Lille Bondues

As I was going to spend three days in Lille I¡¦ve had the chance to visit the local DZ. The people and staff there were most friendly and helpful. Although, some guys didn¡¦t speak English and I don¡¦t speak any French they made the effort communicating with me the best they could when it should have been me trying to speak in French. They sorted out all the paperwork and kit inspection really quickly and got briefed about hazards, wind/landing directions, procedures, etc. In less than 30 minutes it was all done and I was getting ready to jump. The landing area is massive and mostly hazards-free although there is a nearby motorway and a river but nothing to worry about really unless there was a premature bail off due to a plane emergency or exceptional circumstances. You¡¦ll also find two hangars as packing areas, a decently sized one near the boarding area and a smaller one opposite to the manifesto. The planes I¡¦ve saw were both Pilatus Porters so in about 15-18 minutes you are at 14000 feet.
They¡¦ve got a quite nice clubhouse with a bar¡Kdidn¡¦t have time for few beers after jumping ƒ¼
Perhaps the only problem is that the access is a bit tricky as there aren¡¦t any signs indicating the entrance from the motorway (look and follow for the sings to Boundes) so I found myself going around and around for a while trying to find it. It¡¦s right in the first roundabout you will find when you are heading toward Boundes after leaving the motorway. There are some signs in Boundes indicating the Aerodrome but you shouldn¡¦t follow them, they will take you to the another side of the DZ and there is no access from there to where you need to go if you are driving. You¡¦d have to either walk or go back to the main road and find the right entrance.
The vibe there is really good, everybody smiled at me and asked me if I was having a good time, they were all very polite and nice.
I¡¦ve liked the place quite a lot so as I only need to take the Ferry across the Channel to get there I¡¦ve decided to pay for the year membership (30 Euro) and pop up there often for short weekend breaks once a month or so. There is a bunkhouse and camping area so there aren¡¦t any accommodation problems although there are reasonably cheap hotels nearby.

If there a place to be, to jump, in north of France, it's at Lille Bondues. it's the only place over the world where you could find the original 2m50 (2 meters fifty) you have to go to know