Ridge directions
Back | HomeSome time ago—-might be last year now—-I asked people to write in with the wind speeds and directions in which their local ridges worked. (Yes I’m already thinking about winter forecasting—-well winter never really ended, did it?)
This is my list so far:
- Booker: 310-340, 15 knots
- Challock: 215-245, 15 knots
- Cross Fell (edensoaring): 180-300, 15 knots
- Denbigh: 230-300, 12 knots
- Dunstable: 200-310, 12 knots
- Edgehill: 270-360, 15 knots
- Keevil: 300-020, 12 knots
- Kenley: 185-215, 15 knots
- Long Mynd: 250-310, 15 knots
- North Hill: 270-340, 20 knots; 170-190, 15 knots
- Nympsfield: long-distance 250-330, local 270-030, both 15 knots
- Pocklington: 260-320, 10 knots; and 240-290, 13 knots
- Quantocks: 230-250, 15 knots
- Rivar Hill: 340-010, 15 knots
- Shobdon: local ridges (Shobdon and Wapley hills) 315-015; Wenlock Edge 290-350; Old Radnor to Telford SW 315-350. All 15 knots.
- South coast cliffs(!): 150-180, 20 knots
- South Downs: 340-040, 15 knots
- Sutton Bank: south 170-230, 17 knots; southwest 230-260, 12 knots; west 260-300, 15 knots
- Talgarth: Main Ridge 250-360 (8 knots), Cwm Du Valley 180-240 (10 kts), Hay Bluff 000-070 (10 kts), Pandy run 030-080 (15 kts), distance flights along Brecon Beacons 300-040 (15 kts)
Anything I’ve missed?
There’s a reason I’m putting everything in the format of nnn-nnn, nn knots (with some interpretation of what people have told me). We’re hoping to generate automatic ridge forecasts from RASP data, but to do that we need fixed ranges of directions and speed thresholds for the system to process. Should be a very useful tool if we can get it to work 
. So if you disagree with any of the numbers I’ve used, do tell me!
Dan,
Keevil 300-020deg 12 kts
re ridge running,
The Northdowns near Kenley works with a wind around 200/15 and at Challock 230/15. I have had both sections working at the same time as the direction changed around Rochester. The gap at Rochester is crossable and ATC friendly but the run is difficult (similar to a red ski run)and one can expect slightly more landouts than the Cotswolds. Southerly winds tend to bring rain. One can winch launch from Kenley mid week and dive in to wind on to the ridge with good fields on top and at the bottom. The best part is just to the west of Kenley and is reachable from Lasham along the Hogs back, turbo pilots can get back …real pilots need a thermal or a friend to meet them at the Hogs back pub airstrip. The south facing ridges will trigger thermals if anything will. Challock launch 7 days and are really friendly, well worth a visit this autumn when the wind is right. I bet most pilots driving to Dover have looked at the ridge and wondered how good it is. Well the best bit is just east of the place where the M25 drops down nr Kenley. There is a ladder tp nr the ridge called ” Pratts Bottom” which just has to be turned.
I would love “new” ridge runs to be developed in easterly winds as we get a lot of that in the winter.East wind can be cold but dry and you don’t have to land with the sun in your eyes. There are ridges around Fort William that need re exploring but more realistically the south east faces of the Grampians (the hang gliding guys do it) good ridges are accessibly from Aboyne or Angus.The ridges are good,so, just because the locals don’t do it does not mean that the visitors shouldn’t ! I will next time I am up that way if the wind is right ( south east).
The Lake district is good in an easterly and is just one thermal away from edensoaring, return is via the wave that often sets up. I would love to see even short ridge flights on the ladder to show what is possible in different wind directions. One can tick the “no score” box if you feel the points would be disappointing.
The Ochil Hills (sort of Perth to Stirling) can be soared in a northerly, and have been (Tony Shelton in a Kestrel) . The south side has been reported as disappointing. I suspect that could be the case if there is an inversion as inversions do stop hill lift… correct me if I am wrong? I suspect the sea air could cause this. Soaring this hill is on my ” to do “ list.
Some of the ridges south of Edinburgh are crying out to be soared again and could be with a clearance from EDI ATC.. the new boss is a really nice guy. I think the Edinburgh uni guys might have done this, certainly they did in the ’70s. The “arm chair pilot” did a lot of exploring in the whole Scottish area when I was at school, it might be worth re reading old S&Gs but just think what a modern glider could do …….
I wonder if the ATC could allow civilian gliding occasionally at Kirknewton?
RIDGE SOARING
SUTTON BANK
SB has 3 main wind directions for ridging - S, SW and W/WNW.
The southerly ridge normally promises more than it delivers. It looks as if it should be good, being long and quite high with little obstruction in front, but never seems to deliver as it might. Needs a fresh breeze - 15-18knots.
In a SW the main bowl in front of the club works very well, but in a pure SW it is not always possible to go much further. Does not need much - probably works down to single figures wind strength, but realistically 12/13+
With a little more north in the wind, round to WNW, it is MUCH better. In a westerly there are various routes to the north as far as The Tontine (perhaps 15km), which are quite safe (providing its a time of year when the fields are cut).
With a touch of north it is possible to go further - passed The Tontine onto Carlton Bank (the best ridge soaring on the North Yorkshire Moors) and even much further again - as far as Roseberry Topping overlooking Middlesbrough. This is a long way fron the Bank (I would guess at around 30km), and needs good conditions. To set off from the Bank and be comfortable, a pilot would probably want 15 knots + - everything works well in less, but a bit of height makes it more comfortable. You have to watch out for the wave - good pilots get into it, bad ones (like me !) don’t run away early enough and land miles from home, sometimes !
