“I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o'er vales and hills,” the famous first lines of William Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils, which was inspired by a walk in the breathtaking landscape of the Lake District. Wordsworth dreamt of flying above this beautiful part of the county of Cumbria, but tragically he lived before the age of flight. We have the good fortune to live out this fantasy, flying peacefully and silently as a cloud in the ultimate unpowered aircraft - a paraglider.

This county is in a league of its own when it comes to spectacular scenery. As well as the Lake District, where the largest lakes and the highest peaks in England are found, parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lie within the county. In an area with so many hills, you have to gain altitude to get the best views, and the most rewarding way to do that is by launching a paraglider into the sky. These are simple pieces of kit that consist of a crescent shaped wing which lifts one or two people, strapped into harnesses, into the sky. They don’t have motors or engines, so there’s nothing to disturb the peace of soaring through the skies and contemplating the landscape below. This is the best way to discover the region's secrets, and it comes with a price tag that might surprise you.

Where are the best places to go paragliding in Cumbria?

In order to get a paraglider into the air, you need a hillside with a smooth, unobstructed slope and a good breath of wind. There are more hills here than most other parts of the country, and they have slopes which face in all directions. This makes it a reliable place to fly, and with the scenery that you can enjoy from each launch site, a rewarding one.

• North Lakes: Some of the best launch sites in the county are in the North of the National Park, especially around the town of Keswick. If you take off from here, your flight could take you over Bassenthwaite Lake, Buttermere and Derwentwater, under the peaks of Skiddaw and Helvellyn, and through some of the most beautiful valleys in England. Glencoyne Bay on Ullswater, the location that inspired Wordsworth to write his poem, is also in this area.

• South Lakes: The biggest lakes in England, Windermere and Coniston Water, are found in the south of the national Park, and the highest peak in the country, Scafell Pike, isn’t far away. This is a land of extremes, perfect for an airborne adventure. On top of that, there are hilltops where you can catch the wind no matter where it's coming from, so this a good bet for a successful flight.

• Coast: This region is bordered by the Irish Sea to the west, and the coastline, from the Furness Peninsula to the Solway Firth, is a sight for sore eyes. Part of the coast falls within the Lake District, but even the area outside the national park is a charming panorama of beaches, bays and headlands. Clifftop launches are possible in several locations, including the Heritage Coast around St Bees. From here, you can enjoy sweeping views of the ocean stretching to the Isle of Man and the Galloway Peninsula in Scotland.

• Yorkshire Dales: As the name suggests, most of this national park belongs to Yorkshire, but part of it spills over the border into Cumbria. Unlike the peaks, fells and ridges of the Lake District, this landscape is characterised more by upland moors. It’s another beautiful spot for a flight showing a different aspect of the area’s natural beauty.

• Pennines: In a similar way to the Yorkshire Dales, a relatively small part of the Pennines extends into Cumbria. That section includes the highest peak in the Pennines, which is also the highest peak in England outside the Lake District. Taking off from the ridges of the Pennines, you can fly over the Eden Valley, on the other side of which the mountains can be seen.

How can you go up in a paraglider?

- The best way to experience a paragliding flight for the first time is a tandem flight. An experienced pilot will take charge of the expedition - choosing the launch site, organising the equipment, getting you airbourne and taking you on the best sightseeing tour in Cumbria - and you just have to enjoy it. You can expect at least 30 minutes of airtime, which could be split over 2 flights under certain conditions. But if the wind’s right for a full half hour’s flying, you’ll cover quite a lot of ground, with no need to worry about winding paths or traffic that could slow you down. Longer flights are available on request, and it’s also possible to arrange for a GoPro camera to be fitted to the paraglider to capture it on film.

- But the sport wouldn’t be in great shape if people only wanted to take tandem flights. More people need to learn to fly to keep it alive, and you can do just that here. Learning how to become a paragliding pilot requires completing training flights as well as studying theory and learning the basic principles of safety and aerodynamics, so you need to sign up for a course. The full training programme takes around 10 days to complete, but you can take a 1 or 2 day taster course here to get a chance to fly solo and make up your mind as to whether you want to go through with it.

Requirements to do this activity

Taking a tandem flight isn’t a very demanding experience for the passenger, but there are a couple of things that you need to be able to do over the course of the activity. The first is reaching the launch site, which will usually involve a bit of brisk hill walking. Once all the equipment is on, you need to be able to take a few running steps down the hillside with your pilot to take off. Finally, you’ll have to lift your knees towards your chest and brace for a bit of a jolt at landing. Having said that, there are pilots who’s passion for getting people into the air extends to those with limited mobility, and they have a specially designed wheelchair for this purpose. Learning to fly is an experience that’s open to anyone over the age of 14 years old, although you have to have reached your sixteenth birthday to get your certification.

This is the place to float on high o'er vales and hills. If that sounds good to you, let us know and we can organise it for you.