Nice thread, I guess there are quite a few glider pilots on PP.
I fly at Lasham, Hants which is the largest UK club - high fees but great facilities and full time staff so you can turn up and get a launch whenever you need one.
Cross country flying and racing/competitions is fantastic sport and the variations in the weather, often subtle, mean it never gets boring. I fly an 18m glider with turbo and have 1,400hrs. Longest flight so far was Aboyne (Scotland) to Lasham in a glider, 11:00hrs airborne! Memorable.
OG