Paragliding is an activity that allows us to transform from land animals to creatures of the air. But despite the fact that it requires minimal equipment and less training in comparison to other air sports, it’s not often that you meet a paragliding enthusiast. Statistically speaking, London, as the largest city in the UK by far, must have the largest number of pilots and people interested in trying this sport in the country but in the urban sprawl of the metropolis, where the sky is crowded with skyscrapers and commercial flight paths, where can they get their fix?

The answer is: closer than you think. There are several locations within easy reach of London where pilots can take off into the air and soar through the skies, some of them even within the M25. If you want to join them, there are two options. Either take a ride as a passenger on a tandem flight, or enrol on a course where you’ll learn how to pilot yourself. Even with the transport from London to these sites, paragliding is one of the cheapest ways of getting airborne around, and with no noisy engines or restrictive structures, it’s also one of the most liberating.

Where are the best places to go paragliding close to London?

• Surrey: The M25 is the motorway that forms a ring around Greater London, passing through some of the home counties. A part of the rural county of Surrey is within the M25, including the village of Woldingham which is elevated amongst the hills of the North Downs. At almost 250 metres above sea level, this is one of the highest settlements in the south of England and makes it well positioned for finding launch sites. There’s a flying club based here that offers tandem flights over the surrounding area, where the views take in the rural landscape of the county, The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the west and glimpses of the English Channel to the south. They also offer flying fun days, where you can have a go at airsports, and training courses for those who’re ready to take this sport seriously. With all of this just a half hour’s train journey from the capital centre, how can you say no?

• Sussex: Some of the best paragliding in the country is done in the beautiful scenery of the South Downs National Park in Sussex. Sea winds come in off the English Channel and hit the hills which lie just inland, providing updrafts that are enough to fill a paraglider wing and take the craft and its passengers into the skies. There are numerous flying clubs and schools which take advantage of these conditions, and offer tandem flights and training to members of the public. There are fantastic launch sites above the city of Brighton, for example Devil’s Dyke, near the towns of Lewes and Ditchling, and even on the coast at the Beachy Head, the highest chalk cliff in the British Isles. Brighton can be reached in an hour by rail from the London Bridge or London Victoria train stations, or you can go directly to the flight location if you have your own car. Being in a National Park, you’ll notice the purity of the air compared to that of the City as soon as you arrive.

• Berkshire: If you find yourself travelling regularly down the M4, you might have noticed some brightly coloured wings gliding silently above the ground as you pass Hungerford. That’s because there’s a school there, based at Membury Airfield, which is a popular place for flight experiences and courses. On the border with Wiltshire, this is a wonderful place to come to escape from the bustle of city life. You’ll soar through the air above England’s green and pleasant land, spotting the River Thames passing between green banks, rather than artificial embankments, and even white horse sculptures on the hill sides.

What are the options for organising an experience?

Most people’s first experience of paragliding will be a tandem flight. This makes sense for a number of reasons. First of all, you can concentrate on enjoying the sensation of wind powered flight and the unrivalled views of the surroundings that this sport offers. Secondly, it’s the perfect introduction to the sport if you’re thinking about taking it up yourself. You can observe your pilot up close as they go through the processes of preparing the equipment, launching, flying and landing the paraglider - and some of them even offer you the chance to control it in mid air. Finally, with 20 to minutes of flight time within an experience of 1 hour or 90 minutes, it’s an experience that can fit into the schedule of any busy Londoner.

- If you want to take a perfect souvenir of your experience back with you to London, you can arrange for your tandem flight to be recorded on video. A camera will be attached to the structure and capture footage of you, the pilot and the views.

- Becoming a pilot is of course a longer process than participating in a tandem flight. But, conveniently, you don’t have to commit to a full course, which requires numerous flights and study of the theory over numerous days, all in one go. Several schools in the home counties that surround London offer 1 day taster or trial courses, in which the aim is to introduce you to the equipment and get you airbourne - albeit for a short period of time - before the end of the day.

Requirements to do this activity

Taking a tandem flight with a pilot is a fantastic way to take a break from London life, and it’s an experience that’s open to all. There are no legal restrictions on this activity, so individual pilots decide what kind of person they're able to fly with. Some will take anyone over the age of 10 years old into the air, while others prefer to set a minimum age of 12 years old or above. The weight limits on a passenger also vary from school to school, given the equipment that they use and the weight of the pilots themselves! The upper limit tends to be around 100 kilograms.

It’s not just tandem flights in the area that are accessible. People of all kinds and ages are also welcome on the courses. You don’t need to be in fantastic shape to learn to launch and control it, provided you can stay active on a hillside for most of the day, you should be fine.

We all know that this is a city of high-flyers, and we think it’s time to take that literally!