Steele's Knowe - Walking Through a Windfarm

[Gordie12]

I read The Rodmiester's report on this hill from a couple of months ago and added it to my list of "after work" hills that I wanted to do on my early finish thursday's.

Left Perth on a beautiful summer's afternoon, warm with a slight breeze..............perfect!! 40 minutes later arrived at the parking area for this walk (Between the Glendevon Church and the parking area for Glen Sherup) only to be greeted with a strong wind and the hint of rain.

The wind turbines would be working hard today so decided to block out the sound by sticking the MP3 on and listening to an audiobook. My choice? The Long Walk by Stephen King, a story about 100 competitors who start out on the long walk. Rule 1, competitors must never fall below 4mph, each competitor is allowed 3 warnings but should they fall below 4mph for a fourth time the sound of gunfire can be heard and there is one less competitor left standing

Needless to say for the entrance to a wind farm it is big and wide so plenty space to dump the car out of the way. The gate is part open so somebody must still be working on site.

The gradient up to the windfarm is constant but not too steep and with the good wide track it doesn't take long to reach the first turbine. A combination of strong winds and the constant noise from the turbines doing double speed it's quite hard to hear the audiobook at full volume

Thinking back to Rod's report I remembered he left the main track at turbine 6 so after a quick check of the plan on a sign I knew basically where I was heading for and by the time I was passing turbine 10 I could see the outline of a summit cairn in the distance.

From turbine 6 it's a short 5-10 minute easy climb through short grass with the odd damp but not boggy bit of ground and the summit is reached. Good views to be had over Auchterarder, to Crieff with Ben Chonzie behind, west towards Comrie (and beyond) and finally down the Strathearn valley towards Perth.

Having spent a few minutes at the top and about to start heading back towards the windfarm I could see the outline of a grassy track heading over between turbines 5 and 6 at the windfarm. Although this was a less direct way back I decided just to use the track which came out at turbine 5 giving me access to the large track through the windfarm allowing me to retrace my steps back to the car.

Unusual walk this, I've skirted a few windfarms when out on the hills but I can't remember ever walking right through the middle of one before. Quite an interesting and eerie experience and as a one-off, quite enjoyed it. Trouble is it kept reminding me that a local estate has applied for planning permission to erect one 77 metre turbine in woods about 400 yards from our house. Their plan is to clear fell a wood which is about three quarters of a mile long and 3-400 yards wide for the sake of one turbine with 100% of the power going in to the grid so all for profit So a wood that looks as though it has been around for probably hundreds of years will be consigned to history for the sake of some faceless estate trying to make a quick buck..............I'm digressing.......(my objections for what it's worth have been noted by Angus Council)

Walk completed in under an hour and a half, maybe the audiobook was an incentive to me to keep the pace high.

Some pics....................

Approaching the windfarm

Looking back towards The Ochils

Getting closer

Plan of windfarm

Looking back towards The Ochils (again)

More turbines

And more.......

And even more

Wind turbine acting as a wind break!

Looking towards Crieff from the summit

Summit looking towards, yip, the windfarm

Last one (promise!)

Heading back down the track

Nearly back at the car

Car in sight

[The Rodmiester]

You made it then, and did not forget to take the summit photographs, like someone I know Bet you don't go back there in a hurry! Fine for a wee fill in of time, not much else.

[Gordie12]

You made it then, and did not forget to take the summit photographs, like someone I know Bet you don't go back there in a hurry! Fine for a wee fill in of time, not much else.

Yip, tend to agree, not one I'd rush back to but glad I did it.

Lendrick Hill on the other hand I would go back to - great views for very little effort.

[Graeme D]

The wind turbines would be working hard today so decided to block out the sound by sticking the MP3 on and listening to an audiobook. My choice? The Long Walk by Stephen King, a story about 100 competitors who start out on the long walk. Rule 1, competitors must never fall below 4mph, each competitor is allowed 3 warnings but should they fall below 4mph for a fourth time the sound of gunfire can be heard and there is one less competitor left standing

Sounds like the South Glen Shiel Ridge day from the WH meet of a couple of years ago!