Published: 05/05/2010 09:01 - Updated: 05/05/2010 09:37

SPEAK to anyone thats been lucky enough to enjoy a flight in a hot air balloon and theyll enthuse about exactly the same thing — a blissful sense of peace and calm as you drift silently along, admiring the view.

It’s absolutely true, and it’s one of the many things that sticks in your mind from the experience — but there’s more than that.

Ballooning is a complete treat for all the senses and the breathtaking views are just the start.

The peace and quiet while you’re a few thousand feet up is only interrupted by the occasional bleating from a spring lamb, or perhaps the frantic barking of a dog wondering why its owner isn’t bothered about the huge roaring monster bearing down on it.

While the burners are silent a balloon flight is relaxing, comfortable, surprisingly warm and utterly peaceful. The slow pace of the journey as you helplessly follow the wind is absolutely blissfully.

Our flight, with the Midlands’ biggest balloon flight operator, Wickers World, set off from the pretty estate village of Tissington on a bright and fairly warm Friday evening.

A group of 12 eager participants had been joined by spectators in a field on the village’s outskirts to watch the gigantic balloon being un-packed and we all waited with a slight sense of trepidation while our pilot for the evening, Graham Dorrell, kept his eye on the weather.

Graham is an absolute delight. Phenomenally experienced and skilled, but charismatic and entertaining with it. He’s the closest you could possibly get to a stereotypical hot air balloonist, I thought as we all waited nervously for him to give the flight the all-clear.

What had started off as a bright and clear day with very little breeze had changed somewhat in the time we were waiting for the balloon to arrive and Graham studied the antics of a few small helium balloons he sent off into the sky to judge whether it would be safe for us to follow them.

Despite a change of wind direction pointing us in the path of some nearby trees, Graham was happy and confident that we would be safe to fly, so the fascinating process of filling the huge balloon began.

The great thing about the experience with Wickers World, which is based in nearby Great Haywood, is that participants are invited to get “hands on” and help the crew set the balloon up and pack it away.

From the point of lugging the huge 13-man basket off the trailer to the challenging task of packing the balloon away after landing, helping out really adds to your experience. It’s a lot of fun, and it keeps you warm as the evening chill sets in.

Graham is a stickler for safety. It’s a philosophy that’s served him well in more than 30 years of flying and we all had to pause for a moment for his briefing, explaining what will be happening and how we’re supposed to stand when taking off and landing.

Balloon now filled, Mark and I stood, along with two other people each, in our respective chambers — clinging on for dear life as instructed and assuming a stooped position with our backs pressed against the wicker.

The balloon was hooked to two big Land Rovers and as Graham blasted away at the burners, heating the huge pocket of air above our heads. The basket squirmed and shifted. It was a slightly unnerving experience to those of us unsure what exactly to expect.

Part of the problem, as Graham later explained, was the tall trees standing in our way. We had to gain altitude fast as soon as we were released, so our ascent could certainly be described as “fairly quick”.

Photographer Mark and I will shamefully admit to being a bit frightened at this point, as the ground disappeared from our feet, but within a few minutes we were able to dig our nails back out of the hand-grips and really start enjoying the view. Our fears, it transpired were totally un-founded and we felt remarkably safe and secure for the rest of the journey.

Tissington from above is beautiful but the next village to loom on the horizon, Parwich, was even more fascinating. It’s bigger than you think but just as interesting — and picking out features such as the hall and the Sycamore pub was a great game to play as we floated by.

The wind took us north east across the fields, farms and valleys towards Youlegreave — which we could see in the distance as we started our final descent, just over an hour later, in a set of open fields near Bradford Dale.

Our descent came much to the surprise and delight of some campers enjoying the evening sun at a quiet campsite nearby. The sight of a hot air balloon never fails to provoke a friendly wave from the people you pass.

Graham had prepared us well for the landing in our briefing, and his warning that around 90 per cent of balloon landings end up with the basket being dragged across a field echoed around my head as we braced ourselves to land — backwards — in a large, well-kept field.

Thankfully Graham’s experience and favourable wind conditions meant there was no such drama. He landed the balloon with just a single “bounce” and kept everything steady while we all climbed out and waited for the pair of Land Rovers to catch up.

From the point of meeting Graham and our fellow travellers at the launch site, to the last sip of celebratory champagne before catching a lift back to Tissington took around four hours — and there’s always at least an hour of unforgettable flying time.

Ballooning is both everything I expected and nothing like I expected. As a vertigo sufferer I thought I’d be scared stiff from start to finish but, after the initial take off, the only thing that could have relaxed me more was a bottle of whiskey.

I expected the landing to be traumatic at best, painful at worst. I honestly dreaded being dragged across a ploughed field, my mouth filling with soil and goodness knows what else as we were uncontrollably blown towards the nearest copse. But now I know that even the worst landings are a walk in the park.

There is no excuse not to take to the skies and try out this incredible experience. Wickers World can arrange a flight for around £100 per person and there’s a huge range of launch sites available.

Mark and I both agree it’s an experience we’ll aim to do again as soon as possible and it’s something we’d love to bring our partners on. Graham tells me winter can be one of the nicest times to fly.

Dear Santa . . .

Wickers World FAMILY firm Wickers world began just over 20 years ago when Thomas Anson, the Earl of Lichfield invited a group of balloonists to start giving pleasure tours from his grounds at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire.

It became the firm’s first flying base and since then around a dozen more launch sites have been created, all based in and around the Midlands and there is now a fleet of 10 balloons whisking passengers into the skies all year round.

Based near Uttoxeter the firm prides itself on offering one of the longest flying times in the industry, and bosses promise a personal experience from the minute enquiries are made, to the warm handshake at the end of a flight.

Ballooning is open to most people with very few restrictions and provision can be made for disabled or elderly passengers.

To find out more, visit www.wickersworld.co.uk or call 01889 882222.