High hills, helpful winds, and stunning scenery - this is what makes paragliding viable, enjoyable and addictive. You’ll find all of those on Dublin’s doorstep, in County Wicklow. This region is known as the Garden of Ireland for its natural beauty, but it’s not just made up of gentle landscapes. On the contrary, the Wicklow Mountains are the biggest upland range on the island of Ireland, with its highest peak - Lugnaquilla at 925 metres above sea level - rising higher than any other mountain in the east of the country. Among the ridges and valleys of this national park, there are some very convenient launch sites for paragliding, where broad, sloping mountain sides face in the perfect direction to catch prevailing winds.

If you asked a group of paragliders what it is that they love about the sport, you’d have as many different answers as there were people. But some common themes would be the sensation of flying without a motor or rigid structure, and the views to be enjoyed from this elevated vantage point. When it comes to views, this county is blessed with some of the best. As well as panoramas of mountains and valleys, descending to lakes, forests and the Irish Sea, evidence of ancient human habitation can be seen in the Wicklow Mountains. Flying here is an unforgettable experience, and compared to some more well known destinations around the world, it comes in at a bargain price.

Where are the best places for a paragliding flight in County Wicklow?

All of the launch sites in the county are found in the Wicklow Mountains National Park, which covers 205 square kilometres of natural landscape. Some of these sites are great for training and tandem flights, while others are better suited for professional pilots.

• Black Hill: Locals know this mountain as Lacken, and paragliding pilots know it as a fantastic, and reliable, place to get airborne. Its height is over 600 metres above sea level, and it stands above Blessington Reservoir -the source of Dublin’s River Liffey - where southwesterly winds come blowing towards its face. These are perfect for inflating a paragliding wing, which goes from small enough to fit in a rucksack to big enough to lift a person or two into the air in moments. Once you’re airborne, you can glide high above the reservoir, and enjoy views of the local mountains, and higher peaks to the south.

• Lough Bray: There are actually two lakes here, which sit below a W-shaped ridge. The central point of the W is known as the Eagle’s Crag. It's a granite promontory with spectacular views east - some say you can even see the peaks of Snowdonia in NorthWales from her on a good day. To increase your chances of that, you should climb above the landscape in a paraglider. Another landmark in the area is the Seefin Passage Tomb, a burial mound that dates back to around 5,000 years ago. A longer flight from here could take you to Glendalough, a mediaeval monastic site set in a breathtaking green valley.

• Tonelagee: The Irish name for this mountain roughly translates to “backside to the wind” and that gives us some idea of why it’s a good place to start a paragliding ascent. It’s an impressive peak, reaching over 800 metres of altitude, which means it’s not as popular for pilots, who prefer to gain altitude by flying rather than hiking!

Options for organising an experience

- How seriously do you want to take paragliding? If you’re up for the challenge, with the commitment and energy to learn about the equipment, techniques and theory involved, then Wicklow is a great place for you. You can take your first steps towards becoming a competent pilot here, on a 2 day taster course, or a longer Elementary course. You should be able to conduct short flights across the face of the hill on your first day, and achieve longer periods of time in the air on the second. Becoming a fully fledged pilot requires a longer commitment, with flights combined with ground based study and some exams, but you can do it all right here.

- Aside from the flying, a training course will include information about choosing launch sites, weather conditions, equipment use and maintenance and a whole lot more. If that seems to you like an obstacle to enjoying the sensations of flight, you should choose a tandem flight. An experienced pilot will take responsibility for all the tricky details, and the flight itself, and you’ll ride as their passenger. This is the best way to see the County with a birds eye view, feel the thrill of wind-powered flight, and experience moments of weightless calm. Your pilot can double up as a tour guide, pointing out landmarks both local and distant.

Requirements to do this activity

As we say, a tandem flight is the perfect passenger experience when it comes to this activity. You don’t need any prior experience to enjoy one of these, and you don’t need to be a regular adventure sports participant either. Apart from hiking uphill to the launching slopes, taking a few quick downhill steps with your pilot when you take off and raising your feet when you land, no physical action is required of you. The only things to bear in mind are that you’ll need your parents’ permission if you're under 18 years old, and you must weigh between 30 and 100 kilograms to ensure that the flight is viable.

A tandem flight can be arranged as an individual, for a couple or small group to have flights on the same day. Enjoying the skies together is a really special way to spend a day with your loved ones, so why not surprise your partner, family or friends with an experience like this that they’ll never forget?

If you’re coming here to learn to pilot a paraglider you need to be over 18 years old. Again, you don’t need to be in great shape to launch and operate a paraglider, and some pilots continue flying until well into their seventies, but you need to be prepared to spend most of a day walking up and downhill, bending down to sort out equipment and actually flying, on several occasions.

Everything’s ready here - the only thing missing is you!