Flying Adventures

Quite a week flying this week. Popham – Perth – Glenforsa – Dornoch – Popham – Ronaldsway IOM – Popham.

Including my longest flight yet in the TSi. 4 hrs from Dornoch north of Inverness to Popham!

Last-minute departure Tuesday; weather looks ok for a few days in Scotland. Departed 1400. Brize zone ATC closed due to a power outage flew over the top anyway. No transit through East Midlands was forthcoming – too busy – so 1400 ‘ weaving between Derby ATZ and quite low to keep under the TMA.

Good memories of earlier times in Derbyshire and Yorkshire Dales as I passed over. Then 5500 ‘ over Spadedam danger area. Edinburgh transit at 3900’ over the Firth of Forth no problem. Perth, good friendly and busy airfield. Taxi into town.

Glenforsa for coffee. Paul’s first time there. Dornoch: amazing well-kept grass strip and very very welcoming and helpful; got some MOGAS from Hugh. Eclipse was missed behind the clouds, so a non-event for us. Then, after waiting for the rain showers to pass departed about 11 am direct to Popha. No transit through Edinburgh this time, so down to 2300 under the TM. Low-level route past Liverpool, getting a lot hotter and browner. Wildfire at Stourbridge observed (later news reports 19 houses destroyed).

Sat Popham to IOM mostly 4500′ but down to 2900′ under the Liverpool TMA and remembering Hawarden RMZ.

Monday localised cloud so SVR departure to Popham. Brize ATC operational so transit approved (even though the runway is not in use).

Day 1: Popham (EGHP) to Périgueux (LFBX) via Cherbourg (LFRC)

Plan A gives way to Plan B

Our original plan was fly down to Biscarrosse for some log awaited bucket list seaplane flying and enjoy a pre-booked hotel on the lake. However, wild summer forest fires forced Biscarrosse Airfield and surrounding accommodations to close. Time for Plan B: Périgueux in the Dordogne region.

We departed Popham (EGHP) and set a course across the English Channel for our first stop at Cherbourg (LFRC). The airfield café at Cherbourg has recently reopened under new ownership, hosted by a very welcoming owner serving up a nice light menu (and bottles of wine available for purchase).

Flying through the Haze

The second leg from Cherbourg down to Périgueux (LFBX) proved challenging. For the last 70 nautical miles, visibility deteriorated significantly due to a combination of moisture and drifting smoke—despite being over 100 miles east of the Biscarrosse blazes. Synthetic vision and the RNP 29 approach were helpful tools for getting in.

Landing at Périgueux felt eerily quiet: rain and nobody around; after our smoky flight, it was like arriving at the end of the world. We topped up at the self-serve AVGAS pump, then realised we were locked inside the airfield perimeter! Fortunately, an aeroclub door was unlocked, allowing us to exit into town. Knowing we couldn’t regain access until the airfield officially reopened on Monday, we spent the night at an Ibis before settling into a large apartment in Périgueux’s historic centre.

Day 3: Périgueux (LFBX) to Montpellier (LFMT)

Plan C: Following the Lowlands

With the cloud base over the Massif Central too low for a direct mountain route, we went with Plan C: routing south toward Carcassonne before tracking east toward the Mediterranean coast near Montpellier. Toulouse Info offered no info service around their airspace, so we navigated below the TMA independently.

Arrival into Montpellier (LFMT) was lively, featuring rapid frequency changes and coordination around active military zones. After descending to designated altitudes at Visual Reporting Points (VRPs), we were cleared for approach, left base for Runway 31 Right.

3 Days on the Mediterranean

We checked into Hôtel La Motte La Plage at La Grande-Motte—a location right near the coast. A short 15-minute stroll along the promenade brought us to the town centre, packed with bustling seafront restaurants and live music in the hot summer evenings.

Day 6: Montpellier (LFMT) to Roanne (LFLO)

Plan D: The Mountain Route & Thunderstorm Diversion

After three restful days by the sea, we flew north toward Auxerre. We planned to climb over the mountains at 6,000 feet, which required clearance through military zone LFR55D. Crossing this airspace turned into a game of frequency tag: Marseille Info handed us to Provence Info, who then passed us to Orange. Orange assigned a squawk code, granted clearance, and promptly requested we switch back to Marseille Info!

An hour into the leg, the weather began to deteriorate. High cloud layers but convective activity, with thunderstorms causing noticeable turbulence out to our west. Weather radar showed storm cells moving northeast, right over our destination at Auxerre, so we elected to divert and wait out the weather at Roanne (LFLO), with Clermont passing our flight plan diversion message.

Stranded by the Lunch Hour

We landed at Roanne during the French lunch break (12:00–14:00) with no active ATC and an empty ramp, save for a few locals working in an aeroclub hangar (A Rotax service centre here too).

