Wind Problems

The view of Trelawnyd nestled in the lee of Gop Hill ( look closely)
Photo taken from Marian Mawr across the valley

Across the valley from us lies the large prosperous farm of Marian Mawr. The only contact we have with them is during hay making when their farm trucks roar up and down the lane from their fields on this side of the village, the trailers occasionally clipping our stone wall or the wall by the Ukrainian Village's gate.
A few days ago, a huge white wind turbine has appeared in one of the fields below the farm. It towers 43 metres above the valley side and can be seen quite clearly, dominating the view from Trelawnyd against the backdrop of the Clwydian Hills behind.
I think it's quite beautiful.
The view West from our bedroom window
Its not a great photo but the turbine can just be seen to the right in the distance
The Ukrainian Village lies on the left
The Ukrainian Village

But, I think it's visual impact lies in the fact that is that it is a single white windmill set against a sea of green. A whole "farm" of turbines would be a very different matter, especially as the valley has been deemed an" area of outstanding beauty" by the Welsh Government.
I can see perfectly why Marian Mawr's owner, Alec Morris, has built the turbine. With 300 dairy cattle to milk and with soaring energy costs, he is insuring the future of a large family farm , but the question now arises, just how many of these massive windmills will start to creep into view along the Clwydian Hills and beyond!



I am in the process of marshalling the troops so whilst out for a walk we can photgraph the windmill
Winnie has other ideas



49 comments:

  1. I love wind turbines too. If I had one, I would love to paint it like one of those windmills we used to get at the beach when I was a child :-) Scientific studies have shown that painting the turbines purple decreases the number of birds and insects that are killed by the blades.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:32 am

    I remember seeing a sole wind turbine in the distance from the M6 a few years ago. It looked magical, surreal and not of this world. Yes, putting a lot together may not be such a good visual.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Watch out for the following flood of applications now that permission has been granted for this single one. When they first appeared in Cornwall, they were almost a tourist attraction - and the cause of several traffic accidents as motorists slowed down on the main holiday route to have a good look. Now though, single ones are dotted all over the county and there soon won't be any viewpoints where there's not a turbine spoiling the gorgeous scenery of Cornwall. I USED to quite like them, but not any longer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I'm a sad person. My heart beats faster, my breathing rate increases and my palms become sweaty whenever I see a wind turbine.

    I love them - as a single item, or as a veritable field of them... :)

    (Btw, you live in a very beautiful spot)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mmmm could be a problem, fors' and againsts' are probably 50/50?
    Winnie looks so cute! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you have wind you might as well harness it! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. "an area of outstanding beauty" - your government got THAT right! glad to hear chris is feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wind turbines are a huge bone of contention in my area (south western Ontario). There are citizens groups protesting and health studies being done. There are areas where you have not one, but dozens. They don't affect me directly, so I stay out of the debate.
    I really like the upstairs photo where you can see the Ukranian village. It helps me to put a perspective on it! What stunningly beautiful countryside you have to look at. -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes they are. If you live to close to them there is a delightful whirring sound that you can hear day and night. So many people are against them in Southern Ontario. I was surprised on how many they were on the way down from Glasgow airport on the way down to Carlisle when we were over last.

      Delete
  9. That is an extremely adorable photo of Winnie. I have about 4 windmills very close to where I live. At the moment one makes a real whining sound and it is a bit irritating.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree, I think they look surreal against the landscape. I wonder whether previous generations objected when a new windmill was constructed?

    ReplyDelete
  11. The future must come, and wind turbines with it. I think they are beautiful and awesome; I think of the American depression era murals of strong muscular people building cities.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The trouble is that wind turbines are pretty useless unless you have thousands of them. The latest thing is for farmers to cover fields with solar panels. The other trouble is that - whether you like them or not - they do dominate the landscape. We could have a massive generating source here which would serve Wales and the rest of the West, and that could be something which utilises the second highest tide in the world - the Severn Barrage. I think it goes up and down by about 30 feet a day. That's a lot of water.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I tried to marshall for similar reasons - we don't have a dog with different ideas, but we have a similar father-in-law right now. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. They are pretty, in and of themselves, but an entire valley of them might be unsightly.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Winnie is too cute! I'm undecided about wind turbines and I don't want to be a complete Luddite dismissing them out of hand as unless people cut down on energy consumption we're going to need something!

    ReplyDelete
  16. We have wind turbine farms here in northern California, hundreds of them lined up along hills on both sides of the freeway. I understand their benefits but they are massive bird murdering machines.

    ReplyDelete
  17. We have wind turbine farms here in northern California, hundreds of them lined up along hills on both sides of the freeway. I understand their benefits but they are massive bird murdering machines.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You live in a beautiful, amazing place.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous1:40 pm

    The subject of wind turbines can get some people really riled up. They're not particularly efficient, but personally I find them quite majestic. I wonder if there was the same amount of moaning minnies when all the electricity pylons first appeared - and nobody can deny that those things are ugly buggers compared with wind turbines. There's been a huge increase in solar farms around here, but as it's flat fenland it's often hard to even see them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love wind turbines, we have lots around here. They are very beautiful although not particularly efficient. Out to sea we have them off Great Yarmouth and they are also beautiful to look out at, much more so than turning yourself around and looking at Yarmouth. We also have lots of derelict windmills from the last century which are now mostly derelict standing eerily across the marshes near the coast. I bet they didn't object to them when they needed wind power to make flour. We also have solar farms too and you can't see them once they are finished and we have fields of maize grown for power stations, and even wheat now. It's a case of get used to it and accept change.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a beautiful view you have! If I could have the ocean on one side and that view on the other, I would be in heaven.

