A PARAGLIDER has made it across the Alps in an epic 10-day solo flight.

Daredevil Chris Ashdown from Ross-on-Wye raised £1,300 for Wales’ lifesaving helicopter charity after they once flew to help him following an emergency landing on Coppet Hill near Goodrich.

The 51-year-old flew from Saint-Andre-Alps in the south, to Chamonix in the Northern French Alps and on into Switzerland as part of a ‘volbiv adventure’, meaning ‘fly camp’ in French.

There were plenty of highs, including flying past the famous Mer de Glacé glacier on Mount Blanc, which he said was ‘breath-taking’ and the Matterhorn and the Italian lakes.

But it wasn’t without its hair-raising lows as well, including one harrowing emergency landing close to a dam, ravine and high voltage cables in the Chamonic Valley.

He said: “I knew I was in trouble and had one chance of an emergency landing in a small opening in the trees.

“At this point I had already settled for broken legs rather than the alternative.

“After a short two-hour 32km flight I eventually touched down to my amazement intact! Except for my wing which ended up in a large bush and a big tear in my flying harness which I managed to sew back up that night.”

He took a series of videos on his trip, and said at the end in one film: “I took a lot of risks, I’ve just had a flush in into a city, but I’m pretty proud of myself.

“Flew into Nice got up into the southern French Alps, flown through France, flown nearly to the end of Switzerland, the Italian lakes are just down in the valley, I could see them in the air, so I’m happy with that…

“Once I got lower I started to get really panicky… there’s nowhere to land in this city, it’s all big tower blocks and railways, rivers and roads. I came back into the restriction… this was my one and only option, so I set myself up there through these two blocks… and landed on the edge of the farmers’ field.

“It’s been a blast, loved every minute of it, testosterone’s gone through the roof with adrenaline, it’s adrenaline like you can’t explain, you never put yourself in a position like you do paragliding when you are in close to a mountain, it’s as scary as, it’s kind of what makes me thrive.”

And he added: “I want to say a big thank you to all the people who donated to the Wales Air Ambulance and I would like to give a huge thank you to my beautiful wife Sally for putting up with me, I can only imagine what I’m like to live with.”

To see photos, films and more information about Chris’ trip go to his Facebook page ‘Paraglide adventure across the French Alps’, or to make a donation go to welshairambulancecharitabletrust.eu.rit.org.uk