Last week we asked you what you think about wind turbines; we were delighted by the number of responses our Facebook poll received, particularly because almost 80% of you declared that you love them. But really, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise as, despite what certain media outlets would like to have you believe, Renewable UK also reported that 8 out of 10 people in the UK are in favour of wind energy.

We asked blogger Sonia Hawkey who lives in Delabole, the site of our new wind farm, for her latest musings on the village and its ‘Fab Four’ too.

Sonia writes:

Cornwall’s been having a bit of a moment recently, what with the humble pasty being awarded Geographical Protected Status by the European Union and, more significantly for Delabole, the grand opening our new look wind farm.  In a ceremony which saw our brand new über-turbines stunningly illuminated as night fell, the Delabolians, Good Energy reps and Chris Huhne, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change were on hand to give them a proper Cornish welcome. 

Now, some months later, with the turbines back in business proper, I thought I’d take advantage of the lovely weather and go for a stroll around our other landmark, the Delabole Slate quarry.  From the edge of the second largest man-made hole in Europe, I just had to take a shot of Guinevere, Martha, Thomas and Titch (as they have been christened by the children of Delabole Primary!); Delabole’s past and its future side by side in a unique landscape.  And as the quarry has evolved, with the work of hundreds of men now replaced by a handful of machines, so this robust new generation wind farm will create a new legacy for the village to be proud of.

Instilled with this sense of pride, I then made my way to the coast, walking along the rocky crags from Trebarwith Strand’s smugglers’ cove to Tintagel, home of legendary King Arthur’s castle, where I could just about see the very tips of the Fab Four, dwarfed by the rolling hills and still turning calmly in the stiff sea breeze.  It’s funny how even these huge turbines are no match for the undulations of the Cornish countryside!  A city-slicker friend even commented on how elegant they all looked on the horizon and noted how aesthetically pleasing their carefully considered placement was. 

And it’s a view which, along with the power generated by the turbines, will be enjoyed for years to come.