Westbury Bratton Camp
Site Map
Click for full map
Wind directions:
NNW, N, NNE
Location:
East of the town of Westbury, on the northern edge of the Salisbury plains army firing ranges.
Site News
See Additional Info below
Bratton Camp is an Iron Age fort adjacent to the Westbury White horse, together they are one of the most popular paragliding sites in the UK. It has lots of space, and a nice large take off area makes it a friendly low air time site.
Parking
Permission:
Open
East of the town of Westbury, on the northern edge of the Salisbury plains army firing ranges.
Site Officer:
Tim Bishop
Restrictions:
Lat, Long:
51.265266 N
2.144710 W
Launch height (ft)
750
Grid ref:
ST900 516
Height TTB (ft)
370
Take off
Just in front of the long barrow. Never inflate a paraglider in front of a hang glider - blowback accidents have happened. Paragliders, be sure to be flying properly before you leave the flattish take-off, otherwise, you may not clear hill fort's ditch.
Hang gliders, ensure you have speed crossing the ditch and do not let the glider lift you off too early.
No takeoffs from the slope of the hill below the ditch for safety reasons, as you would not be seen by other gliders taking off.
Local Flying
Make sure you know where the Danger Area boundaries are. There may be airspace concessions available on a particular day. To understand what these are read the - Concession Guide. There is a riding stable just beyond the trees at the western end of the main ridge and we have been asked to stay at least 600m ATO when overflying this area (See map on White Horse page).
The eastern end of the ridge is often shared with model flyers, please allow them space to fly.
XC Flying
If you intend to fly XC make sure you have a map and know the position of the danger area. Airspace concessions may be available on a particular day. To understand what these are read the Concession Guide. Note that if tracking east, the danger area extends further north in that direction.
Top Landing
Top landings should be made to the east of the long barrow on a hang glider, but note that they can be difficult in lighter winds due to the slope. Paragliders can land anywhere on top. Be especially careful if this area contains sheep.
DO NOT LAND BEHIND THE BARROW (TURBULENCE)
Bottom Landing
The site has been cleared of trees recently and side landing is the best option for paragliders. The higher up the slope and further to the west the better. Watch out for rabbit holes and tree stumps. Walk up the spur at the western end of the slope, using the footpath that rises up the spur from the road at the bottom. We have not been given permission to land in either the cropped field or the set-aside strip at the bottom of the slope. Absolutely no landing in crop. Hang gliders need to make an early decision to fly to the emergency landing fields used for the NW take off. Do not land in any of the farmer's fields to the east of the hill, as they may contain horses.
Additional Info
When the winds are NNW it may be possible and safe for pilots to use both Bratton and WWH take offs, and in such conditions the whole extent of the site becomes flyable. For other wind directions you must choose which take off to use and take care to assess the true wind direction. Just because people are flying from a particular take off does not mean that it is safe for you to join them – always check for yourself. In particular if the wind is west of NNW then the Bratton Camp side will possibly be in rotor (if it is W or WNW then this will definitely be the case) and conversely if the wind is east of NNW then the White Horse take-off and bowl in front of the White Horse will be in rotor. During the day keep a careful eye on whether the wind direction is shifting and act appropriately.
If the wind is from the North, the slope to the West of the White Horse may well be working, but is still best accessed by gaining height from the Bratton side and then flying across well out from the White Horse bowl. In these conditions, taking off from the White Horse take off is not advisable.
If the wind is West then the lift band is very small and the flying not great, essentially just the spurs in front of the White Horse take-off will work. This is not advised by the club and certainly not for inexperienced pilots.
If the wind goes anything south of West, however, then the flying will at best be rough and potentially dangerous - please do not fly in these conditions.
If the wind goes east of NNE then the Bratton take-off becomes dangerous – you must not fly in these conditions.
