Flying Sites

Hike and fly is a very popular activity in our area, but it must be remembered that certain areas are extremely sensitive. The various maps show these areas and we would ask that they are avoided so that difficulties with landowners and potential site losses are avoided.

Sites which might make good starting points for your adventures are marked- please familiarise yourself with the detail before flying & always know that you can contact the club for more information.

Snowdonia Sky Sports was set up by local pilots in 1990 to protect the local sites and the interests of pilots flying in northern Snowdonia. Initially it was only a handful of local activists walking up on to the high mountains to take the huge fly downs the area offers and, at the time, there was little in the way of club maintenance.

But as our sport has grown and sites become more crowded, inevitably issues have occurred and so the need for the clubs existence has became more and more important. Hang gliding and paragliding are very visual sports. We and many others love to see pilots free flying around the hills but, to landowners and farmers, we can sometimes be seen as an increasing problem and even a threat to their livelihoods. All our sites are in a traditional hill farming area and livestock is almost always present whenever we fly. Conflict between landowners and the free flying community can easily occur in these sensitive areas, and sites can be lost through one unfortunate incident.

SSS now manages the flying sites on and around the Snowdon massif and, in agreement with the National Park, National Trust and the other private landowners, it is the recognised representative body for hang gliding and paragliding in the area. Our sites are registered with the BHPA, but site sovereignty goes nowhere without the consent of the landowners themselves. SSS works hard to keep communication and relationships open and positive with the local landowners but this relies heavily on the attitude of the pilots on the hill. Understanding the negotiated agreements for flying in this area is key to the continued freedom we have in these hills.

SSS has produced a guide to all the major flying sites in this area, detailing the parking and launching agreements and any local restrictions arranged with the landowners - your possession of this information in everyone's interest. Your membership to SSS helps pay for the production of these sites guides and newsletters and goes towards helping us maintain good open relationships with the landowners, with the limited resources we have. Northern Snowdonia is an incredible place to fly and with everyone's help it can remain an open and friendly area to fly. Please respect the information provided in the sites guide and go out and enjoy some of the finest mountain flying in the UK.

This site guide is for reference only. Inclusion of any sites in no way implies right of access. This guide is not for general distribution and serves only as a record of the clubs activities to date.

For an interactive Google "My Maps" click here

The "right to roam" in Wales is currently the same as in England and does not allow access to open access land for the purposes of hang-gliding or paragliding.

The legislation is enacted by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the section relevant to us is Schedule 2 on page 75:

1. Section 2(1) does not entitle a person to be on any land if, in or on that land, he—

(s) engages in any organised games, or in camping, hang-gliding or paragliding

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mailto:info@snowdoniaskysports.co.uk