Chatsworth promises best balloon meeting yet

Visitors to the Chatsworth Country Fair are being promised that the hot air balloon meeting will be biggest yet to be hosted at the event.

Over 65 pilots have been registered for the event, which is regarded as one of the country’s best balloon meetings. Dawn and evening hot air balloon flights are scheduled for each of the fair’s three days, subject of course to the weather being safe for ballooning. The Chatsworth grounds are usually off limits for hot air balloons, so the event will give pilots a rare chance to fly over the picturesque estate.

Special competitions will also take place to pit pilots against each other. For example, pilots will be challenged to “splash and dash” in the River Derwent. In another competition, while flying, pilots will try to throw bread rolls into a ground-based picnic basket.

Rachel Percival, an event organiser and half of the East Midlands Balloon Group team, said about the country fair:

“It’s such a beautiful setting that so many pilots are keen to come and experience flying at Chatsworth. We throw in the competitions for a bit of extra fun but it is a real test of skill. If they touch the ground, they’re disqualified.”

The Chatsworth Country Fair will take place from August 30 to September 1. Tickets can be booked online through the event’s website, with those booking before August 26 being rewarded with a 10% discount on the standard gate price. Caravan pitches are also available.