Holiday – No Holiday? That is the question.
All set to go gliding in the Pyrenees from a small airfield called Santa Cilia. We stay in the village in a typical stone Pyrenean house run by a wonderful lady called Toya. She looks after all the glider pilots and many pilgrims who are walking the trail to Santiago de Compostella.
The glider, a lovely dual seat Duo Discus belonging to Lasham Gliding Club, is already there. The weather is good.
Now we have heard that the airfield will cease to function from 1st May. Santa Cilia Airfield was run by the local Aragon tourist board. They have invested a lot of money in it with a new hangar and asphalt runway. It has 2 tug planes. There is a swimming pool and restaurant, offices and briefing room also a shaded car park.
Nearby is a bird sanctuary on a cliff face. Vultures and eagles live there. Up in the steep mountain valleys the farmers make a wonderfully tasty hard cheese.
Luckily, there is another airfield at Cedanya at the East end of the Pyrenees. We are hoping they might be able to accommodate us. If not – then what?
I will keep you all informed about whether we get to fly or not. Many people think it must be impossibly expensive to fly in the Pyrenees. It is cheaper than many holidays that people have. I’ll provide a breakdown of costs later. Of course, you have to learn to fly first.
Post Series: Gliding Holiday in Spain, by Mike Sedgwick:
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[…] After a six-hour drive through France and Northern Spain beneath low cloud and many showers of rain, I passed Pamplona and the weather changed. The cloud broke up and the sun shone from a blue sky. The weather improved over the next 50 miles to Santa Cilia. […]