Rybury

Rybury is a Wiltshire chalk-hill site on the North Wessex Downs at about 208 m, working on SW, W and NW flow. It's a thermic and soaring venue with real cross-country potential — the best thermals often break off from the top of the Rybury enclosure, so in light winds a climb high enough will let you push north toward Milk Hill. Study your air map carefully before venturing XC. The site sometimes closes for lambing in April and May (exact closure day depends on Easter and the state of the ewes — typically around 10 April, always reopening 1 June). Solo flying is not permitted at this site.

Launch & conditions

Launch anywhere along the top of the hill (approximately 230 m / 755 ft AMSL). Take-off options are generous. From the parking about 1 mile along the track, walk westwards from the track through the gate and along the fence toward the hilltop.

Getting there & local rules

OS Grid Ref SU 084 637 (Landranger 173, Pathfinder 1185). Parking is about 1 mile along the track, roughly 200 yards before the lower barns. Slope-land or top-land as appropriate — but watch the hazards at the col at the top of the bowl, where landing can result in being blown back into dangerous rotor. If the wind picks up, it's usually safest to land on the shallow spur below the Rybury hill fort. The bottom landing area is the field just beyond the fence at the bottom of the slope.

Local rules & hazards

You must NOT fly alone at this site. The site sometimes closes for lambing in April and May — check the sign on the gate; it always reopens on 1 June. Landing in the col at the top of the bowl risks being blown back into dangerous rotor — the shallow spur below the hill fort is the safer alternative when the wind picks up.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Rybury, 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 Rybury with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.