The Experience

Ballooning Network also trading as Bath Balloons and Bristol Balloons to be taken over by Virgin Balloon Flights (VBF) ahead of the 2022 hot air ballooning season.  The Bristol and Bath Balloon brands with their iconic balloons will disappear from the skies. Bristol Balloons was the first company to be awarded a British Civil Aviation Authority Certificate for passenger flying in 1978.  They have been offering hot air balloon rides out of Royal Victoria Park in Bath and Ashton Court in Bristol since 1988 and were sponsored by the Bath Building Society for more than two decades. Fly Away Ballooning offer both...

Fly from the heart of the city Drift over Bath in our beautiful Bath balloon sponsored by the first distillery within the city for over 250 years. Sip local gin as you experience this aerial mystery tour. As you rise above England’s finest Georgian city explore this living museum from the unique vantage point of a sport that has defied time and technology like the city below.  Bath is a spectacular city, rich in Roman and Georgian heritage, nestled in a sheltered valley surrounded by seven wooded hills. In all directions beyond you will be drifting over stunning English countryside. Little can...

Pilots do not steer hot air balloons in the same way you would steer a plane or a car. Hot air balloons are actually ‘lighter than air’ aircraft which means that they move with the wind. Like a bubble of detergent, balloons are carried by the wind and their direction is determined by the direction of airflow.    Most people are unaware that wind direction varies at different heights. The direction of the wind on the surface will not necessarily be the same as it is at say 1000 metres. By flying at different altitudes, the pilots can use different...