You’re standing on top of a grassy hill. The city is below you and In the distance, you can see Brighton pier jutting out into the sea. The wind is in your hair. A few deft hand movements lift a flying wing above you and before you know it you have taken to the skies, flying a paraglider above the Southeast of England. If this sounds like a dream to you, keep reading, as you can convert it into a reality with a minimum of fuss and expense.

A paraglider is a glider aircraft composed of a fabric canopy, or wing, with a harness suspended below - that’s where you’ll sit. The only power source is the wind, so there’s no no noisy engine to ruin the peace of soaring through the skies. The hills and cliff tops that surround the city look beautiful from above, and on top of that, provide a number of elevated launch sites to give you the best experience possible.

Where are the best places to go paragliding in Brighton?

• Brighton and Hove seafront: in the summer months, you can’t move for tourists along this two seafront promenades. Escape the crowds by taking to the skies! Looking down, you’ll see the eight mile stretch of beach and the two piers, the palace pier with its amusement park and the romantic ruins of the old West pier, as well as the i360 observation tower. Just inland from the palace pier stands the Brighton Pavilion, an oriental inspired palace which was the luxurious residence of King George IV. The promenade in Hove is lined with parks and hundreds of colourful beach huts, and crescents of regency townhouses descend towards the seafront.

• Brighton Marina: at the Eastern end of the beach you’ll see the harbour. Although it’s uncommon to see fishing boats nowadays, many pleasure crafts and yachts are moored in the marina and you can see them coming and going from the open water. Behind the marina, chalky cliffs rise mark the boundary between land and sea, protected from the worst storms by a sea wall.

• South Downs: England’s newest national park surrounds this city on its North and East sides. These rolling chalk hills hem the city in and will be the backdrop to the views on your paraglide ride. In the distance, you might glimpse the Seven Sisters Cliffs, where the downs meet the sea, showing their bright white rock face, or pretty towns and villages.

• Falmer: the University of Sussex was built on the outskirts in the 1960s. The campus was designed to have the shape of Great Britain when viewed from the air. Find out if this is successful or not flying! Some of the university buildings were designed to evoke their academic purpose as well - look out for a camera, a candle, an open book and even a butterfly! Opposite the University is Falmer Stadium, home of the Seagulls - Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.

Requirements to do this activity

In a tandem flight you will be in your own harness, but supported by the same wing as your pilot, and all the structure and safety equipment of the craft. In total, a paragliding canopy can support up to 250 kg, and the centres set a maximum passenger weight at 100-125kg, depending on the equipment they use - and the weight of the staff! A minimum weight of 40kg is also required, to give the glider balance and control.

When it comes to age, for safety, most tandem jumps are offered to those between 18 and 65 years old. However, there are no age restrictions on learning to fly solo. This activity is almost certainly the easiest way of taking to the air and, though there are advanced skills required to fly safely in free conditions, people of all ages can get into this sport. If you’re interested in taking a course to become a paragliding pilot, your potential instructors will make an assessment, considering age, weight, and fitness level to check that you’ll be able to handle it. Physical strength is not necessary to fly a paraglider, evidenced by the fact that many pilots continue making flights well into their seventies.

How long does an experience last?

An experienced pilot in the right conditions can take off from the ground and fly continuously for most of a day and cover hundreds of miles of distance. It all depends on finding the thermals - rising currents of air - which can lift the glider thousand of metres into the air. On the other hand, at entry level, you don’t need to put aside a full day to experience.

Tandem flights can be as short as 15 minutes, though most last between 20 and 40 minutes. You’ll be surprised how much you can see during this time as you glide silently above the bustling city, and it might be enough to make you want to come back for more. There are also cross country flights on offer, which might last over an hour and take you from a take off point to a landing site on the other side of the county! Included in this type of flight is transport to collect you from wherever you end up.

What extra services can be added to the flight?

Experience providers can film your flight. The camera is attached to the craft and doesn’t interfere with take off, flight or landing - in fact you probably won’t even notice that it’s there. You have the option of receiving the unedited footage, or a professionally edited video with highlights and a backing track. We recommend the second option if you don’t think your friends and family have the patience to sit through a 30 minute video of your big day out!

Whichever option you choose, this is going to be an awe-inspiring experience that will stay with you forever - book your adventure today!