Droning at Dawn – A Morning at Pontypool Folly
There’s something quite special about Pontypool Folly at dawn. It sits there high above the valley like a quiet sentinel, watching over the rolling landscape and the early risers who are daft enough to be up before sunrise — which, of course, included myself and my good friend Paul Joy. We met about thirty minutes before the sun was due to show its face. It was one of those classic autumn mornings: crisp air that nipped the fingertips, a faint breeze, and that unmistakable smell of damp leaves and distant woodsmoke. The eastern horizon was glowing a beautiful orange, promising a perfect sunrise — though, as nature often enjoys reminding us, there was a thick layer of cloud just waiting to gatecrash the show. Paul and I set up near the Folly, exchanging the usual morning banter and exaggerated complaints about the early hour. Before long, we each launched our drones into the soft half-light. The hum of the propellers mingled with the dawn chorus — though I’m not sure the local Robins ap...
