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Queen Elizabeth Country Park added to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in South East by AeroJ on 11/08/2024

The South Downs contains a good few spectacular locations along its length, and Butser gets a lot of attention for being among the tallest and most open of them.

But the neighbouring peak of Butser is a slightly lower, almost entirely tree-covered hill where we find QECP, Petersfield's main big out-of-town country park, which deserves a pin on the map because it will occur to many to try and fly here, but we should be aware of the challenges in advance...

Parking is expensive if you bring the car, but bikes (and EUCs) get in free if you are up to the 400 ft climb to the top of the hill with another mile or 2 to go to the fly site once you get there ! Toilets and cafe facilities open within normal park sort of hours (also expensive !). The Park does not have any 'no drones' signs (as of Aug 2024), and I believe it's fine as long as you don't hang around the busy picnic and pizza oven areas at peak times. These border the closest TOAL field right next to the car park and make that one the least preferable of the 3 or 4 available - the others don't generally have stationary groups of people in them !

There ARE spectacular views available here, just not as many as you'd think ! It is MAINLY about the trees and sheer amount of them ! And it's quite a challenging place to fly for number of reasons I will briefly mention below.

All 3 of the potential fly sites are right at the top of the hill and are variously sized fields that adjoin the main gravel track running all the way along the main ridge from the upper car park to Wardown, which is the highest point of and end of the hill. The best place to fly from is undoubtedly the largest field, furthest from the car park (about 1.5km walk), and just before the hill drops off into the Wardown viewpoint (which is almost entirely obscured from view by trees from the ground). THIS is the view we want though and is a stunning vista back towards the town, in which we have imposing Butser on the left, the chalk quarry and town in front, and the A3 carving between the 2 hills, and vast, lush tree canopy in the foreground. This looks AMAZING in Autumn.

But the Achilles heel, so to speak, of this site is the fact that each of these TOAL fields are surrounded by tall trees, seriously limiting the amount of horizontal travel we have, even at some height without losing VLOS. The ONE exception is if you get your UV to follow the main track all the way along the hill ridge, which will give a long continuous shot with clear views of craft all the way along if you follow it on foot and lovely wooded drop-offs on both sides once you get about 100 ft above the tree-line.

We do get some RAF traffic appearing low over those trees on occasions, so good to notify them of any flights you may be intending to make here in advance. We also have to watch out for excess wind, which may seem calm at ground level, but can become suddenly huge as soon as you emerge from the canopy, where you are subject to a powerful prevailing wind that gets channelled along the A3 between the 2 hills. Although updrafts from this do get diffused by the woodland to some extent, some skim above it and can catch you, making descent a bit sketchy if you try it in the wrong places or need it in a hurry, so this is actually quite a challenging place to fly because you don't have much chance to see things coming and winds are unpredictable and powerful ! My advice is 'don't run low on power here - land well early'. The main risk is being blown out of VLOS for craft that can't handle big wind. I will only fly my M4P here on the very calmest of days.

A valid question to ask might be why you would fly here, when there is even bigger hill Butser right next door, which is a relatively easy-fly, vastly wide open space, with amazing all-round visibility wherever you fly on it, and I would have to agree !

QECP is for specialists, who want tree-lined ridges in certain lights, (and ones tall enough to poke through clouds occasionally) and who want to actually fly IN the woods where there are helpfully widely spaced and nicely managed trees and a number of interesting things to film including assault courses, bike trails, epic drop-offs and several crafty type play areas with rope swings and bridges and what-not. Looks great in golden hour. FPVers would have a ball in the woods if the light was right...

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location in more detail on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 50.97363, -0.967226 • what3words: ///logs.marching.relations

The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 10/08/2024. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location.

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Dunskey Castle (By Toby999)

Dunskey Castle is a short 20min walk from Portpatrick along a public footpath.

Land owner permission requirements unknown.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 54.83544, -5.109852 • what3words: ///cigar.purse.lined

Boscobel House and the Royal Oak, Brewood, Staffordshire (By D0c.Col)

Boscobel House is a great historic place to visit, easy to find just off the A5, and as it's an English Heritage property, it has their full usual amenities available. At the time of my visit you could get a 15% discount by obtaining tickets online before you go. It has a large carpark that costs £3 for all day (you can leave and come back same day), but on the day of my flight, I parked just passed the house on the grass verge by the entrance to a farmers field, on Shackerley Lane. There is also other historic buildings nearby such as Chillington Hall and the White Ladies Priory (the latter is also on the edge of the Cosford FRZ).

Some of the footage I took was taken inside a FRZ so I strongly suggest you get prior authorisation from RAF Cosford before you fly here. Cosford ATC is not always manned during the day so you need to request their form by email to [email protected]. You need to submit your forms by email at least 24 hours prior to your intended flight, however, they do not check their emails on a Thu or Fri as they work the weekends, therefore you need to take this into account. They have a contact number of 01902 377030, but all you can generally do is leave a message. The RAF also have a pre-flight reporting number of 0800 515544 but I've never had to use it yet.

Happy flying!

