Hot Air Balloon Rides
in Taunton

Enjoy Stunning Views Ballooning Over Taunton

Taunton has long been the heart of Somerset, a county town with roots that stretch back more than a thousand years. The River Tone runs through its centre, and nearby Taunton Castle still stands as a reminder of centuries of defence and rebellion. The town has always looked ahead as well as back: in 1881 it became the first in England to be permanently lit by electric street lighting, a small but proud claim to modernity. Today its streets mix history with the everyday, from markets and shops to leafy parks and Georgian terraces.

Balloon flights here launch from Prockters Farm at Blundells Lane, just outside the town. From the basket, the Vale of Taunton Deane spreads out immediately, framed by the Quantock Hills to the north and the Blackdowns to the south. These ridges are both Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and their presence makes every view distinctive — high ground rising at either side, with Taunton lying in the broad, green plain between.

Depending on the breeze, you may drift right over the town itself, where landmarks like Vivary Park and Taunton Castle stand out clearly, or towards Hestercombe House, its gardens designed by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. To the west, the land rises into Exmoor, while to the east the Levels begin to stretch towards Sedgemoor and Glastonbury. On very clear days, the Bristol Channel sometimes glimmers in the far distance.

Every flight has its own rhythm. Some mornings the balloon floats low, giving you a close look at patchwork fields, rivers, and the detail of villages tucked into the landscape. On other days the air lifts you higher, until Somerset spreads away in every direction, framed by hills and open sky. A launch from Taunton is more than a view of the county town — it is a way of seeing Somerset as a whole, where town, valley, and hill come together beneath the steady drift of the wind.