Blowing in the wind

We really suffer from wind in the Fens. I’ll try to avoid rip-roaring jokes about flatulence in this instance, although we do have our fair share of farts. I mean strong gales. We don’t have many natural barriers to break wind (steady) because there are few hedgerows and trees, no hills or mountains standing in the way of this damaging phenomenon which batters our flat lands. Instead there are huge expanses of open fields, rich with Fenland soil perfect for arable farming.

This means that we sometimes witness something called the Fen Blow [see YouTube]. This is where a strong wind whips up dry soil and peat and creates a dark, mysterious, turbulent cloud which moves slowly across the landscape. Nothing on the scale of the dramatic twisters we see being chased on TV, though. The Fen Blow dissipates when the wind subsides and drops its contents, and the soil sometimes drifts, just as you might see drifts of snow in the winter. 

Dawn of an era: wind turbines on the Fens

The wind power can be harnessed into useful energy by using turbines for electricity and wind pumps for water drainage and pumping. In the old days, windmills were a common sight but they are now few and far between. Denver Mill, just over the county border in Admiral Nelson’s Norfolk, is a listed building and the nearest working windmill mill to us. However, I’m not sure if it is actually working at present because, with no irony whatsoever, local TV recently reported that one of its sails had blown off.

Wind turbines are popping up everywhere because they are lucrative for landowners and energy  companies, but there is little consideration shown to the people who live here. They are a real blot on the landscape, although they can add drama in a certain light (picture taken last summer at dawn). 

Seen up close, they look daunting and they are noisy. 

Yes, we have to think of ways of creating alternative energy and we have to be more green in our approach to every day life. But what about proper consultation with the residents. The attitude at seems to be: It’s only the Fens, so throw them up.