Beacon (West)

Red, no landing. Purple, no overflying.

Malvern Hills General Site Rules apply to this site

PILOT REQUIREMENTS

Helmet sticker, and BHPA Pilot Rated (or foreign equivalent)

Grid Reference

Worcestershire Beacon SO769451

Wind Direction

WSW - WNW ( 240° - 300°) best W

Height

425m (1395′ ) 803′ TTB

Extent of site

Around 4.5 miles along the ridge to the south. Flying north below 2000’ AGL is severely limited - see map.

Hazards

The Malverns are in an intense military low flying area. If flying midweek then pilots must notify Military Air Traffic, see the CANP section on the Safety page.

The Malverns Hills are a “Spineback” ridge so beware of flying your glider in strong winds; getting blown back could be fatal. NEVER GO OVER THE BACK AT LESS THAN 500 ft ABOVE TAKEOFF, IN ANY WIND, DUE TO ROTOR.

On days with unstable air strong lee side thermals develop early and pull in air from the windward side. The thermals on the windwards side can then be broken and the air can be very rough. This can also lead to sinking on the windward side necessitating quick slope landings.

On days with strong winds, which can lead to climbs drifting over the back low, there can be an early connection with a lee side thermal. The turbulence experienced can be extremely violent and beyond the best active flyer. Later in the day these effects are not so noticeable.

Many of the paths are bridle-ways so pilots must be extra vigilant to avoid spooking horses.

There are old park benches in the long grass between the three playing fields that make up the bottom landing area.

Capacity

6 - 8 on a ridge soaring day will feel crowded.

Access

Via West Malvern Rd or Beacon Rd. Take path (See map)

Parking

West of England Quarry pay & display car park WR14 4DG. Beacon Rd pay & display car park. WR14 4EH

Take-off areas

The area south of the Beacon trig point just blow to hill crest.

LANDING FIELD

2024 UPDATE

The Hockey Pitches landing field (see Map) is considered dificult to land in due to the height of the surrounding trees.
It is possible to land in the field shown in green on the map, but be aware it is behind a ridge and can be tricky to get into due to turbulent air in the lee of the hill.
In stronger winds the hockey pitches may be less susceptible to turbulence and offer the less bad landing option.

The whole area is very sensitive, and so it is important not to land in any field that is marked in red (except in an emergency).

Pack up on footpaths and make as little “foot print” as possible.

Please note: The group of fields marked in red are farmed by a farmer who has made it clear we are NOT welcome to land there, even if there is no livestock or crop.