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The gas balloons are inflated with hydrogen rather than hot air
Five gas balloons taking part in an international race have been forced to land, but the three British teams are still in the air.
Twenty teams launched their balloons near Bristol late on Saturday. They are aiming to travel the furthest.
On Monday morning the majority of the hydrogen-filled balloons were over France and Spain.
By 0813 BST Wiltshire adventurer David Hempleman-Adams had travelled more than 810 km (503 miles).
Leading the pack, over the Mediterranean Sea, were the French balloonists Sebastien Rolland and Vincent Leys.
The all-woman British team, Janet Folkes and Ann Rich, had travelled more than 1013km (629 miles) while another British team, Colin Butter and Paul Spellward, had travelled 880km (546 miles).
Balloons from Finland, Japan and Switzerland were the first to land.
The Swiss balloon came down in the Pyrenees and the other two landed on the east coast of France, just south of Bordeaux.
Race director Clive Bailey said "some pretty difficult decisions" would need to be made later.
"The biggest problem is we're not allowed to fly over Sardinia or Italy at night," he said.
This means they have to time their arrival in the area just right.
He added: "There was concern for the Swiss balloon because the tracker showed that it had landed in the dark in the mountains, but we have had confirmation that all is safe."
Writing on his blog at 0613 BST, Mr Hempleman-Adams said: "We're now over Bordeaux. It's been an eventful night.
"As we came in over the coast the balloon descended to 1,000ft which was expected due to the difference in temperature between the land and the sea. We both flew the balloon for a while being at such a low level.
"We've got some critical decisions to make today."
It is the first time in its 104-year history that the Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett race has taken off from the UK.
Hempleman-Adams won the race in 2008 with co-pilot Jon Mason, giving them the right to host it in their home country.
Mr Hempleman-Adams and Mr Mason were the first UK team to win, flying 1,098 miles (1,767km) from Albuquerque in New Mexico to Lake Michigan in just over three days.
Progress of the competitors from 10 countries can be followed online.
The balloons are controlled by releasing gas to descend and throwing out sand to ascend.
The Duke of Edinburgh and Sir Richard Branson are patrons of the 54th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett race.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The gas balloons are inflated with hydrogen rather than hot air Five gas balloons taking part in an international race have been forced to land, but the three British teams are still in the air.
Twenty teams launched their balloons near Bristol late on Saturday. They are aiming to travel the furthest.
On Monday morning the majority of the hydrogen-filled balloons were over France and Spain.
By 0813 BST Wiltshire adventurer David Hempleman-Adams had travelled more than 810 km (503 miles).
Leading the pack, over the Mediterranean Sea, were the French balloonists Sebastien Rolland and Vincent Leys.
The all-woman British team, Janet Folkes and Ann Rich, had travelled more than 1013km (629 miles) while another British team, Colin Butter and Paul Spellward, had travelled 880km (546 miles).
Balloons from Finland, Japan and Switzerland were the first to land.
The Swiss balloon came down in the Pyrenees and the other two landed on the east coast of France, just south of Bordeaux.
Race director Clive Bailey said "some pretty difficult decisions" would need to be made later.
"The biggest problem is we're not allowed to fly over Sardinia or Italy at night," he said.
This means they have to time their arrival in the area just right.
He added: "There was concern for the Swiss balloon because the tracker showed that it had landed in the dark in the mountains, but we have had confirmation that all is safe."
Writing on his blog at 0613 BST, Mr Hempleman-Adams said: "We're now over Bordeaux. It's been an eventful night.
"As we came in over the coast the balloon descended to 1,000ft which was expected due to the difference in temperature between the land and the sea. We both flew the balloon for a while being at such a low level.
"We've got some critical decisions to make today."
It is the first time in its 104-year history that the Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett race has taken off from the UK.
Hempleman-Adams won the race in 2008 with co-pilot Jon Mason, giving them the right to host it in their home country.
Mr Hempleman-Adams and Mr Mason were the first UK team to win, flying 1,098 miles (1,767km) from Albuquerque in New Mexico to Lake Michigan in just over three days.
Progress of the competitors from 10 countries can be followed online.
The balloons are controlled by releasing gas to descend and throwing out sand to ascend.
The Duke of Edinburgh and Sir Richard Branson are patrons of the 54th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett race.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.