With the airfield café closed, we fueled up with UL91 (at a steep €3.00 per litre), parked the plane, and headed into town. We booked an apartment near the train station for the night. The following morning, the friendly airfield admin and ATC were there and waived our overnight parking fee due to the weather diversion while processing our €10 landing fee. After a long period of wrestling with the computer. (We were anxious to get airborne before the next rain showers)

Day 7: Roanne (LFLO) to Le Touquet (LFAT)

Plan E: Racing the Rain

We spotted a weather window between rain showers and launched north to outrun fresh thunderstorm cells building to the SW. St. Yan ATC provided great service as we navigated towards clearer skies with thunderstorms developing behind us.

We maintained a smooth run under the Paris TMA at 2,300 feet via BCN before making our way to Le Touquet (LFAT). The airport was busy as usual with cross-Channel traffic, giving us a great opportunity to fly the RNP approach from the south.

In Le Touquet, we treated ourselves to a stay at Le Grand Hôtel and a seafood dinner at Pérard.

Day 8: Returning Home to Popham (EGHP)

Our final leg across the Channel brought us back to Popham (EGHP). Upon landing, we were greeted by a French aircraft fly-in underway at the airfield, featuring many classic Jodel designs (G-reg). A nice close to an unforgettable week of touring France.

Trip Summary at a Glance

Leg	Departure	Destination	Highlights / Notes
1	Popham (EGHP)	Cherbourg (LFRC)	Reopened airfield café & warm welcome.
2	Cherbourg (LFRC)	Périgueux (LFBX)	Smoke haze from wildfires, RNP 29 approach, locked airfield escape!
3	Périgueux (LFBX)	Montpellier (LFMT)	Detour via Carcassonne lowlands; 3-day beach stay at La Grande-Motte.
4	Montpellier (LFMT)	Roanne (LFLO)	Military clearance handoffs, thunderstorm diversion off route to Auxerre.
5	Roanne (LFLO)	Le Touquet (LFAT)	Outrunning storms; Paris TMA transit at 2,300 ft; dinner at Pérard.
6	Le Touquet (LFAT)	Popham (EGHP)	Smooth Channel crossing back to Popham for the Jodel fly-in.

Post Script

Our Plan A was to go to Biscarrosse. Here’s the airfield on 8th Aug 2026 after the fires

Biscarrosse Airport click for Facebook Reel

Outbound to La Roche Sur Yon for customs. Mandatory handling for customs users! Expensive €69 for 15 min on the ground including refuelling! Fontenay Le Comte nice airstrip very quite. One night in Le Rabelais hotel 3* good restaurant.

Return via Le Mans (48 hrs notice) €11 landing fee. Tricky light thunder to navigate around. Rennes very helpful, no problms to go inside Caen TMA to avoid weather.

A relaxed day in Le Touquet. Bike rental euro 15 each. Seafood lunch at Perard. Coffee and crepe on the beach at La Voile Blanche.

A week touring. 1300 Nm 11 Hrs flying.

Route:

Popham – Newquay – Le Mans – Argenton Sur Creuse – Beziers – La Rochelle – Popham

Newquay – EGHQ

Good well managed for GA through FlyNqy. There’s a good tie down wire in the GA parking area. 

Argenton Sur Creuse – LFEG

Middle of France so a good staging point. Aerobatics. Have fuel. Friendly people, radio in French. No taxis but got a lift from an aeroclub member. Interesting town of Argenton sur Cruese (on a river) is nearby with some comfortable hotels and restaurants. No taxis available. Hotel owner ran us back to the aerodrome.

Beziers – LFMU

 Good efficient airport. GA parking on loose gravel needs care. Limited tie down weights. And it can get gusty. Self service fuel (relatively expensive). Landing and 2 nights parking €30

La Rochelle Ile de Re – LFBH

Efficient GA airfield with lots of commercial airliners, GA is left to self park / handle on separate grass G apron which works well. Fuel relatively good value. Customs for ex Schengen 48 hrs PN. Which wasn’t confirmed until 24 hrs to go, so unsure if accepted or not. Customs didn’t turn up at the agreed departure time. Told to call them on the phone, and they came out in 5 minutes.

The plan was simple: head down to Bolt Head for a weekend tour of farmstrips across Devon and Cornwall. The weather, didn’t play ball. Low cloud over the coast an Bolt head. so the group diverted inland and made Dunkeswell the base instead.

Not as good as the welcome and planned BBQ that Alice had arranged for us at Bolt Head, but Dunkeswell has plenty of space for visiting aircraft, a friendly welcome, and a decent café for waiting out the weather. By evening , everyone was pitched up beside their aircraft.

The evening was all about swapping stories, comparing routes, and making plans for the next day. Some had a longer evening than others.

Route:

Deauville – Oaksey park – Kemble – Wing farm – Compton Abbas – Newton Pevrill – Eyres Field -Dunkeswell – Bolt Head – Stoodleigh Barton – Barton Farm – Belle Vue – Brown Shutters – Popham