Balloons over Basingstoke

Heart's been given a ride in a hot air balloon, as the UK's second biggest hot air balloon festival takes place in Basingstoke.

We spent half an hour flying over the town early on Friday 6 August 2010.

Up to 50,000 people attended the event at Basingstoke's War Memorial Park between Friday 6 and Sunday 8 August to see 35 balloons taking part in the festival - now in its 15th year.

One of the star attractions for 2010 is the world's largest special shaped balloon - a dragon-shaped balloon (pictured, right) - which is due to take part in an attempt next month to break the current 20,000ft altitude record for non-conventional shaped balloons.

Matt Brown from Heart Breakfast compered a special Night Glow event on the evening of Friday 6 August 2010, when balloons lit up the sky over Basingstoke after dark.

Find out more about the event

Below you can check out a film Heart's John Stratford recorded of the flight, showing how the balloon rose out of the War Memorial Park, to fly close to Festival Place shopping centre and then over the AA building, before landing - slightly bumpily - in a field just off the A33 Reading Road.

Unfortunately we were unable to film the landing for safety reasons (that is - we had to hold on!)

Watch the video