Dunstable ridge works in SSW - NW wind. The best direction is WSW as this give the whole hill from dunstable to dagnall. Ideally the wind needs to be 15 knots but it has worked in 10 knots before … strange!
Mendips (Halesland)? I’ve never flown there, but it ought to work in a southerly.
Nigel
Cotswold GC
Edgehill
The ridge is some 8k long, and works at 15 knots West to North. The Southern end of the hill is a series of bowls that work best in West to Northwest. The Northern end has a slight dogleg favouring the wind in a more Northerly direction.The ridge finnishes to the South by the airfield, and to the North at a water tower. There is a Northeasterly bowl round the corner for the brave.
Field landing options are good. Wave jumps are available but are limited by Airspace restrictions.
Rivar Hill
Not a major ridge but has a 6-7k run that works 340-010, 15+ knots
I think it was me that gave you the wind directions for Shobdon and Wenlock Edge last year, however I did it without looking at a map and they were rather inaccurate. Shobdon local ridges (Shobdon and Wapley hills) should be 315 - 015 true. Wenlock Edge should be 290 - 350 true. To do the whole run from Old Radnor to Telford SW and back you need 315 - 350.
When you state a wind speed I am wondering whether that is the speed at ridge top, or the typical 2000’ geostrophic wind, or what? I believe that the wind on top of a classic ridge is accelerated above the typical geostrophic wind speed.
Good question. I’m working on the basis that people are quoting what they experience at the airfield they’re launching from, or if it’s a ridge-top site, what’s happening at the edge. I believe the best windspeed to use for the “detector” is RASP’s surface wind.
Measuring actual and verifying model windspeeds is very hard as the world’s just not flat; few anemometers have perfect exposure all the way around them, and there’s all kinds of friction and turbulence effects going on in the first few tens of metres of the atmosphere. These *are* included in weather models (including RASP) though, just, of course, not perfectly.
On top of ridges all kinds of weird stuff happens, and of course on the face of the ridge itself there’s a relatively slow-moving boundary layer, just as on a wing. A little way out and up, in the laminar flow, is the maximum local windspeed, which is where gliders usually find the best lift.
There’s a nice picture at the bottom of here.
Nympsfield:
O/R BAT (68k) 250-290/15
O/R LCL (113k) 290-330/15
More info on http://www.bggc.co.uk/?page=flying/ridgeRunning.html
North Hill, Devon and Somerset GC. We Have Three ridges our W/NW works well between 270/340 20Kts great fun down to the tree tops ! Our second ridge a short beat facing South works from 170/190 ( If it’s not raining ) again requires 15Kts plus, finally we have a low and short NE ridge which works with help from local wave systems.
Further a field we have the Quantocks 230/250 15Kts Plus, and the Cliffs on the South coast 150/180 20Kts Plus
Wave at North Hill can be found and used to great effect with the wind from the W/NW, N/NE, E,( Lee of west ridge ) SE. Average heights 6/7000 ft QNH. With climbs to 10,000 in the lee of the Black downs in a SE, Also climbs to 15,000 over Dartmoor in a good Easterly blow.
Pocklington (Wolds Gliding Club). I spoke to our CFI, Chris Price, and he sent me the information below. The ridges are not massive but have an uninterupted airflow off the plain of York and are certainly reliable.
Millington Ridge:- 320-260 greater than 10 knots
Bishop Wilton Ridge:- 290-240 greater than 13 knots
I think the overlap in directions occurs because of the way the wind goes into Millington valley, but not sure!
Tim Milner and Al McWhirter flew both ridges quite a lot mid week and collated these wind strengths and directions.
The Cross Fell ridge has wonderful nooks and crannies which make it soarable from Edensoaring/Skelling Farm in any 12 kt wind from 180 to 300. Pete Whitehead
It doesn’t look as though anyone has sent our details from Camphill. We have lots of hills and ridges that work in all sorts of directions, reachable from a winch launch, getting back from some needs other assistance.
West ridge 250-290, 12kts At airfield
South ridge 170-230,12 kts At airfield
Shatton 350-030 Can’t say, sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. Good for thermal and wave though
Win Hill 180-230 10 kts
Siggate/Treak 020-060 15 kts
Mam Tor 060-100 12 kts
Then, not for the faint-hearted, North and South sides of Edale, Kinder Downfall (needs a bit more than a winch launch), west facing side of the Ladybower/ Derwent/Howden Reservoirs, and the Froggatt to Matlock Ridge about 25 kms long.
The directions and strengths should not be taken too literally, they are a guide only. Hill soaring conditions can vary considerably, conditions that you expect to work don’t, and those you don’t expect to work sometimes do. That’s gliding!
When it’s there, most of these hills will get you into wave
Chilterns GCentre at RAF Halton use the North and West ridges around the highest (876ft amsl) point of the Chiltern Hills;-
North ridge - 355-025@10kts.
West ridge - 260-290@10kts, 250-315@15kts; 250-330@20kts;
310-330 seems the best direction to run the whole of the Chilterns, with a range of around 13 to 20 kts - beyond 20kts makes jumping the big gap at Princes Risborough a little tricky (in one direction, at least!); while it is fairly straightforward to get down SW to Watlington (beyond is more difficult), getting NE up to Dunstable takes more courage and has only been done once to my knowledge (and that needed a turbo to return).
Usually a good selection of fields available.
South coast cliffs(!): 150-180, 20 knots
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The above wind direction is a bit off!
Better range is from 180 thro 230 deg for the long stretch between Beachy Head lighthouse (Eastbourne) and Brighton Marina.
Sunday 11th Jan ‘09 was magnificen, cliff lift to 2500ft or 120kt at clifftop height.
Mendip (Halesland works from 180 at 12kts around to 300 at 18+. In sourthly above 18 works from Weston Super Mere all the way to Wells around about 30 km its a fun run