Whitelee Windfarm

It was a beautiful day today so we headed out to the Whitelee Windfarm. It seems like everyone else in the EK area had the same idea also, so it was a bit of a challenge actually getting onto the site. Once on the site there is plenty of room - the place is massive - over 140 turbines and 90km of trails for walking and cycling. Its a clever idea to make the grounds into a park it both allows people to get up and close to the turbines and opens up what was moorland and commercial woodland.
The visitor centre is run by the same crowd that do the Glasgow Science Centre. There was plenty of info on the environmental aspects and the generation of electricity from wind, but not a huge amount on the mechanical aspects of these turbines.

The bit that is hard to appreciate is the immense size of these turbines. Yes, you can see them for miles, turning slowly in the breeze. And I had been up close to them before on Myre's Hill where we have our turbine lab (I'll need to check will Ali just where on the Whitelee's map Myre's Hill fits in). But you cannot appreciate just how big or powerful these things are until you stand under one when the wind is blowing.
The two pictures here show the same turbine, which is number 40 from the map. On the first one you can just make out the green shed at the base of the turbine, while on the second pic you can see it compared to my Dad.
Once the site quiets down Ciaran and I will have to take the bikes out and cycle some of the paths...