Combe Gibbet

Combe Gibbet is a chalk-hill soaring and thermic site on the Berkshire-Hampshire border, unmistakable for the wooden gibbet on the ridge crest. The 220 m grass launch works on north through northwest flow and can get very busy on summer weekends. Site access is restricted to club members (full, reciprocal or guest) under the landowner agreement, and the site is CLOSED from 1 September to 1 February every year for pheasant rearing and shooting — flying outside those dates puts the site at risk. Thermals stream off in three reliable spots: the nose directly in front of the gibbet, the nose to the west, and where the take-off field meets the old woodland further west. Leaving the hill, follow the two spurs either side of the valley rather than flying over the villages of Combe and Faccombe. In north or northwest wind, an XC line toward east Andover often finds thermals over the woods south of Hurstbourne Tarrant.

Launch & conditions

Hang-gliders take off on the lip of the hill in front of the gibbet; paragliders 100 m to the west. Rig at the top but launch paragliders at the 'break' in the slope to avoid being pulled onto the fence. Note the areas being used for take-off on the day and avoid overflying them. The site becomes rough in any wind east of north — flyable in those conditions only by very experienced pilots with the pilot rating. Rotor is reliably found within 100 m of the trees beyond the west end — do not ridge soar there.

Getting there & local rules

From Hungerford on the A4, drive toward and through Inkpen. As you leave the village the hill is directly in front. The road goes to the top; the last section is gravel. Park on the gravel near the gibbet — the wooden pole with the horizontal bar. Bottom-landing pilots should note the trees, slope of the field (especially in NW), proximity of the road, hedges, wires and other pilots. First pilot on the hill for the season turns the sign on the gate to open.

Local rules & hazards

Open only early February to end of August, closed otherwise for game shooting; access is limited to members or approved guests. Best in NW-N winds, it turns rough with any east in the wind, and rotor sits by the trees off the western end. Keep clear of the model-flying zone east of the Gibbet.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Combe Gibbet, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Combe Gibbet with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.