Cloud hopping is like hot air ballooning except you fly alone, and instead of a basket there is a small dangling chair.

The prospect of airborne freedom comes at a price: first you must have a private pilot’s licence, and you must also own a hopper (from £5,000 second-hand). Only then can you float off alone into the skies, up to 2,000ft. Jo Bailey of Bristol’s Bailey Balloons is the UK’s leading cloud hopper. She says: “It’s incredible, flying around so freely. Then you look down.”