Paragliding competitions in the UK: XC League, BP Cup and the British Champs
How UK paragliding competition works, from the National XC League to the British Paragliding Cup and British Championships.
In this guide
- What you need first: BHPA membership. The BP Cup needs the Pilot rating or above and an EN A, B or C glider.
- What's next: Competition track: the British Championships and the Paragliding World Cup. Coaching track: Club Coach.
Who runs it
The BHPA Competitions Committee supports free flight competitions. Its paragliding panel organises the national championships, selects the national teams and oversees all other paragliding competitions.
Where to start
- UK National XC League: BHPA members enter their own cross-country flights.
- British Club Challenge: the club competition on the BHPA's list.
- British Paragliding Cup: a friendly UK competition for pilots in the "non-skygod" category. Its aims are "flying, fun and learning", in that order. The Meet Director handles the forecast, site and task, so you just take off and fly. You get help programming your instruments, and there are daily task debriefs when time allows.
- British Paragliding Competitions: the BHPA panel's site, home of the British Championships and the British Winter Open.
2027 dates
- 22 February to 2 March 2027: 8th British Winter Open, Panchgani, India. It's open to all classes of wing.
- 6 to 9 May 2027: BP Cup Dales round, Yorkshire Dales, with registration on the evening of Wednesday 5 May.
See the 2027 British competitions guide for every sport's events in one place.
Going global
The BHPA lists the CIVL paragliding competitions page and the Paragliding World Cup.
Cross-country rules
You need the Pilot rating to fly cross-country. The one competition exception is a BHPA-sanctioned event where the organisers set a defined corridor to goal and give Club Pilots a documented briefing.
Source: BHPA Competitions Committee and Who can fly cross-country?, BHPA; British Paragliding Cup; British Paragliding Competitions and its British Winter Open 2027 notice, checked October 2026.
Governing body: British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA). It sets the UK safety standards and training awards for paragliding, so it's the official place to find out more.
Typical prices, checked October 2026. The club or coach sets and bills the price.
The club map lists some of the UK clubs for this sport. It is a starting point, so check with the club before you travel. To have a coach found for you, use the enquiry form.
