Loughgall Country Park

Loughgall Country Park sits on the edge of the pretty conservation village of Loughgall in the heart of Armagh's Bramley apple orchards, and it is a calm, well-kept spot for gentle aerial work. The park is built around a long coarse-fishing lake fringed by reeds and specimen trees, with a golf course, walking trails and broad mown lawns that give easy, obstacle-free launch areas. From the air the draw is the lake mirroring the sky, the geometric rows of the surrounding orchards, a froth of blossom in late April and early May and heavy with fruit by September, and the soft drumlin farmland rolling away in every direction. Crowds are usually light, just a few anglers, golfers and dog walkers, so keeping legal separations is straightforward, though you should launch away from the fishing stands and greens. This is council parkland with byelaws, so fly courteously and be ready to stop if asked. It is a properly rural inland location with no controlled airspace nearby, which keeps flight planning simple. The orchards in blossom, shot from height on a still spring morning, are the standout image here, though the autumn harvest across the same rows is nearly as good.