Goodyear Blimp back in Kent for second time this week as it soars over Maidstone, Leeds Castle and Medway

The Goodyear Blimp has returned to Kent this afternoon.

The world-renowned airship has been spotted over the Maidstone area, including Leeds Castle, before heading towards Chatham and then Gravesend.

The Goodyear Blimp soars over Leeds Castle, near Maidstone. Picture: Graysons Leeds Castle

It comes after it soared through the skies over Kent on Wednesday.

It was the first time it had been spotted over the county for several years.

A pilot on board the iconic blimp shared some breathtaking images from the cockpit.

Major landmarks, including the St Lawrence Ground, the home of Kent cricket, and Canterbury Cathedral could be spotted from the skies.

The Goodyear Blimp is recognised all over the world and is a regular feature at motorsport events, as well other big sport and entertainment events, ranging from FA Cup Finals at Wembley to Live Aid.

The Goodyear Blimp spotted over Bearsted, near Maidstone, on Friday. Picture: Jake Wardle

The airship, which is normally based in Essen-Mülheim during the summer months and otherwise has its home on Lake Constance, a European lake that borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland arrived via Calais in France.

It is spending several days flying over England on behalf of the US tyre company, including over the famous Goodwood estate with its own racetrack and airfield.

The blimp continues to cause a stir whenever it appears, with delighted watchers already taking to social media to share their footage and pictures of the aircraft.

The airship usually flies at around 1,000 to 1,500 feet in the air, and travels at a top speed of 73 miles per hour.

It flies much longer than a helicopter and can travel nonstop for more than 10 hours.

A view from the iconic Goodyear blimp as it travelled over Kent. Photo: Uwe Stohrer

It returned to the UK for the first time in over 10 years in 2021, then again in 2022 – but hasn’t been seen since until this week.