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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...

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. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.

Where to fly your drone

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Swale Marina, Swale (By grandad1950)

Tucked away at the end of Conyer creek off the river Swale is the small tidal marina of Swale Marina near Sittingbourne in Kent. There is a good footpath down to the coast

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.34703, 0.81217 • what3words: ///browser.factoring.unzipped

Padstow Harbour, North Cornwall (By akey_uk)

Lovely harbour on the North Cornwall Coast, worth a visit to the National Lobster Hatchery while you are there. Lots of opportunities for TOAL outside of the main Harbour. Lots of choice for food and drink while around the harbour.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 50.54114, -4.937013 • what3words: ///clotting.appointed.brilliant

Charlestown Harbour (By akey_uk)

Beautiful old harbour with 2 beaches. Parts of Poldark were filmed here.

Easy parking at the top of the town, some great places to grab a drink and a bite, its also worth taking in the Shipwreck museum while you are here. Can get busy, but there is usually somewhere quiet to TOAL.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 50.33153, -4.756629 • what3words: ///rejoins.guideline.handfuls

St Peter's Church, Mid Sussex (By grandad1950)

St Peter's church in the West Sussex Village of Ardingly is a Grade 1 listed building dating from the 14th century.

An interesting village to explore with a great artisan bakery. Nearby is the South of England Show Ground and Ardingly Reservoir.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.05215, -0.089996 • what3words: ///bearings.untruth.topical

Grove Park, Swale (By grandad1950)

On the edge of Sittingbourne, Grove Park has lots of space to fly providing there is no cricket match on.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.3458, 0.706061 • what3words: ///adopters.exclaim.series

Peveril Point, Purbeck (By richrab)

Peveril Point is a headland on the east-facing coast of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England, and is part of the town of Swanage. It forms the southern end of Swanage Bay.

The rocks that make up Peveril Point are shale and Portland and Purbeck limestone in a syncline structure. This has resisted erosion more than the adjacent clay of Swanage Bay; whilst the clay has eroded away over time, the limestone has remained as a headland.

On top of Peveril Point is a National Coast watch Institution lookout. The point is also home to Swanage Lifeboat Station.

Peveril Point contains tunnels connecting disused gun emplacements which defended the entrance to Southampton Water from the west of the Isle of Wight during World War II.

TOAL was from the Helicopter Landing "H" to the side of the Coastguard Observation Station.
This area is on the Northern edge of the Portland No Fly Zone, so check in which direction you fly.

No close parking, nearest car park is Broad Road opposite the Pier.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 50.60737, -1.944599 • what3words: ///skins.handyman.fountain

St Giles Church, Mid Sussex (By grandad1950)

St Giles is a Grade 1 listed church in the West Sussex village of Horsted Keynes.

Nearby is the heritage Bluebell Railway that is also worth a visit.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.04008, -0.027631 • what3words: ///lordship.appendix.ambitions

Lenham Cross, Maidstone (By grandad1950)

The chalk cross is carved out of the hillside just above the village of Lenham in Kent.

It is a memorial to those that died in WW1 and WW2.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.24221, 0.729004 • what3words: ///bends.trades.game

St Margaret's Church, Mid Sussex (By grandad1950)

St Margarets parish church in West Hoathly in Mid Sussex dates from the 11th century. It is a grade 1 listed building.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.07628, -0.055228 • what3words: ///mattress.lyrics.metro

Grey Crag, South Lakeland (By D0c.Col)

Discover one of the most scenic Lake District circular walks starting from Stonethwaite, climbing up to Great Crag, and exploring Grange Fell before looping back. This hike offers breathtaking views, peaceful woodlands, and classic Lakeland landscapes. Perfect for walkers looking for a moderately challenging but rewarding route in Borrowdale.

📍 Route: Stonethwaite → Great Crag → Grange Fell → Return to Stonethwaite
🥾 Distance: ~6–7 miles (approx.)
⏱️ Duration: 3–4 hours (depending on pace)
💡 Highlights: Stunning fell views, hidden tarns, and a quiet alternative to the busier Lakeland peaks.

If you’re planning a Lake District hike, or looking for ideas for your next Borrowdale walking route, this circular walk is a fantastic choice!

I parked in Stonethwaite (limited so would have to be early to secure a spot) and the only way to this location is by trekking, I'm afraid. No short cuts, but the views are spectacular.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 54.45794, -2.777197 • what3words: ///openly.range.hulk


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