Virgin Balloon Flights (Headcorn) - Hot Air Balloon Rides

Rising at dawn from a field near Headcorn is the proper way to see Kent - strapped into a wicker basket beneath a massive balloon, watching the Weald roll out beneath you like a watercolour painting. Virgin Balloon Flights operates from this corner of the county, and the whole experience takes about three hours from start to finish, though the actual flight lasts roughly an hour depending on wind and weather.

You'll drift silently over countryside, farms, and villages, seeing the landscape from a perspective most people never get. It's genuinely brilliant - no noise, no fuss, just you and the view. The takeoff is gentle, the landing occasionally bumpy (depends on the day), and the champagne toast afterwards is a nice touch, even if the bubbles have travelled rather far to reach you.

This suits anyone who wants to splash out on something genuinely memorable - couples marking occasions, adventurous families with older kids, or simply people who fancy doing something completely different. Early mornings suit ballooning best, before the air warms up and turbulence kicks in. Book well ahead, especially for summer weekends.

If you're based at Go Glamp just down the road, this makes an extraordinary addition to a break - breakfast at your glamping pitch, then up in the air before lunch. The timing works perfectly. Wood View Farm Glamping, a few miles further out, offers the same sort of setup. Both give you the space to recover properly afterwards, which you'll want to do.