Fractured Axel

Does anyone still fly on Cowbridge common anymore . Can remember a few years ago there where allways quite a few up there flying . Has it been banned ?

We flew up their until about 2 years ago when we moved from Cardiff to Towcester, never any issues or talk of banning as far as I heard.

I used to be a Cowbridge Common regular and there used to be quite a few up there. Really good spot we even held some STACK events there a couple of times.

Not sure why but the scene just vanished and meeting another kite flier became a rarity. Despite living less than 5 miles away I don't fly there any more and haven't see anyone on my near daily drive past.

Not banned as far as I am aware, it is common land and there was a clamp down on taking vehicles onto the common.

Paul

Tregolwyn wrote:

I used to be a Cowbridge Common regular and there used to be quite a few up there. Really good spot we even held some STACK events there a couple of times.

Not sure why but the scene just vanished and meeting another kite flier became a rarity. Despite living less than 5 miles away I don't fly there any more and haven't see anyone on my near daily drive past.

Not banned as far as I am aware, it is common land and there was a clamp down on taking vehicles onto the common.

Paul

Oh yes thats what I must have heard then .. not actually the kite flying ban but NO VEHICLES on the common . When I used to fly there , there was sometimes the guys who used to own and run the kite store the other side of Bridgend , Scuffs I believe it was called . I must be honest I used to enjoy it up there . Not really the same flying on your own all the time .

Yes the Scruffs posse used to have a regular meet on the Common. Scruffs have been long gone now and the owners moved to Spain (even featured on A Place in the Sun or some such moving house programme on TV).

What kites did you fly? I was probably flying there about that time and we may have bumped into each other.

Paul

Tregolwyn wrote:

Yes the Scruffs posse used to have a regular meet on the Common. Scruffs have been long gone now and the owners moved to Spain (even featured on A Place in the Sun or some such moving house programme on TV).

What kites did you fly? I was probably flying there about that time and we may have bumped into each other.

Paul

Yes I drove to where their shop was .... just a ruin now sad really as it was sort of on your doorstep , well a 40 minute drive . I used to fly a Jam session , and also a Prism UL cant remember the name of that one though . I shall have to try and find a photo of us , im sure its on here somewhere .
Oh here we go ... this was a website I made . Im amazed its still viewable.

http://webspace.webring.com/people/kw/w ... /about.htm

Not sure I recognise many of those faces but pretty sure I met the guy on the left with the white, blonde? hair.

Scruffs was a pretty good shop, nothing like it exists now. There were a few concerns about business ethics but at least you could walk in, buy a decent kite and be flying straight away. Just too ambitious for the location and the market I guess.

Paul

Tregolwyn wrote:

Not sure I recognise many of those faces but pretty sure I met the guy on the left with the white, blonde? hair.

Scruffs was a pretty good shop, nothing like it exists now. There were a few concerns about business ethics but at least you could walk in, buy a decent kite and be flying straight away. Just too ambitious for the location and the market I guess.

Paul

The gent on the far left , yes he was up on the common a lot ... also had a vast array of kites from single lines through to various stunt kites and Revs . Good flyer he was !

Agreed about Scruffs in that u could walk in buy decent kites and accs , and walk away happy . From what my poor memory remembers I believe his name was Ian ?

second from left is Geoff Strangeway, currently member of Flying Squad, previous STACK competition flier and head judge.

Keithgrif wrote:

second from left is Geoff Strangeway, currently member of Flying Squad, previous STACK competition flier and head judge.

Geoff yes ... I wrote on the page it was Jeff lol . I remember he was flying a REV this one day up there , I was offered a go ... lets say I was rubbish !

This is right old trip down memory lane isn't it.

Yes the guy on the left was a Rev flier. I think he had bought a speed series at the time and was finding it a bit of a handful. Very friendly guy, spent many an hour chatting while the wind refused to blow.

The Scruffs duo were Ian and Irene. They also ran the Margam Park kite festival which despite being very low key and never having any wind was a really nice event.

To be honest I think they are missed here, maybe it is no coincidence that as soon as Scruffs closed down flying on the Common disappeared.

Perhaps I'll get up there soon and try to recreate old times.

Paul

Tregolwyn wrote:

This is right old trip down memory lane isn't it.

Yes the guy on the left was a Rev flier. I think he had bought a speed series at the time and was finding it a bit of a handful. Very friendly guy, spent many an hour chatting while the wind refused to blow.

The Scruffs duo were Ian and Irene. They also ran the Margam Park kite festival which despite being very low key and never having any wind was a really nice event.

To be honest I think they are missed here, maybe it is no coincidence that as soon as Scruffs closed down flying on the Common disappeared.

Perhaps I'll get up there soon and try to recreate old times.

Paul

Yes agreed the guy far left was great , I think he used to go up on the common so often as he as I have now a lot of spare time on their hands . Ian and Irene yes thats the ones , always remember them coming up in the Scruffs van and flying kites that not manu of us could afford , sort of showing off lol lol .

I can remember the garden place down west wales , cant remember what its called .... like a HUGE domed greenhouse had a small festival there organised by Ian and Irene , was a good crowd , but no wind !!

I will pop up the common next week as long as its dry .

Can't say I recognise anyone from that line up, before my time?
I'm still around if you fancy a meet up.

Bit of a trip down memory lane, this one, I remember scruffs, never went to the shop, but remember them. The trouble I recently had looking for a new kite, I did wonder about investing in a new local shop, think it would now be mainly online, operating from home, don’t know if a high street shop would work in this day and age. I can only really see Kiteworld in Essex as a decent shop with stock in thebUK

I was looking at Kiteworld last couple of days, there is noting there! I got my gemini from Bristol kite store, a dot matrix from them too. There was a Fury in a shop in saundersfoot of all places years and years ago. I guess Chris Goff killed everyone!