ScottishNews.com

The festival began in 1999, when a group of local people wanted to create an event that would attract visitors and help support businesses in the town.

What started with just a handful of balloons has grown into one of Scotland’s biggest festivals, attracting pilots and thousands of spectators from across the UK and Europe.

This year, I was going to see it from a completely different perspective.

As the burner fired up and the balloon began to rise above me, I could feel the nerves starting to ease and within moments, we were gently lifting away from the ground.

I had expected a sudden rush or that stomach-dropping feeling you get on a rollercoaster, but it was nothing like that, the basket rose gently and quietly, carrying me higher above the town.

Pilot Brendan O’Rourke, from Altitude Insurance Ltd, had explained why flying in a hot air balloon feels so different from simply being high up.

“You’re not afraid of heights, you’re afraid of falling,” he said. “But in a balloon, it’s different because you’re suspended rather than actually standing on a ladder or scaffolding.”

Once we were in flight, I understood exactly what he meant.

There was a remarkable sense of calm as we drifted above the town. Apart from the occasional burst of the burner, there was very little noise - and then there were the balloons.

From the basket, I had a bird’s-eye view of a spectacular display of colour, with no two balloons looking quite the same.

Some were enormous, while others appeared much smaller in the distance. Their designs, shapes and colours varied dramatically, from bright and bold patterns to more unusual shapes that immediately caught my attention.

Against the blue sky, they created a striking sight — almost like a moving gallery.

Brendan described being in the air as a “magic carpet ride”.

For someone who had been questioning my decision only minutes earlier, I was beginning to understand the comparison.

For Brendan, one of the best parts of flying is seeing passengers have that realisation for themselves.

“To see the look on your face when you’re up there,” he added. “You get up there and you’re kind of like, oh wow, it’s a whole different world up there.”

He was right.

Looking down, I could see the festival unfolding below, with visitors moving around the park and the colourful balloons scattered across the landscape.

But while the spectacle may be what draws the crowds, the event has always had a strong community at its heart.

Organiser Les Hoggan says that remains one of the reasons the festival has continued for so long.

“This is Scotland’s original and free festival and we love being able to welcome visitors to our town to enjoy what is a fantastic event,” he said.

“We have lots for visitors to see and do.”

The weekend offers much more than flights, with entertainment, stalls and activities bringing people into Strathaven, and despite attracting large crowds, there is no entry fee.

The event is run by volunteers and receives no public funding, with visitors encouraged to make donations to help keep it going.

That community effort is a long way from the festival’s beginnings in 1999, when the original idea was simply to create something that would put Strathaven on the map and bring people into the town.

More than two decades later, it has become a major fixture in the local calendar.

For me the highlight was undoubtedly getting into that basket.

I arrived nervous about what being hundreds of feet above the ground would feel like.

Instead, as we floated over Strathaven, I found myself looking down at the colourful spectacle below and wondering why I had been worried in the first place.

I came back down already thinking about doing it again.