The pretty village near Glasgow offering a magical summer fest with hot air balloons

It's summertime and the weather is well, fine, but we are hoping that next month will have at least one sunny day for a magical celebration.

One pretty market town not too far from Glasgow not only makes for an amazing family day out but also hosts a wonderful hot air balloon festival.

Strathaven (pronounced Stray-ven), in South Lanarkshire, is stunning in the sunshine and feels like you have been transported to the Cotswolds with beautiful buildings, a castle, and an award-winning park with its own miniature railway - plus plenty of top food and drink spots and shops.

The town even has its own eco bus - the 3C - which runs Monday to Saturday from North Hanover Street just off George Square and starts at 8.15am and runs until the last bus from Strathaven at 8pm.

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The town is also home to the Strathaven Balloon Festival which usually takes place during the final weekend of August - this year's event will be between August 23 and 25.

This year marks a very special 25 years since the inaugural festival was first held back in 1999 and the event has gone on to remain Scotland’s only hot air balloon festival – there will be a special programme on sale to celebrate the quarter century.

Starting off the event, weather permitting, there will be balloon flights on Friday evening just after 6pm. There will be more events and balloon launches from 6am and 6pm on both the Saturday and the Sunday, as well as a sky dive at 4pm.

Throughout both days, there will be entertainment including live music, dancers, a fun fair, stalls, and more.

Keep an eye out for the extra special Evening Glow event, which, weather permitting, takes place at 9pm on the Saturday.

As the sun begins to set, the crowd can gather in the main arena while balloonists take to the field.

There they will lay out the huge balloons, tethered to vehicles before the burners are started and the colourful balloons glow and illuminate the night sky.

The event is free to attend and you can find out more about it from the official website.

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