    One windmill is not so bad, but I detest a sea of them.

    Is Winnie grouchy when you wake her up? She looks so sweet with that smooch up face.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I would rather have a wind turbine than a nuclear power station. Power lines and telegraph poles/lines spoil the countryside.

    ReplyDelete
  23. With my luck, the wind would never blow again.

    ReplyDelete
  24. (Yes, we're back in circulation.)

    I also like to see a wind turbine or two (max), though their bird-slaughtering properties has somewhat dampened my former enthusiasm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand that many, many, many more birds die flying into buildings.

      Delete
    2. Fair point, AM-S, though is there any alternative to buildings? Only if we all live in bungalows, but even then.....

      Delete
    3. and many more get killed by pet cats...

      and...

      Delete
  25. I like them, they are like prima ballerinas as they perform their graceful arcs. I have climbed to the top and walked round the top of one, the view across Norfolk was amazing, I have no head for heights normally but this was different.

    ReplyDelete
  26. There is much debate about wind turbines in our region. By regulation, they have to be set a certain distance away from the nearest human habitation. I have a feeling the sound would drive me to distraction as I find any continuous noise to be difficult to take ... that being said, we need to do something about our energy situation besides continuing to extract coal and gas from the ground, and our climate here only lends itself to solar power part of the year. It's a conundrum.

    ReplyDelete
  27. In the high desert region of the states Oregon and Washington they have taken over miles upon miles of former isolated scenic landscape. They change the landscape, and become the focus of what you see. I'm glad I don't have any around where I live.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Real bone of contention up here in the windy north. My local community has just successfully taken their case for not allowing a wind turbine refurbishment plant being built on the site of a derelict power station, to the Scottish Parliament who are now reviewing the planning application. Allowing it to be built would mean the whole of our local coastline changing, the local fishing industry damaged beyond repair and huge tankers coming into berth for transportation of the blades, which would then be taken by road on massive trailers which would change the whole infrastructure of the coastal towns and villages who would be affected. We already have hillsides full of turbines and more and more farmers are succumbing to the temptation of the grants and subsidies offered to 'plant' them on their land. Your local farmer's turbine will quickly be followed by many more.

    ReplyDelete
  29. hahahahahaha when I read your heading today I thought Winnie had embarrassed herself (you) again.
    When you drive to Palm Springs you see so many of them covering the barren hillside the desert, except for all the dead birds.
    People have complained about health problems living around them.
    Some working some standing still but they are an eye sore even in a desolate hillside.
    The village is so filled with green plants how do you find the coops ?

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
  30. Took me a moment to figure out which end of Winnie I was looking at there. Not a comment that would impress most ladies but Winnie probably wouldn't mind.

    ReplyDelete
  31. hey there,with wind turbines there isnt a huge amount of sound unless they need repair. I used to work right by some. The road noise is louder from cars etc

    I cant remember where it was... maybe Germany they had solar panels as sound barriers on a dual carriage way to shield the houses. that is clever

    ReplyDelete
  32. Can't move for them here. One thing we're not short of is wind. The nearest one is a nuisance, when the wind is in the east, it sounds like a Chinook hovering over our house. Hey ho.....

    ReplyDelete
  33. Winnie is so gorgeous !!

    ReplyDelete
  34. A misleading blogpost title. I was looking forward to reading about Winnie's flatulence.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I think the wind turbines are beautiful, even in numbers. I believe that fellow has a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  36. What is the Ukrainian Village? Its origin?

    One turbine? Not bad, but inefficient. Massive numbers will absolutely ruin the beauty of Wales. And, they are responsible for uncountable number of dead birds, always needing repair. A good idea, perhaps, but one that has gone viral.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, an old Going Gently character called The Red Faced Welsh Farmer once looked at my collection of hen houses
      And said
      " looks like a fucking Ukrainian village"
      And the nick name stuck

      Delete
    2. Not just any old Ukrainian village but a "fucking" one.

      I am intrigued

      Delete
  37. I've been hearing recently that they are very inefficient. I would hate to look out over my view and see one!

    ReplyDelete
  38. I'm with Winnie...

    Why is it that when I read the title of this post I expected it to be about some other kind of "wind problems"?

    ReplyDelete
  39. I don't have a problem with them but I don't have one on my doorstep.
    What a lot of hen houses you have ! Lovely x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find hen houses to be a messy blot on an otherwise lovely landscape.

      Delete
  40. I don't care for the turbines...destroying the country views. But I guess in this modern age it's pick your poison. Beautiful Winnie! Love looking at that face...

    ReplyDelete
  41. They are so beautiful and graceful to look at....but then I only see them when I'm on a motorway.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I like wind turbines, they are so much more beautiful than the pylons that clutter up our hillsides, and the 'whoosh, whoosh' as the blades go round can be very soporific..... as Winnie would demonstrate so well ;-)

    ReplyDelete

I love all comments Except abusive ones from arseholes