There are moments in life that stop you completely. Standing in a dew-soaked field at 5am, watching a vast envelope of colour slowly fill with hot air, I had one of those moments.
Hot air ballooning has been on my radar for years – something about the silence of it, the stillness. No engine noise. Just the occasional roar of the burner and the sound of the wind. As we lifted off over the Rutland countryside I felt something shift. From up there, everything looks exactly as it should – peaceful, ordered, beautiful.
We drifted for just over an hour, crossing the Vale of Belvoir and watching the sun climb higher over the fields below. I’ll be going again. Soon.