Piedrahita - day 4. More XCs...

A late start today which ended up upsetting the natural order of flying here. We took off for the morning flight, starting with quiet lift. Steve and Kobus landing out with little to speak of. Meanwhile Bryan and I climbed out, as did the others soon afterwards. with hindsight we should have just tried to stay up. It would have been easy, as we we found when we headed out into the valley to land, thermals kicking off everywhere. It took some searching to find sink to wind down in and then some of us had down wind landings as thermals drew air off the hill. I had some dusting down to do after fininshing face down in a field used for livestock...

After a quick cup of tea it was back up to launch, picking up JK on the way (he'd landed near the chalets), to see Simon, who had waited, launch. In a lull. The cycles had got strong. Gavin and Steve launched in a lull, JK from below the road. Bryan, Carolyn and I waited for the next lull. And waited. Howling thermal gusts convinced Carolyn to bag her wing. I was going to join her when the next lull began, and I quickly took my chance. Bryan was walking down to the road and had to rush to get off himself, running backwards through the brush to get off. But we both got away!

I was soon climbing above the road and up over the top, soon getting up to around 500m above launch. Following the usual route along the spines of the hill, I got height above the Coral and made the quarry spine with height. However, loosing it with glide along to the top of the spine, I thought it was going to be a repeat of two days ago. Indeed, only finding bubbles, I was set up for landing coming over the cemetery at about 30m above the ground when a stronger warm gust came through. I turned and went up. The next five minutes were a battle to stay with it and I climbed back up to 2000m... and lost the thermal. Was to be all in vain? I wondered as I pushed back towards the cemetery, hoping for another thermal. My luck was in and again I climbed up, the thermal becoming easier. At above 2800m I could cross the pass.

Climbs the other side of the pass were not very strong and in a N headwind were drifting back into the mountains more than I cared for. I left a climb at 2200m - in hindsight a bit too low. I headed for the line of the river hoping it would be triggering. All I found were small bubbles and soon I had to set up to land in a nice big field. Typically it kicked off a big thermal about 5 minutes after I landed! Still, a 29km flight, and all the more pleasing for the fantastic low save.

Flight details are here.

Pete was soon there to pick me up, even before I'd finished packing. Very efficient - thank you Pete! We carried on out to Avila, following Bryan, Gavin, Steve and Kevin (flying tandem). All were getting good lift further on the valley - much as I had done yesterday. Having watched the flights into the landing field and headed back to Piedrahita, it was back up the hill for an evening flight to finish off the day. Good stuff yet again.