Windfarms in Moray

Just after finishing writing the previous article, I happened to look out of my study window. Immediately outside my building I look out over the cricket pitch, the bandstand and beyond that part of the town of Nairn with in the far distance a view stretching for many miles south east (probably east south east, more precisely) over trees, farmland and hills.

I noticed away in the far distance some white pillars glinting in the sunlight (it is a beautiful early winter day here) and on looking through my binoculars confirmed my immediate assumption that I was seeing some of the towers in a windfarm; I seem to be able to see about four clearly and through the binoculars they are very prominent. If my research is correct, what I am seeing is actually roughly 35 miles away - there's a photograph of what I'm seeing (evidently taken from a different direction as I'm west north west) available here, if you scroll down the page quite a way.

There has been quite a lot of controversy (scroll down page from the third link) in the past few years here about the wisdom of developing windfarms; personally I am moderately in favour, although the drawback is that when the "wind don't blow, you don't get no power" so that pushes up the real cost of the investment. But from an aesthetic point of view, I think they look quite attractive - a view not shared by everyone, of course, and that is putting it mildly! At the last Scottish Parliament elections here, in 2003, there was indeed a small pressure group party named "Stop Windfarms in Moray" (scroll down to the 'Protect Rural Scotland' section). Anyway, for me it provides a point of interest away on the far horizon.