For the smallest nation in the British Isles, Northern Ireland has a lot to offer. As well as superlative claims - to the largest lake in the UK and Ireland, Lough Neagh, and to the docks where the biggest passenger ship in the world, the Titanic, was built - this country is blessed with dramatic landscapes and fascinating history, and a wealth of myths and legends. Strong winds are also a feature of this region. While some people see these as anything but a blessing, these are a gift for a certain kind of person. Anyone who’s interested in paragliding has a different attitude towards the wind than the average person, because this is the driving force of their sport of choice.

Paragliding is like a dream come true for anyone who fantasises about flying like a bird. There’s no other aircraft that can take you into the air, and pack up into a rucksack to be carried with ease. Like our feathered friends, paragliders don’t rely on a noisy motor or a rigid structure, and the majority of steering is achieved by the pilot shifting their weight under the crescent-shaped wing. And when it comes to flights of fantasy, what could be better than soaring in the skies above the filming locations for the HBO series Game of Thrones? Numerous real world locations in Northern Ireland were used as the setting for wondrous places and epic adventures in this series and you can see them from the air by taking a ride in a paraglider here - without the need for a big budget!

Where are the best places to go paragliding in Northern Ireland?

• Belfast: The capital sits at the head of a large inlet of the sea. The northern shore of the sea lough is fringed by high hills and one of these, Knockagh, is a popular viewpoint for surveying Belfast and its surroundings. The prominent hilltop led to its selection as the site for a First World War memorial, and it also makes it possible to catch the wind here and launch a paraglider into the air. Though it’s not a common choice for passenger and training flights, experienced pilots can enjoy a trip over the city from here.

• Antrim: County Antrim borders Belfast and makes up the northwest corner of the island. It boasts a Irish Sea coast and an Atlantic coastline, which is the site of one of the natural wonders of the British Isles, the Giant’s Causeway. The Larne Hills, which run along the shore of the Irish Sea, have numerous hilltops and ridges that are perfect for launching a paraglider into the sky, making it a popular place for training. Inland, the commanding prominence of Big Collin is another good place to take off, and flights from here can take pilots and passengers over Lough Neagh. With a surface area of 150 square miles, this lake is almost a sea in its own right, and its waters, banks and islands are largely undeveloped and unspoilt.

• Atlantic Coast: The wild north coast of the country has some of the best flying spots in the country. The best places to take off in order to pay an aerial visit to the Giant’s Causeway, as well as the town of Portrush and the Skerries islands, are in County Londonderry. One is the cliffs above the beach known as Downhill Strand. Beautiful in their own right, these cliffs are topped by a curious circular building, Mussenden Temple, which was in fact built as a library before being used by the production crew of the Game of Thrones series to represent the land of Dragonstone. The other is Magilligan Point, which separates Lough Foyle from the Atlantic Ocean.

• Sperrin Hills: County Londonderry’s best training spot is near the town of Dungiven, where the A6 road rises into the Sperring Hills and crosses Glenshane Pass. Here, you’ll find a natural runway for paragliding - a uniformly sloping hillside with no bushes or rocks to snag the wing,and nothing to stop Atlantic winds from inflating it and lifting the craft into the sky. That also means that the views across the coastal plain and to the ocean are spectacular and, on top of all that, there’s even a pub - the second highest pub on the island - close at hand.

What are the options for organising an experience?

- There are two main ways to experience this fantastic sport in Northern Ireland, and your choice will depend on what you want to get out of it. Are you looking for a new perspective on this beautiful part of the British Isles and the freedom to contemplate its scenery in style? Or do you have the desire to feel the sensations of flight, and harness the wind to take you on a journey through the skies? If it's the first, the right choice for you is a tandem flight, which involves riding as the passenger in a paraglider that’s controlled by an experienced pilot. The flight will last between 45 minutes and 1 hour, the exact duration of which is dependent on the meteorological conditions.

This tandem experience can be enhanced by the addition of an edited video of the flight. A camera can be attached to the paraglider in such a way as to capture footage of you and the pilot in mid air, as well as the beautiful scenery, and create a souvenir that will keep the memory alive forever.

- f your case is different, and you want to pilot by yourself, you need to book yourself onto a training course. It’s possible to organise taster days, but to get certified, you need to complete up to 10 days of training. You’ll learn about the equipment, the theory, and experience launching, landing and flying at a number of locations around the area.

Requirements to do this activity

Of all the airsports out there, this is one of the most accessible. There are pilots who’ll take people on a tandem flight from the age of 14 years old and up. And most people over that age are eligible to get involved. The range of body weights that are suitable for flying is broad, from a minimum of 5 stone or 32 kilograms to a maximum of 17 stone or 100 kilograms, and you don’t need to be a regular sports man or woman. So long as you're able to hike uphill to a launch site and spend some time setting up the equipment, before running downhill a little, once attached to the device, in order to catch the wind, you should be fine.

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