moved slowly and had plenty of time to take in the view. Roadford Lake was to our east, Egloskerry to our west, but visibility was excellent and we could see for much further than that. Champagne and/or orange juice was handed out; 7.30 in the morning might seem a little early for champagne, but I decided I could get away with calling it a champagne breakfast! In-flight photographs were taken of a group of people, who had never met before, having what really was a trip with a difference. As we came into land, the pilot had to choose a suitable field. He thought he had one, until a herd of bullocks suddenly came into it, and he was forced to choose again. The landing was a little bumpy, but not uncomfortable, and we were down. We were in a bit of a dip, and after one or two attempts to contact the ground crew, the pilot was forced to ask 'Has anyone got a mobile with a signal?' Fortunately somebody had, and contact was made. It is not trespass for a balloon to land in a field, but permission must be sought from the landowner before the envelope is deflated. The ground crew achieved this easily; as any landowner gets a voucher for a ride and a bottle of wine, it is usually forthcoming! Then the balloon had to be packed away, with much amusement as the air was forced out, in part by several passengers rolling on it, then leaning back into it as it was pushed into its bag. At last it was loaded onto its trailer; we were some miles from Launceston, but there were enough vehicles to get us all there, and we enjoyed a welcome late breakfast at Homeleigh and received a certificate as a memento of our flight. Thank you to my family for giving me an unusual and very memorable present. It was a wonderful experience.