Northumbria Airsports operates from the Cheviot Hills in north Northumberland, with its main training sites on the College Valley and Yeavering Bell ridges. It’s the only dedicated paragliding school in the north-east of England and serves a wide catchment from Newcastle north to the Scottish borders.
What to expect
BHPA Elementary courses (4-5 days), Club Pilot continuation, tandem flights. The Cheviot terrain is upland sheep country — rolling grass slopes between 300-600m with clean prevailing south-westerly fetch. Less busy than the Peak District or Lake District schools, which often means more airtime per student per day. The school’s instructor team is small but experienced.
Practical notes
May-September is the practical season. Wooler is the natural base for the College Valley sites — a quiet market town with B&Bs, a couple of pubs and direct access to the training area. Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnwick are 30 minutes away for slightly bigger-town options. Bring waterproofs, midge repellent in summer, and stout walking boots for the take-off paths. Combine with hill walking in the Cheviots and a visit to the Bamburgh and Lindisfarne coast.
Train, parking, drive…
- Train
- Newcastle, then ScotRail north to Morpeth and bus to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
- Parking
- School base in Newbiggin; school transport to Cheviot sites
- Postcode
- NE64 6RH
- Drive
- ~5h from London, ~30 min from Newcastle
- Car-free?
- Possible
Transport details are best-effort and worth double-checking on the day — rural buses and station services change with the timetable.
If you’ve got an extra day…
- Hadrian's Wall Path Hike an hour south
- Cheviot hill walks on rest days
- Dalby Forest MTB an hour south-east
Plan it yourself.
The most authoritative sources we know of for this site — routes, conditions, governing bodies and operators. Open in a new tab.
- BHPA British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association — qualifications and instructor accreditation.
- BHPA Sites Guide flying sites by region and recommended local clubs.
- XCWeather pilot-focused weather forecasts — wind, cloudbase, thermal index.
- RASP UK thermal soaring forecast model used by UK XC pilots.
