About this flying site
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High and Over paragliding site and weather forecast
South Downs, Sussex. Live seven-day flying weather, launch directions and site information for High and Over.
Altitude76 m
Launch directionsE, SE
Coordinates50.7912, 0.1418
AreaSouth Downs, Sussex
Managing club: Southern Hang Gliding Club · Access: membership
Flying profile
Best Workable Not recorded
High and Over is a hill site in South Downs, Sussex with a recorded launch elevation of 76 m. It works best in easterly and south-easterly winds. Pilots fly it for ridge soaring and thermal, using foot launch.
- Terrain
- hill
- Lift
- ridge soaring and thermal
- Launch
- foot launch
- Cross-country
- Not recorded
When the wind is wrong for High and Over
The nearest site we have rated for each wind direction High and Over doesn't cover.
Firlenortherly or north-westerly wind, 6 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 165 m · N, NW launchBo-Peepnorth-easterly wind, 3 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 183 m · NE launchNewhaven Cliffssoutherly wind, 7 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 55 m · S launchMount Caburnsouth-westerly wind, 10 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 137 m · S, SW launchDevil's Dykewesterly wind, 27 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 193 m · N, NW launch
Site briefing highlights
Short extracts from Southern Hang Gliding Club and ParaglidingEarth. Read the full guide before you fly.
Take-off
There are two take-off areas. From the car park, follow the left path for the south-east-facing launch, or the right path for the east-facing launch. Both are smallish — the east one particularly so.
Landing
Top landing (south-east launch) — the area is immediately behind take-off and needs a careful approach.
Access and parking
The public car park is two miles from Seaford and one mile south of Alfriston on the B2108. There are no daytime restrictions, but overnight parking is not permitted; there is a lay-by opposite that can also be used.
Local weather notes
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Flight rules
MEMBERS-ONLY SITE. Register with the Southern Hang Gliding (and Paragliding) Club (SHGC) for DAY or ANNUAL membership before flying. Permission to fly any SHGC site is sensitive, and can be easily lost.
Hazards and cautions
- The main slopes are too steep to safely slope-land and walk out. The bowl is almost entirely tree-covered — some trees are large and the coverage impenetrable — with many fences and trees surrounding the take-off areas. The river and levees are an obstacle for bottom landing: the water can be over 10 ft deep and very fast on the ebb, and the oxbow lake is stagnant with a smelly muddy bottom. There is a busy road close behind the left-hand take-off, and a sunken footpath and a tumulus on the eastern take-off. In winter the whole field is often flooded.
- Airflow: High and Over works best with the wind coming from the east into the coombe — if the flow is up or down the main valley, you are probably at the wrong site. The bottom-landing area can be turbulent when the wind is off, particularly off to the south in sea-breeze conditions, and the wind at the foot of the river cliff (below the left-hand take-off) can switch without warning. The site can become very thermic and turbulent at short notice — it is subject to local sea-breeze effects and can be affected by wave and convergence, and is well known for fast changes in wind direction and strength and very gusty thermals. Never fly it without a full site briefing. If you see catspaws on the river, do not fly — that indicates rotor from the Willingdon massif. There is often sink over the trees in the bowl; avoid that area if the wind is off to the south (heavy sink/rotor from the right-hand take-off and the spur down by the white horse). A fully recirculating rotor can set up over the car park — beware rotor anywhere behind the bowl, and do not fly over the car park or the field behind without plenty of height to glide clear; this rotor can be severe and has caused incidents.
- Exact launch
- Launch GPS
- 50.78794, 0.14203
- Members also see the gate / padlock code (where a site has one), the Safety Officer’s contact, and the downloadable guide (PDF).
Check current site guidance
Paragliding sites near High and Over
Bo-Peep3 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 183 m · NE launchFirle6 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 165 m · N, NW launchNewhaven Cliffs7 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 55 m · S launchBeachy Head10 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 163 m · SE, S launchMount Caburn10 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 137 m · S, SW launchDitchling Beacon22 km away · Southern Hang Gliding Club · 222 m · N launch
Forecasts are planning aids, not safety clearance. Check current observations, official airspace and NOTAM information, local rules and your own experience before every flight.
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