| I made my first visit of April to the Wind Farm on the 3rd of the month, and what a change in the weather when compared to February's Sunny outings. The BBC Weather forecast said it would be cloudy, but would be warm in the afternoon, and me like a silly fool believed them. They didn't say that the cloud would be very low though, and as you can see from most of the images at the top of the gallery, visibility was not great to say the least!
Having managed to find my way to the site of Turbine number 3 in spite of the low cloud, I decided to take a number of shots anyway, and the results, whilst not particularly great, do look a bit 'different' and somewhat 'atmospheric', so I thought I would use them anyway. Thankfully the cloud did clear for a little while later on, but not until after work had stopped for the day, and after a short respite the cloud rolled in once again and that was that. A short walk down to Ashworth Reservoir allowed me to photograph another couple of Telephone masts for my Aerial Gallery (these will be uploaded shortly), but it was still a bit frustrating after making the 10 mile round trip on foot and expecting better things. Luckily I like a good walk, and even if I couldn't take the pictures that I'd planned I still enjoyed the day out anyway. Before my next visit I will be sure check the aeronautical cloud ceiling predictions, even if the BBC assure me that it won't be a problem that day! 
It was back up again on Monday 7th of April, this time on a very cold and frosty morning, and with lots of snow on the moor. The reason for the early start this time was my determination (obsession) to finally get some shots of the blades being fitted in daylight. After a number of frustratingly close misses in previous three months, this time I was fortunate enough to arrive at the right time and see all three blades being fitted to turbine number 3. The photographs taken that day are numbers scout360 to scout464. By the end of the day much of the snow had gone, and the Sun had come out once again, but for a while during the morning period, the icy roads looked like preventing the large transporters that carry the blades from reaching the site. I was greatly relieved when the weather warmed up slightly and the roads cleared up just in time. Photographs aside, it was very interesting to watch how the blades were fitted, and the very efficient and professional manner in which the engineers and crane drivers went about their tasks. My third visit of the month was on the 16th, when I went along to see how work was progressing on Turbine number Four. This is on a section of the site that is much easier to walk to from where I live, but after the base section had been delivered and installed, work was curtailed for the day due to the increasing (and very cold) easterly wind, which also managed to slow down work for the remainder of the week. Still, it was well worth the trip, and fascinating to see how the base section was fitted. The pictures taken during this visit are numbered scout465 to scout521. Another visit was made on the 22nd of April, probably the final one for this month. After the poor weather of the previous days, the Sun came out, and work resumed on fitting the Nacelle, Hub and Blades to Turbine number Four. Work was completed very speedily and efficiently, and then the cranes were all moved down to the final site on this eastern part of the wind farm - Turbine Number Two. With the prospect of getting a few shots of the cranes being moved and the light and weather both favourable, I had to hang around for several hours longer than planned, but it was well worth the effort (and the hunger) and my patience was well rewarded!
The photographs from this latest visit are numbered Scout 522 to Scout 570. |
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The big crane reversing down to the next site 1024x749 scout567.jpg |
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The base of Turbine No.2 uncovered 1024x684 scout564.jpg |
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The red crane reverses down to the site of Turbine No.2 1024x731 scout559.jpg |
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The base of Turbine No.2 is prepared 1024x684 scout555.jpg |
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The engineers prepare Turbine No.4 before the last blade is lifted 1024x806 scout549.jpg |
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The escort vehicle 1024x763 scout542.jpg |
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another blade arrives 1024x713 scout540.jpg |
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The first blade is lifted up to Turbine No.4 1024x793 scout538.jpg |
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Wonder if he can see my house from up there? 1024x689 scout529.jpg |
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The hub is lifted into place 1024x756 scout526.jpg |
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The hub is prepared for lifting 1024x755 scout523.jpg |
The view of the stored blades from the top of Knowl Hill 1024x698 scout522.jpg |
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Turbine No.3 as seen from the A680 at Ashworth 950x630 scout454.jpg |
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The sling is removed and the job is almost complete 950x750 scout450.jpg |
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