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 52.6717, -2.241865 • what3words: ///create.worms.regret

Brocton Sundial & Cave houses (By G4YTK)

Two fights close together. Park on the small carpark for free W3W " conceals, skips. reserving. Take the right path, walk up the hill with the houses on your left, pass the gate pole, approx 75m the Cave House are on your left in the dip. W3W gourmet. dabble. baguette. Be careful of the trees keep the drone low.
Re join the path walk 50m and you will come to a stone with a hole through it, a arrow points left, follow the path up the hill and you come to the stone sun dial W3W, reserving. walnuts. dress.

Land owner permission requirements unknown.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 52.78069, -2.041029 • what3words: ///drank.width.duties

Gawton's Well, Knypersley Pool (By AlbionDrones)

Gawton's Well is a peaceful hidden spot - a healing well hidden in a grove of Yew Trees, if not for the signage showing where it is then I am sure most would never find it...

Depending on your sources, Gawton was either a servant at nearby Knypersley Hall or a local villager, who was afflicted with a skin complaint and bathed in the waters of the well, which was said to cure him, he then became a hermit, living in the woods under the nearby Gawton's Stone...

The second of 4 videos from that day, and 3 filmed within a quarter of a mile of each other. I was aiming to show the peace of the place and to document what is, given the shaded area and abundance of trees I flew only the AVATA as it was not really safe to fly either of the cine camera drones, I hope I have done the place justice...

To get here, follow the path inland from the Warder's Tower and then follow the signs, path can be muddy, but otherwise accessible to the wall and within, but the well itself requires a few steep steps to be climbed.

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.0971, -2.15339 • what3words: ///cuddling.attracts.strumming

Ardgour lighthouse (By BIGboyzelluf)

Nice place to fly in de morning sun!
Wait for the ferry to leave Ardgour for the perfect picture!

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 56.72145, -5.242674 • what3words: ///brings.urgent.baseballs

Warder's Tower, Knypersley Pool, Stoke-on-Stoke on Trent (By AlbionDrones)

Hidden behind the trees on the banks of Knypersley Pool - a reservoir built between 1825 and 1827 to feed the canal system - lies the impressive sandstone Warder's Tower - or Warden's Tower as it was called when I was a child growing up in the area!

Home now to several endangered and at-risk species of bat it was originally a gamekeeper's lodge for the Knypersley Estate, and was lived in until the 20th Century.

Captured at the end of September 2024 with the MINI3 Pro and AVATA1, just with the first blushes of autumn colours in the trees, I think another few weeks and the woods there will be stunning...

Parking can usually be had roadside near the dam, which gives about a half mile walk to the tower, but the road is currently shot for maintenance, meaning you have to park in the free car park - marked on map - which makes it a much longer walk - about 4 miles all told but only about 200ft of ascent in total.

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.09521, -2.155606 • what3words: ///plug.thundered.melons

Highland Stream, Allt an Lagain, Loch Eriboll (By AlbionDrones)

Along the A838 (NC500), between Tongue and Durness, the long road snakes around Loch Eriboll, and at the Choraidh Tearoom there lies a small Highland Stream, Allt an Lagain.

With far-reaching views across Loch Eriboll this small river drops from the higher moors down a series of exposed rock runs and small waterfalls past clumps of bright purple heather flowers - and through one of the first privately built and run Hydro-Electric systems. The water is stained brown with Peat, and some of the exposed rocks are thusly stained red.

Perhaps not as stunning as a large waterfall, but it has its own quiet peace and beauty, and although the wind was on the limits of what was possible on our visit, we managed to make a quick flight up the river to capture this short video, I hope it is enjoyed...

Car Parking available at roadside or in the cafe Car Park. Fly up the hill, watch out for Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcon though, both had a look at the drone on this flight!

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 58.49235, -4.729075 • what3words: ///deploying.shopper.curbed

Castle Tioram (By BIGboyzelluf)

Great an quit place to fly!!!

Land owner permission not required.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 56.7845, -5.82922 • what3words: ///views.skylights.crashing

St James' Church (By Brooksy789)

Parking available on the B6011 via a layby between Linby and Papplewick villages. A small walk down a trail gets you to this historic church.

The church is thought to have been built in the 12th century. In the grant made by Henry II to Newstead Priory, part of the endowment was “The Town of Papplewick with the Church of the same name and the Mill.”. Legend has it that Alan A’Dale, one of Robin Hood’s men, was married here. The present tower dates from the 14th century. The nave and chancel were rebuilt by the Right Hon. Frederick Montagu in 1795 (after he had rebuilt the Hall.). In 1855, Papplewick was united with Linby. The Parish is now called ‘the Parish of St. Michael, Linby cum St. James, Papplewick‘. The building was further restored and repaired in 1938 in memory of John Chadburn, son of Mr. C. W. Chadburn who lived in the Parish.

Land owner permission requirements unknown.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.05827, -1.187194 • what3words: ///flushes.mindset.clockwork

Bestwood Village clocktower (By Buzbysdrone)

Built between 1873 and 1876 the clocktower was formerly the offices of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company. Bestwood Iron Works was opened to the west of the colliery in 1881 and remained in use until 1928. The colliery was nationalised in 1947 and later closed in 1967. The clocktower is Grade II listed and remained the offices of the National Coal Board until 1985. After a period of being vacant, the building transferred into private ownership and resumed its use as offices in 2004.

Parking and TOAL was on the adjacent public highway.

Land owner permission requirements unknown.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.02283, -1.178944 • what3words: ///humble.shakes.turned


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