SE Wales Sites Guide
The hills of SE Wales can provide some of the best hang gliding and paragliding in the UK. Please use this sites guide to help you choose the most appropriate flying site for your level of experience and the prevailing conditions.Suitably experienced visiting pilots are always welcome on our open sites. But, unless otherwise stated in this guide, "Members Only" sites may only be flown by members of the SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club Ltd. Club membership is only £22 per year, and you can join on-line now by completing our membership application form.
All UK pilots flying SE Wales sites must be members of the BHPA to ensure that they have adequate third party insurance cover. Visiting pilots from abroad must also be able to demonstrate that they have adequate third party insurance when flying our sites.
Access to SE Wales flying sites is often subject to agreements with graziers, landowners, and farmers, and site rules are often introduced to comply with their requirements. Please help us to maintain access by behaving responsibly, and observing site rules at all times.
Foot Launched Powered Aircraft
Bedlinog is the only SE Wales site where foot launched powered aircraft are permitted, and is a Members Only site. Bedlinog can therefore only be flown by members of the SE Wales Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club and members of the Welsh Free Flight Federation.Pilots of Foot Launched Powered Aircraft (FLPA) should not attempt to take off, soar, or land at any other SE Wales flying site. Most existing site agreements are for "quiet air sports only", and often specifically exclude use of the site by powered aircraft.
Using this Guide
The maps above and below show the approximate location of all flying sites registered by the SE Wales Hang Gliding & Paragliding Club.To display a detailed guide for a particular flying site, please click the appropriate glider symbol on the map below.
Alternatively you can scroll down to the list of flying sites at the bottom of the page, and click on the name of the site.
For detailed information about a particular SE Wales flying site, please click on appropriate glider symbol on the map above, or the site name in the table below.
| Site | Wind Direction |
HG Rating |
PG Rating |
Site Ref |
Grid Ref |
Latitude & Longitude |
RASP | Site Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abertysswg | W - NW | CP | Pilot | 7.053 | SO 141 059 | 51.745190, -3.245600 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.80204,-3.19635 |
Open Site |
| 2 | Blaenavon | NNE - ENE | CP | CP | 7.055 | SO 218 098 | 51.781378, -3.134975 |
Blipspot1
SkewT1 51.80204,-3.19635 |
Club members only |
| 3 | Blorenge | WNW - SE | CP | CP | 7.002 | SO 275 122 | 51.803721, -3.052867 |
Blipspot2
SkewT2 51.83405,-3.03133 |
Open Site
Castle Meadows is the only bottom landing field. |
| 4 | Cwmbran (Fairwater) | ESE - SSE | Pilot | Pilot | 7.165 | ST 262 954 | 51.652527, -3.068151 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.59811,-3.09294 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 5 | Cwmbran (Mountain Air) | SE - S | CP | Pilot | 7.166 | ST 268 977 | 51.673281, -3.059962 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.70008,-3.14452 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 6 | Cwmparc | NNE - ENE | Pilot | Pilot | 7.074 | SS 932 951 | 51.644523, -3.544904 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.63549,-3.47305 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 7 | Ebbw Vale | ENE - E | CP | CP | 7.163 | SO 170 060 | 51.746527, -3.203630 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.80204,-3.19635 |
Open Site
No bottom landing field |
| 8 | Fochriw | WSW - NW | PG Only | CP | 7.164 | SO 098 048 | 51.734626, -3.307580 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.76979,-3.36111 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 9 | Garth Hill | ENE - SSE | CP | Pilot | 7.079 | ST 113 836 | 51.544299, -3.280484 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.56603,-3.25697 |
Open Site |
| 10 | Hay Bluff | WNW - NNW N - NE |
CP | CP | 7.005 | SO 238 356 | 52.013574 -3.111700 |
Blipspot
SkewT 52.03816,-3.13502 |
Club members only |
| 11 | Machen | SE - S NE |
