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We were guided a few metres to the left by our retrieve crew before we drifted down gently to land. This wasn't an intentional preview to show me what to expect, but I instantly felt a lot better.

While I was inwardly digesting what had just happened we got the signal, the burners were turned on full blast and we were off.

It felt like going up in a smooth silent lift. The Rolls Royce of lifts. There were no bumps, no swaying, no twisting around in circles. Completely vertical.

The climb was so gradual that I think your body has time to adjust with every centimetre. I felt no weird body-lurch like you feel on a plane after take-off when it starts to climb. The people on the ground looked smaller and smaller and an amazing panorama crept into my vision. We could see for miles. It wasn't windy, it was calm and still. It was 6am, there were no cars or sounds. We had Bristol all to ourselves.

I saw Clifton Suspension Bridge, my favourite view of Bristol, and spotted the nearby Clifton church opposite my house. I was so taken by this sight, searching for my bedroom window, that I almost forgot we were high up in a balloon. As we climbed, I had to look down to see the bridge, which showed me how high we were. I didn't feel weird at all - in fact I couldn't stop smiling.

We flew on towards the city centre, over pastel-coloured terraced houses in Hotwells, and I could see the shimmering silver ball of the Orange Imaginarium in Millennium Square next to the river. As we flew on I picked out other landmarks like Queen Square which helped me get my bearings.

We flew quite low over St Mary Redcliffe and seemed to almost skim the church spire. We approached Temple Meads station and over trains, then over the Feeder and Avon Meads.

Bristol was waking up, cars started to snake ant-like along a maze of roads, and as people opened their curtains and spied us they scrambled outside to wave, waving even more vigorously when we waved back.

It was an amazing experience, really relaxing. At our highest we climbed to 1,000ft, so we saw it all. Green spaces you never knew were there, back garden swimming pools which need a good clean, churches towering above houses and the river so clear you could see to the bottom.

All too soon it was over. We'd been in the air for more than an hour, it was time to land. We manoeuvred to descend into Dundridge fields in Hanham. John and I got into the crouched backwards position holding loops on the basket, and braced ourselves.

We landed with a bump, skidded slowly for a bit, then the basket tipped over. The pilots gallantly broke our fall. I scrambled out and felt completely elated. I DID IT! And if I can, anyone can.

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e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk