Butser Hill

At 270m, Butser is the roof of the South Downs, a huge dome of chalk grassland split by dramatic steep-sided dry valleys that look sensational with low side-light — the north-west combes hold shadow long after sunrise and give real depth that most downland lacks. There's a car park practically on the summit, so this is an effortless launch with views from the Isle of Wight to the Weald on a clear day. The overriding caution is that you are sharing the sky: the slopes are a very active paragliding and hang-gliding site, and the Meon Valley Soaring Association flies model gliders here too, so on any soarable day (fresh W–SW or N wind) the hill can have multiple unpowered aircraft working the slopes. Unpowered traffic can't dodge you — if wings are up, either fly the opposite face at low level or come back another day. Early mornings and grey calm days are usually yours alone. The hill is part of Queen Elizabeth Country Park (Hampshire County Council); there's no published drone ban for the open hill, but the forested park across the A3 is Forestry England land where drone flying isn't permitted, so stay on the Butser side.