Craig Lethnot, Glen Clova

A nice wee easterly site for soaring.

Wind direction(s)

North-east through south-east

Applicable disciplines

Paragliding, hang-gliding (no vehicular access)

Launch coordinates

NO 350 658 / 56.779254, -3.049062 / 470m

Coordinates for NE launch; launch anywhere north or south of the crags.

Landing/bomb-out coordinates

NO 370 650 / 56.773045, -3.031166 / 250m

Parking coordinates

NO 373 652 / 56.774879, -3.028548 / 220m

Directions to site

Leave the A90 at Finavon, head for Tannadice then Kirriemuir looking for signs for Cortachy Glen Clova before getting to Kirriemuir, postcode DD8 4QU.

Access to launch

To walk up go to either end of plantation depending on wind direction and just head off up hill. North end for NE is easier but wetter, South end is drier but the heather is deep in places so try and follow sheep tracks.

Site sensitivities/restrictions

Game keeping and farming operations exist in the glen. Check with Scott Mather or the sites officer as to any specific restrictions due to game keeping before flying in the glen.

Check the seasonal site restrictions before flying.

Risk assessment/hazards

Launching from the crags is best avoided; it is easier to launch from either bowl north or south of the crags.

Beware of being in the lee of the crags if the wind if significantly off to the north or south.

Beware of wave in north-easterly conditions.

Beware of buzzards that sometimes get upset by our presence.

Beware of rotor in the suggested landing area.

Beware of varying wind speeds due to local glen influences.

Launch advice

Launch from either of the bowls north or south of the crags, depending on the specific wind direction.

Landing areas

The suggested landing area is a field near the parking area. Any field not in crop and away from obvious game pens may be considered for landing.

Top- and slope-landings are straightforward, although there are a few rocky areas which may not be suitable for landing.

Flying advice

This site has a few wee surprises. It gets sea breezed earlier than the rest of the glen so it can appear less buoyant than you may expect but it’s fine. However there is a wee glen behind (Glen Cally) and the head of it is pretty close, so when thermals trigger there they can often pull a lot off air in over the ridge, and this can be seen by reasonable rises in wind speed on the site. You can dive back if brave, or wait for the infrequent thermals that develop in front (the ground is pretty wet.)

In a north-easterly there can be wave, which allows extended flights along the ridge just be aware of usual wave risks. In normal NE it is easier to North of the plantation. Look out for buzzards both marking lift and occasionally getting upset as they nest in the plantation.

Airspace considerations

Glen Clova is directly below the Aberdeen-Edinburgh flight corridor, with a floor of FL85 (8500ft / ~2590m) above Craig Lethnot. 15km to the north-east, the corridor floor drops to FL55, and at 23km from launch the floor drops to 3000feet AMSL.