Skies over Huntingdonshire awash with colour as hot air balloon championship begins

Hot air balloons filled the skies over the Lakeside Lodge venue in Pidley this morning (Tuesday) as the annual UK championships began.

Hot air balloons across the Fens - Credit: Archant

Competitors from around the UK arrived at the launch site to begin a week of competition that will see them take to the skies in pursuit of the UK National Championships crown.

Flying is set to continue at the venue until Saturday, with the competition organised by the BBAC Competitions Club.

In competitive balloon flights, the aim of the competition is to fly as close as possible to one or more points, known as targets.

Once a pilot has directed the balloon as close as possible to a target, a weighted marker with an identifying number written on it is dropped. The distance between a pilot’s marker and that target determines his or her score.