Pilot | Pilot | 7.090 | ST 224 900 | 51.603471, -3.121869 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.59811,-3.09294 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 12 | Merthyr | SW - WNW | CP | CP | 7.094 | SO 078 036 | 51.723514, -3.336215 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.76979,-3.36111 |
Open Site
No bottom landing field. Vehicular access from south only |
| 13 | Mynydd Meio | SSW - WSW | CP | CP | 7.100 | ST 114 883 | 51.586564, -3.280229 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.56603,-3.25697 |
Open Site |
| 14 | Nant-y-Moel | SSW - WSW | Pilot | CP | 7.104 | SS 944 938 | 51.633066, -3.527175 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.63549,-3.47305 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 15 | Pandy | NE - ESE | CP | CP | 7.003 | SO 318 234 | 51.904946, -2.992728 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.93610,-3.08305 |
Club members & WFFF members only
Park in field before the gate |
| 16 | Pontlottyn | NNE - NE | CP | CP | 0.000 | SO 116 051 | 51.737610, -3.281598 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.76979,-3.36111 |
|
| 17 | Rhigos | NW - NNE | Pilot | Pilot | 7.110 | SN 926 031 | 51.716312, -3.556036 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.73728,-3.52562 |
Open Site |
| 18 | Sugar Loaf | SSE - SSW | Pilot | Pilot | 7.039 | SO 271 166 | 51.843223, -3.059595 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.83405,-3.03133 |
Club members & WFFF members only |
| 18 | Talybont | NE - SW | CP | CP | SO 058 191 | 51.862502, -3.369376 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.87167,-3.41357 |
Open Site
Very long walk up |
|
| Site | Wind Direction |
HG Rating |
PG Rating |
Site Ref |
Grid Ref |
Latitude & Longitude |
RASP | Site Status | |
| 19 | Bedlinog | N/A | CP | CP | 7.119 | SO 101 035 | 51.722989, -3.302901 |
Blipspot
SkewT 51.66791,-3.30891 |
FLPA pilots only
Club members & WFFF members only |
The following flying sites are managed by neighbouring clubs. Please contact the resident club before flying any of these sites, and always follow their published site rules.
| Site | Wind Direction |
HG Rating |
PG Rating |
Grid Ref |
Latitude & Longitude |
RASP | Resident Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longmynd | WSW - WNW | CP | CP | SO 404 918 | 52.5211 -2.8786 | Blipspot
SkewT 52.54240,-2.84213 |
Longmynd Soaring Club |
RASP
To view a RASP (Regional Atmospheric Soaring Prediction) for any of the sites listed above, please click on the appropriate link in the RASP column.- A Blipspot uses the RASP forecast to provide an hour by hour readout of text parameter values for a particular location. The data available in a Blipspot includes:
- Thermal Updraft Velocity in fpm (W*).
- The top of the Boundary Layer (BL Top) - the average top of a dry thermal.
- Surface wind speed and direction.
- Boundary Layer (BL) wind speed and direction
- Surface (Sfc.) Sun %
- A SkewT thermodynamic diagram, also known as a RASP sounding, uses the RASP forecast to provide a snapshot graphical representation of the forecast for a particular location at a set time of day (12.00 GMT).
All RASP data is courtesy of Sailplane pilot Paul Scorer and Leeds Metropolitan University.
Further information about the parameters of Blipspots and Blipmaps, which are largely identical, and the interpretation of Blipspots, Blipmaps, and SkewT graphs (RASP Soundings) are available in English on the Soaring Meteo web site:
The interpretation of RASP Charts (BLIPMaps)
Practical Interpretation of RASP Soundings
General Notes
All latitude and longitude co-ordinates have been calculated from the OS Grid References which may result in minor errors in the actual location they represent on the ground.If you require further advice about a particular SEWHG&PGC site, related to your own level of skill and experience, please contact a Club Coach.
Please report all accidents to the Club Safety & Training Officer and the BHPA.
Please use the following link to download a BHPA Incident Report Form:
BHPA Incident Report Form
Copyright Notice
This web site makes extensive use of maps to assist pilots wishing to fly SE Wales sites or attend meetings and events, etc. These should not be copied or used for any other purpose.Unless otherwise indicated, the base maps used on this web site are reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey®
on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty‘s Stationary Office.
© Crown Copyright 2002. All rights reserved. Licence number AL 100037852.