Fly West Wales Summer School

Welcome to the UK’s paragliding Mecca!

When the summer temperatures in Spain are fiendishly hot, we base our training at our Fly West Wales Summer School at Rhossilli, on the beautiful Gower Peninsular. Fly West Wales boasts a huge choice of flying sites, and standards of excellence in paragliding training, tuition and safety which has earned the accreditation of the British Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA).

Why Wales?

Wales lends itself beautifully to learning to fly in the UK. It doesn’t suffer from the extremes of weather experienced by being too far up north, neither does it have any problems with overcrowding of hills like in the south of England. It does, however, boast some of the finest flying sites in all of the UK and a round of the British Championships is held in Wales each summer.

The South West Wales club (see local club South West Soarers) has not just Rhossilli, but a host of great other flying sites which suit both the beginner and the new pilot looking to learn to paraglide. We happen to be based on the Gower Peninsular, not just for its famed beauty but because it has on record more flyable days then anywhere else in the UK and ultimately, during the summer, that’s what you want!

Being based near Swansea, means there are a host of places to stay whatever your budget, whether it be local B& B’s & hotels, or camping at Llangennith in Rhossilli Bay. Check out or FAQ's for more links

Flying Courses & Tandem flights

Day Taster courses This day introduction into paragliding gives you a real feel for what the sport is about. We take you out to a nice gentle training slope and show you how to launch and control the glider. Having made some small hops by the end of the day you should be making short flights all on your own. If the day has tickled your taste buds enough and you want to fly more then you can carry on with the Elementary Pilot course for a further three days. Cost £120 per day, Can be bought as a gift voucher.

Elementary Pilot Course This course aims to give you the skills to free fly from the top of much bigger hills, and will last 4 days. By the end of the course you should be able to confidently take off unassisted from the top of a hill, having made your own basic weather assessment, be competant at turning and landing safely into wind. By the end of the fourth day you will have decided if you want to continue and you can then progress onto the (Cp) Club pilot course. Cost £480

Club Pilot course By now you will have probably been bitten by the bug and these will be your last days of tuition before free flying on your own. We will teach you the finer points of how to stay up and soar with the birds, how to successfully top land and reverse launch in stronger winds. The course can last from 4 - 6 days depending on progression. Rhossili is well suited for soaring with stunning views and incredible weather. Cost £120/day 4 - 6 days

Tandem Air Experience flights... Take a tandem flight with one of our experienced instructors, you get a superb feeling of what its really like to leave the ground and fly like the birds. The flight will last around half an hour and will be made with experienced Instructors in conditions suitable to give you a safe and fantastic experience. Cost £120 per flight

Anyone Flying must be a member of the BHPA. Membership fees forTandem flights and Day tasters cost £10 per day, Ep & CP will need a 3mth or annual membership. All available on day of arrival.

All you need to know

For advice on which course would be most suitable and to assess your skill level if you have paraglided before, contact us via our Enquiries Page.

Click here to see our short film of some recent beginners learning to fly with our team

For comprehensive information on Paragliding and learning to paraglide, click here to see our Recommended Reading List or our FAQS has links on Wales and flying in Spain. See our FAQs for links to Wales and Welsh Clubs and

For advice on what equipment to buy, click here for our Quality Equipment page.

Click on the following links to view and print off our helpful fact sheets: