Ballooning above Bristol - without a basket

When Bristol woman Allie Dunnington takes to the skies with her one-person hot air balloon, this is the kind of amazing view she enjoys.

Her "hopper" balloon is unlike many that are used to see over the city, with a big basket that would fit several passengers in – Allie's is no more than a seat which she straps herself into, attached to a tank of propane which fires a 12-metre tall balloon.

She recently took off on a particularly special flight from the site of the former St Andrew's Church in the area of land behind Clifton Hill, which was destroyed by bombs in 1942.

Allie, who was born in Hannover, wanted to make the flight to mark the anniversary of the bombing and celebrate Anglo-German friendship.

The exact date of the bombing was November 24, but the planned flight on that day this year had to be postponed due to bad weather.

Allie, 42, of Clifton, said: "When I did find a day that was suitable, it was a perfect day for the flight, and lots of people from the area turned out to see me off. One woman told me that it is believed that the bomber who destroyed the church was on his way to the Suspension Bridge, but ran out of bombs over Clifton. I had a lovely 40-minute flight, and the conditions were very calm. When I am up there I like to take photos of the views, which are spectacular. This time, I went over Brandon Hill and the Harbourside, then across to Windmill Hill, and I landed in Victoria Park in Bedminster.

"It was beautiful, I love being up there. It is so peaceful. I never thought I would be enthusiastic about flying because I hate being on a plane. But this is different, and it is always so exciting because you never know where you are going to land."

Allie moved to Bristol after meeting her husband, local balloonist Phil Dunnington, while she was working as a tour guide in Burma.

When they met she had never flown in a hot air balloon before, but she started to train to be a pilot and his wedding present to her six years ago was her beloved hopper balloon.

The couple are now consultants in the industry, and Allie still works as a tour guide, sometimes doing her tours from a balloon.

She is also planning the first women's ballooning event in the UK. For more information about her work, visit www.gonewiththewind.uk.com.